Exhibit 99.1
Spero Therapeutics Appoints Esther Rajavelu as Chief Financial Officer and
Chief Business Officer
Ms. Rajavelu brings over two decades of experience in the life sciences sector focused on
strategic growth, financing, M&A, and investor relations.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., November 1, 2023 — Spero Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPRO), a multi-asset clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing treatments in high unmet need areas involving rare diseases and multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections, today announced the appointment of Esther Rajavelu as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer. Ms. Rajavelu will succeed Stephen DiPalma, who has served as the company’s Interim CFO since August 1, 2023.
“We are thrilled to welcome Esther to the executive leadership team as our new CFO and CBO. Esther brings a proven track record in corporate finance, from both industry and Wall Street, bringing expertise in life science growth strategies, investor relations, financing, and M&A,” said Sath Shukla, Spero’s Chief Executive Officer. “This expertise will play an important role in the company’s success, as we advance our pipeline and prepare Spero for multiple important upcoming clinical, regulatory and financial milestones.”
Esther Rajavelu commented, “I am honored to join Spero Therapeutics and its experienced team, dedicated to developing therapies for patients suffering from serious rare orphan diseases and life-threatening infections. With a differentiated clinical pipeline in areas of high unmet need, Spero Therapeutics is well positioned to achieve its vision of bringing innovative medicines to patients and driving shareholder value. At this pivotal time, I look forward to working with Sath, the Board of Directors, and the entire team at Spero Therapeutics to further the strategic growth of the Company.”
Ms. Rajavelu brings to Spero Therapeutics more than two decades of life sciences sector experience combining equities research, investment banking, strategy consulting, and most recently CFO operating experience. She has deep expertise in strategy, investor relations, financing, and M&A in the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors. Most recently, serving as the CFO at Fulcrum Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare genetic diseases she led equity financings, and developed and executed a strategic plan to realign internal investments and operations to prioritize capital deployment towards key near-term value drivers and extend cash runway. Prior to her transition as a biotech operating executive, Ms. Rajavelu had a successful career on Wall Street, serving as a Senior Equities Research Analyst covering SMID-cap biotechnology companies at UBS, Oppenheimer, and Deutsche Bank. Prior to her career in sell-side equities research, she spent several years as a healthcare investment banker at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and EY Capital Advisors executing on M&A and financing transactions. Prior to investment banking, Ms. Rajavelu was a strategy consultant at Towers Perrin focused on U.S. large pharmaceutical companies. The breadth of her company experiences includes Fortune 500, mid-cap companies, and startups in the life sciences sector. Ms. Rajavelu holds an MBA in Finance and Health Care Management from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA from Wesleyan University.