Kenya's Dr. Enoch Kariuki Honored by Nasdaq with NY Times Square Billboard

US second-biggest stock exchange market by market capitalization, Nasdaq has honored Kenyan Dr. Enoch Kariuki following his appointment to American biopharmaceutical giant, Velosbio Inc.

Nasdaq wrote a congratulatory message to Dr. Kariuki in New York’s Times Square Billboard after he was named Velosbio’s new Chief Finance Officer (CFO).

“Nasdaq congratulates Dr. Enoch Kariuki, new CFO of Velosbio,” read the message accompanied by his photo.

Times Square is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and entertainment center, registering about 50 million visitors annually. It is located in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, and features numerous brightly lit billboards and advertisements.

VelosBios Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel, first-in-class cancer therapies targeting receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1).

Kariuki is a highly-accomplished finance executive with vast experience in healthcare strategy, life sciences investment banking, venture capital, and business development.

“Enoch brings to VelosBio more than 10 years of experience leading high-performing teams in the private and public sectors. He has a proven track record of success on both the operating and finance sides of our industry, and is precisely the type of high-quality individual we are recruiting as we grow our company,” said VelosBio CEO Dave Johnson.

Before joining VelosBio, Kariuki served as Senior Vice President in charge of Corporate Development at Synthorx Inc., leading a business development process that culminated in the successful sale of Synthorx to Sanofi for $2.5 billion.

He joined Synthorx from H.I.G. Capital, where he served as the Vice President. He previously served as Senior Associate at Leerink Partners and Associate Director at UBS Investment Bank. 

“I am excited to join VelosBio at such a dynamic time. The company is developing multiple cancer therapies utilizing its proprietary technology to target ROR1, a novel oncology target, and I look forward to working with Dave and the rest of the senior management and scientific teams to help bring innovative therapies to cancer patients,” said Kariuki.

He holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a PharmD from Texas Southern University. Kariuki attended Alliance High School in Kenya before moving to the US.