With a storied career spanning multiple decades, Patrick Mahaffy is a beacon of leadership, innovation, and resilience in oncology-focused biotechnology.
WIOA Program Info Session | PMI Silver Spring Chapter | May 17, 2024
Biography of Patrick Mahaffy.pdf
1. Patrick Mahaffy is a seasoned leader in the field of oncology-focused biotechnology with an
emphasis on drug development and commercialization in the US and Europe. Having
successfully led multiple firms in the industry, each of which was based in Boulder, Colorado,
Mr. Mahaffy is now based in South Florida.
Career History
An experienced biotech executive, Mahaffy most recently served as CEO of Clovis Oncology, a
company he co-founded in 2009. Under his leadership, Clovis developed and marketed a drug
for ovarian and prostate cancer in the US and Europe and commenced early-stage clinical
development of a targeted radionuclide therapy, an exciting new area of oncology drug
development. Unfortunately, the company ultimately wound down in late 2022 due to the
2. negative impact of COVID-19 on cancer diagnoses and FDA concerns about the broader class
of drugs in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
Before taking the helm at Clovis, Mahaffy was the CEO of Pharmion from 2000 to 2008, when it
was acquired by Celgene (now Bristol Myers Squibb), and Nexstar Pharmaceuticals from 1992
to 1998 when it was acquired by Gilead Sciences. Both firms successfully developed and
marketed novel oncology drugs in the US and Europe.
Notably, the marketed drugs developed and commercialized under his leadership at each of the
three companies remain the standard of care (or a member of the class that is the standard of
care) for the conditions they are approved to treat.
Mahaffy began his career at Warburg Pincus, where he served as an investment banker from
1986 to 1992.
Academic Background
Patrick Mahaffy holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, which
he completed in 1986, a year after obtaining his Bachelor's degree in International Affairs from
Lewis and Clark College.
Philanthropic Involvement
3. While Mahaffy prefers to maintain a low profile about his philanthropic activities, he has been a
staunch supporter of numerous charitable causes. His primary focus has been on family
assistance funds supporting those in need. He is also a long-serving member of the Board of
Trustees for Lewis & Clark College.
Areas of Expertise
Mahaffy's strategic vision, engaged and collaborative leadership style, relentless pursuit of
knowledge, and in-depth experience in drug development have been instrumental in driving the
success of the companies he has led. He takes pride in having established commercial
organizations in the US and European Union for each of the three companies he led, and in
4. particular in the fact that the marketed drugs developed and commercialized at each company
over the last 25 years remain today the standard of care for the indications they treat.
Personal Interests and Hobbies
Beyond his professional experience, he is an avid sports enthusiast who is passionate about
hiking, golf, and reading. He also developed an interest in archaeology following the discovery
of 13,000-year-old tools from the Clovis period during construction work in his Colorado
backyard in 2009. These artifacts, now referred to as the Mahaffy Cache, are part of one of only
a few Clovis-age caches unearthed in North America and are now on display at the University of
Colorado History Museum. Despite his historically high-profile professional life, Patrick Mahaffy
prefers to maintain a private personal life with his family and friends.