PDS Biotechnology Adds Three Pharma Executives to Board
PRINCETON, N.J., October 20, PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB) appointed John Dawson CBE, Deborah Ramsdell, and Bruce Wendel to its Board of Directors, effective October 18, 2026. The additions replace four outgoing directors and coincide with the company's advancement of PDS0301 toward a Phase 3 trial in metastatic colorectal cancer.
PRINCETON, N.J., October 20, PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB) appointed John Dawson CBE, Deborah Ramsdell, and Bruce Wendel to its Board of Directors, effective October 18, 2026. The additions replace four outgoing directors and coincide with the company's advancement of PDS0301 toward a Phase 3 trial in metastatic colorectal cancer.
Frank Bedu-Addo, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of PDS Biotech, stated that the new directors bring experience in drug development, commercialization, regulatory affairs, and partnership negotiations. He noted that their perspectives are expected to support the company as it pursues a partnership strategy for PDS0101. The CEO also thanked the resigning directors for their contributions to the company's clinical development strategy, specifically citing the oncology experience of Otis Brawley, M.D.
The resignations of Stephen Glover, Kamil Ali-Jackson, Esq., Gregory Freitag, J.D., CPA, and Otis Brawley, M.D., also became effective on October 18, 2026. The reconstituted Audit Committee now comprises James Banaag as Chair, John Dawson, and Bruce Wendel. The Compensation Committee consists of Patrick Soon-Shiong as Chair, James Banaag, and John Dawson. The Nominating and Governance Committee includes Bruce Wendel as Chair, Deborah Ramsdell, and Ilian Iliev.
John A. Dawson CBE has served as Executive Chair of Virocell Therapeutics since March 2023. He has also held non-executive director roles at Norgine and Chinese Specialty Pharma Ltd. From August 2008 to January 2022, Dawson served as Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Biomedica plc. During his tenure at Oxford Biomedica, he secured deals with Sanofi, Novartis, Orchard Therapeutics, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Axovant with a total value in excess of $1.75 billion. Prior to that role, he served as head of Europe for Cephalon from 1997 to 2007. Dawson holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Mathematics from the University of Swansea.
Deborah A. Ramsdell brings more than 35 years of experience in regulatory leadership at biotechnology companies. Since August 2026, she has served as Chief Executive Officer of Pluvia Biotech. From February 2021 to July 2024, she was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Phoenicis Therapeutics. She has been the owner of CMS International, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm, since 1996. Ramsdell holds a B.S. in Biology and an M.Ed. in Special Education from Boston College.
Bruce Wendel has held leading roles in corporate development at pharmaceutical companies. As Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, he led negotiations for mergers, acquisitions, licensing, and co-promotion deals globally. From December 2014 to June 2015, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Scientific Protein Laboratories, LLC. He previously served as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Abraxis BioScience, LLC. Wendel currently sits on the board of directors for ImmunityBio. His educational background includes a law degree from Georgetown University and a bachelor's degree from Cornell University.