Actithera has appointed Steven Kelly as Chief Executive Officer and a member of its board as the radiopharmaceutical biotechnology company prepares to move its lead program into clinical development.
The company also named Briggs Morrison Chair of the Board and John Crowley an Independent Director.
Kelly will lead Actithera as it advances its lead fibroblast activation protein-targeted radioligand therapy into clinical development and builds a broader pipeline of differentiated radiopharmaceutical programs.
Founder Andreas Goutopoulos will continue as President and Head of Research & Development, overseeing Actithera’s scientific strategy, medicinal chemistry platform, research organization and discovery pipeline.
Kelly brings more than 30 years of biotechnology leadership experience. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of Carisma Therapeutics, where he helped transition the company from an academic platform to a publicly traded clinical-stage biotechnology business, raising more than $300 million and establishing collaborations with global biopharmaceutical companies.
Crowley most recently served as CFO of Centessa Pharmaceuticals and helped lead its strategic transformation before its $7.8 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly. Previously, as CFO of Fusion Pharmaceuticals, he helped take the company through its Nasdaq IPO and subsequent acquisition by AstraZeneca. Crowley has raised more than $1.5 billion in capital during his career.
Actithera raised a $75.5 million Series A round in July 2025 to advance its pipeline and accelerate clinical development of its lead FAP-targeting radioligand therapy.
KEY QUOTES:
“Actithera has reached an important inflection point as it prepares to translate a differentiated scientific platform into clinical development. Andreas and the team have built a strong scientific foundation, and Steve brings the company-building and operating experience needed to lead Actithera through this next phase. Together with John’s financial and strategic expertise, our strengthened leadership team brings together the capabilities Actithera needs to execute with discipline and build on the Company’s momentum.”
Briggs Morrison, Chair of the Board of Actithera
“Actithera has differentiated science, a highly experienced team, and a clear opportunity to address important limitations in radioligand therapy for patients. Our priorities are clear: advance the lead FAP-targeted program into clinical development, continue building the pipeline behind it, and establish the capabilities needed to execute with rigor and discipline. I look forward to working alongside the team to translate our scientific foundation into clinical progress and ultimately deliver new treatment options for patients with significant unmet needs.”
Steven Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of Actithera
“I founded Actithera on the conviction that innovative chemistry could be applied to address fundamental limitations of radioligand therapy. It has been a privilege to build a team that has transformed those ideas into a powerful platform, a growing pipeline, and a lead program approaching clinical development. Steve brings valuable experience at this important stage of our development, and I’m excited to work alongside him as we enter the next phase and continue advancing the science.”
Andreas Goutopoulos, Founder, President and Head of Research & Development of Actithera
