TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 3, 2021 / StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd. (TSX:SZLS) ("StageZero" or the "Company"), a healthcare company working to reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases through early detection and intervention, today announced that Matthew J. Pietras has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, effective August 28, 2021. Pietras was most recently Vice President of Finance at CiVi Biopharma. Carl Solomon, StageZero's interim CFO has announced his resignation and will step down August 28, 2021.
In addition to leading the finance function, including oversight of accounting, financial reporting analysis and controls, treasury and investor relations, Pietras will head StageZero's operations, including its U.S. lab in Richmond, Virginia. Pietras will be based in Washington D.C., near the U.S. lab, and will report to Chief Executive Officer James R. Howard-Tripp.
"Hiring an accomplished life sciences executive such as Matt as a full-time CFO and COO is a milestone accomplishment for StageZero," said Howard-Tripp. "Matt has comprehensive technical accounting, finance, governance, capital raising, and regulatory expertise, along with an extensive background in life sciences. This combination will be a valuable asset as we advance StageZero as a commercial-stage healthcare solutions company."
"We are expanding our management team and board of directors to build a larger enterprise as we pursue our mission of reducing late-stage disease diagnosis through early detection and delivering personalized health management through telehealth. We are thrilled that Matt is joining the team and look forward to his contributions," said Howard-Tripp. "At the same time, we want to very much thank Carl for all of his guidance and efforts during what has been an important phase in the Company's development."
"StageZero Life Sciences is at an exciting and important turning point in its history," said Pietras. "The planned acquisition and integration of Care Oncology promises to be transformative and will provide the Company with multiple revenue streams. I am looking forward to leveraging my financial and operational experience to help the management team position StageZero Life Sciences for long-term growth and profitability."
Pietras brings two decades of financial executive experience, primarily at life science companies. Prior to joining StageZero Life Sciences, he was Vice President of Finance at Maryland-based CiVi Biopharma, where he was responsible for the oversight of Finance and Operations. Prior to that, he was Corporate Treasurer and Controller of Viela Bio from 2017 through 2019. At Viela Bio, the spin-out of AstraZeneca's AutoImmune Franchise, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the financial operations and preparing the company for its eventual IPO. From 2013 through 2017, he held senior finance roles at AstraZeneca/Medimmune, culminating in his position as Global Therapeutic Area Finance Director for the company's Oncology portfolio. He also held finance roles at Wells Fargo, Wachovia, and KPMG. He holds a B.S. in accounting and a B.S. in international business from Pennsylvania State University, and an M.S. in biotechnology and an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Pietras is also a Certified Public Accountant.
About StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd.
StageZero Life Sciences is dedicated to the early detection of multiple diseases through whole blood tests. The Company's next-generation test, Aristotle®, is the first-ever multi-cancer panel for simultaneously screening for 10 cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. StageZero's full service, telehealth platform includes access to physicians and phlebotomists who can prescribe and draw samples for individuals and groups, and the Company operates a CAP accredited and CLIA certified high-complexity reference laboratory in Richmond, Virginia. In addition, leveraging its specialty in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for the early identification of cancer through blood, StageZero also provides both COVID PCR testing (swab and saliva) and blood test analysis (Antibody testing). For more information, please visit www.stagezerolifesciences.com.