Giuliano to Lead Finance-Related Leadership Functions as New CFO at Aeterna

Mr. La Fratta will take over the finance-related leadership roles as the new Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Aeterna Zentaris.

Fremont, CA: Dr. Klaus Paulini, Chief Executive Officer of Aeterna, comments, "We are very pleased to welcome Mr. La Fratta as our full-time Chief Financial Officer." Aeterna Zentaris Inc. has appointed Giuliano La Fratta as Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer. Aeterna Zentaris Inc. is a specialty biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing a diversified portfolio of pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. Mr. La Fratta will take over the finance-related leadership roles on January 24th, 2022, succeeding Ms. Leslie Auld, the Company's current Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, who will focus on her financial consulting practice.

Mr. La Fratta is a senior financial executive with more than 20 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and financial services industries. He has worked in both the public and private sectors, gaining valuable experience in leading and directing a wide range of financial activities, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, auditing, accounting, and administrative responsibilities. 

Mr. La Fratta was the Vice President of Finance at CellCarta (previously Caprion Biosciences), a private equity-owned specialty Clinical Research and Development Organization laboratory with global operations located in Montreal, Canada, prior to joining Aeterna Zentaris. 

Mr. La Fratta worked at IMS Canada Health (now Iqvia) and Cato Research before joining CellCarta. He began his career as a Senior Auditor at Deloitte Touche, working for both Canadian and American corporations in a variety of industries, including the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. La Fratta graduated from Concordia University with a bachelor's degree in accounting and is a CPA, CA.

“Aeterna has had a transformational year as a company. The team has done a great job to strengthen the financial position of the Company and to diversify Aeterna's development pipeline. Looking ahead, there are significant opportunities and key markets that I believe Aeterna is poised to address. I look forward to working with the team to capitalize on the opportunities ahead, with the goal of building value in the near and long term,” comments Mr. La Fratta.