Dr Nicole Van Der Weerden appointed Acting CEO of Arovella
Arovella Therapeutics (ASX: ALA) has appointed Dr Nicole Van Der Weerden as Acting Chief Executive Officer, effective 4 November 2026.
Dr Van Der Weerden is an existing executive, having joined the company in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer. The appointment comes as Arovella is now a clinical stage company, according to the announcement.
Dr Nicole Van Der Weerden
“Arovella is now a clinical stage company and I am proud to be leading it at this pivotal time as we deliver on our objectives. I have great confidence in our platform, our strategy and the team behind it…”
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Six months of progress behind the appointment
Chairman Mr David Williams said he has worked closely with Dr Van Der Weerden for six months. He cited her CEO skills, her knowledge of the science and her willingness to work with him on Business Development.
David Williams, Chairman
“I am very optimistic about what we can do together in the short term. Nicole is very impressive and also has an impressive team with her…”
The Board highlighted the following results from the last 6 months:
- Successful manufacture of product for dosing
- Signing of 6 hospitals for the trial
- Dosing of the first patient
- Great animal data in tumours
Package and background of the new Acting CEO
Remuneration terms
The announcement sets out the following terms for Dr Van Der Weerden’s package.
| Component | Term | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | $401,700 | Plus superannuation |
| Short Term Incentive (STI) | Up to 40% of salary paid | Eligible |
| Long Term Incentive (LTI) | Up to 40% of salary paid | Eligible |
There are no other changes to employment terms.
Biography
Dr Van Der Weerden is described as an experienced biotechnology executive. Her background includes:
- Joined Arovella in 2023 as Chief Operating Officer
- Over 18 years at Hexima Ltd, in roles including COO, CEO and Non-executive director
- At Hexima, responsible for advancing the lead drug candidate through pre-clinical and clinical development
- PhD in Biochemistry, MBA from Melbourne Business School, and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
Her experience advancing a drug candidate through pre-clinical and clinical development is directly relevant to a company that has moved into the clinic.
What Arovella is building
Arovella is developing an invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapy platform licensed from Imperial College London. It targets blood cancers, solid tumours and autoimmune disease.
The lead product, ALA-101, consists of CAR19-iNKT cells modified to produce a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) that targets CD19, an antigen found on the surface of numerous cancer types. The US FDA has accepted its Investigational New Drug application (IND).
The FDA IND acceptance covers Phase 1 testing in CD19-positive blood cancers and keeps a US pathway open alongside the Australian study, which is a regulatory step that preceded the move into the clinic.
ALA-101 is being developed as an allogeneic cell therapy, which means it can be given from a healthy donor to a patient. Arovella is also expanding into solid tumour treatment through CLDN18.2-targeting technology licensed from Sparx Group, and will incorporate its IL-12-TM technology into its solid tumour programs.
For investors in a clinical stage cell therapy company, a leader already familiar with the business offers continuity as the trial progresses.
Investors weighing the solid tumour opportunity can read our detailed coverage of the CLDN18.2 preclinical data, which covers the serial tumour challenge results and how IL-12-TM armouring extended tumour control in laboratory testing.
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