Melinta Therapeutics names new chairman, announces CEO succession plan

Melinta Therapeutics Inc., a Morristown-based commercial-stage pharmaceutical company, announced Friday changes to its board of directors and executive management team.

David Gill, current board member, has been named chairman of the board of directors, effective immediately. Gill is succeeding Kevin Ferro, who resigned from the role.

John H. Johnson also resigned from his role as CEO and director, Melinta said, due to changes in company circumstance and to pursue other opportunities. Johnson will serve as acting CEO for at least 30 days and a strategic advisor for six months to ensure a smooth transition.

“On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Kevin for his contributions to the company,” Gill said. “The board and I also want to thank John for his dedication and service as a long-standing board member and most recently for his leadership and stepping into the CEO position during a very challenging time for the company and antibiotics industry as a whole. John made many significant contributions to further advance the company’s mission to provide life-saving therapeutic solutions that address the evolving global threat of bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance. We look forward to continuing to work closely with John on the process to select a successor and as a strategic advisor during Melinta’s next phase.”

Gill joined Melinta’s board of directors in 2012 and served as president and chief financial officer of EndoChoice Holdings Inc. Before that, he was the CFO at INC Research Holdings Inc.. Gill currently serves as the director of Evolus Inc., YmAbs Therapeutics and Strata Skins Science. Earlier in his career, he served in a variety of executive leadership roles for several medical device companies, including TramsEnterix, NxStage Medical, CTI Molecular Imaging Inc., Novoste Corp. and Dornier Medical.