Saundra Pelletier

Chief Executive Officer and interim Chair of the Board

Saundra Pelletier has served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Executive Director of Evofem Biosciences since February 2015, and as interim Chair of the Board since November 2021. She has been responsible for the company’s growth and evolution, led Evofem’s transition to the public market in January 2018, and led multiple equity financing rounds which have raised over $500 million.

In her more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Ms. Pelletier has launched pharmaceutical brands worldwide and expanded indications on female healthcare brands in multiple countries. Her experience includes a comprehensive range of women’s healthcare products, cardiovascular, pain management and sleep therapies, and medical devices. She has had oversight and accountability for Sales, Marketing, Operations, Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships.

Prior to Evofem, Ms. Pelletier served as Executive Director at Woman Care Global, launching a sustainable supply chain providing access to reproductive healthcare in low- and middle-income countries. She is a published author, keynote speaker, executive coach and staunch advocate for innovation in women’s healthcare.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Pelletier was Global Franchise Leader for G.D. Searle, where she managed a $250 million business unit overseeing worldwide partnerships. She successfully moved up the corporate ladder, starting as a top performing sales representative, sales trainer, managed care leader, national sales director, domestic and international marketing, vice president of global markets, chief strategy officer, chief executive officer and board chair.

She is a Director of TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel targeted therapeutics for cancer, where she serves as the chair of the Governance/Nomination Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. 

Ms. Pelletier has appeared at TEDx San Diego, Harvard School of Public Health, Davos World Economic Forum, the Clinton Global Initiative, MAKERS Conference, Women Deliver, University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business and University of California, San Diego. She was named as a New Champion for Reproductive Health by the United Nations Foundation, awarded the Athena San Diego’s Pinnacle Award for Life Sciences, named 2019 Businesswoman of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal, and named to Inc. Magazine’s 2020 Female Founders 100 List.

Kim Kamdar, Ph.D.

Dr. Kamdar has served as a member of the Evofem Biosciences board of directors since January 2018. Dr. Kamdar is a Managing Partner of Domain Associates, LLC, a life sciences venture capital firm, which she joined in 2005. Dr. Kamdar is current Chair of the board of directors and CEO of Aspen Neuroscience and chair of the board of directors of Truvian Sciences. She also serves on the board of directors of Epic Sciences, Obalon Therapeutics, Omniome, ROX Medical, Sera Prognostics and Singular Genomics. Past investments include Ariosa (acquired by Roche), Corthera (acquired by Novartis), BiPar Sciences (acquire by Sanofi-Aventis) and Achaogen.

Formerly, Dr. Kamdar was a Kauffman Fellow with MPM Capital. Prior to joining MPM, Dr. Kamdar was a research director at Novartis, where she built and led a research team that focused on the biology, genetics and genomics of model organisms. Dr. Kamdar is the author of ten papers as well as the inventor on seven patents. Dr. Kamdar received her B.A. from Northwestern University and Ph.D. in biochemistry and genetics from Emory University.

Dr. Kamdar serves as an advisory board member of Dr. Eric Topol’s NIH supported Clinical and Translational Science Award for Scripps Medicine and is also on the non-profit board for Access Youth Academy, an organization that is transforming the lives of underserved youth through academic enrichment, health and wellness, social responsibility and leadership through squash.

Tony O’Brien

Mr. O’Brien has served as a member of the Evofem Biosciences board of directors since January 2018. He served as the Director General of Ireland’s Health Service Executive, or HSE. an organization responsible for the provision of health and personal social services for the residents of Ireland from July 2012 to May 2018. Prior to his role as Director General, Mr. O’Brien was the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Health’s Special Delivery Unit and a member of the Department’s Management Board. Mr. O’Brien previously served as Director of Clinical Strategy and Programs in the HSE and Chief Executive Officer of the National Treatment Purchase Fund.

Mr. O’Brien served as Chief Advisor to the HSE on the implementation of the National Cancer Control Strategy, Project Director for the National Plan for Radiation Oncology and is a former Chairman of the National Cancer Registry Board. Mr. O’Brien was the founding Chief Executive Officer of the National Cancer Screening Service from 2007 to May 2011, Director of BreastCheck, CervicalCheck and an Associate and Interim Director of the National Cancer Control Programme. Prior to joining the HSE, Mr. O’Brien served as Chief Executive of the Irish Family Planning Association and as the Chief Executive of the UK Family Planning Association.

Mr. O’Brien is a Council Member and Associate Faculty Member of the Irish Management Institute, a former Member of the Healthy Ireland Council and a Chartered Director of the Institute of Directors in Ireland. Mr. O’Brien also currently serves as a director and owner of Global Leadership And Governance Solutions Limited, a private limited company organized in the Republic of Ireland. Mr. O’Brien also holds a Master of Sciences in Management Practice from Trinity College, University of Dublin. Mr. O’Brien is Adjunct Assistant Professor in Health Strategy and Management at Trinity College Dublin.

Lisa Rarick, MD, FACOG

Dr. Rarick has served as a member of the Evofem Biosciences Board of Directors since February 2020. Dr. Rarick is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and regulatory affairs expert with 35 years’ experience in women’s health and 15 years’ experience leading several offices within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Dr. Rarick began her career at the FDA in 1988 as a Medical Officer, responsible for the management of products indicated for a variety of reproductive health conditions, including oral, transdermal and vaginal contraceptives. She became the Director for the Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products when it was formed in 1996, and later held several management roles in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), including Deputy Director of the Office of Drug Evaluation II and Associate Director in the Office of the Center Director.

Her final year at the FDA was spent in the Office of Women’s Health, where she focused on HIV prevention, pregnancy prevention, pre- and post-pregnancy care and menopausal therapy. She is currently a reproductive health and regulatory affairs consultant who has helped numerous companies navigate the development of their products from early-stage development through FDA approval.

Dr. Rarick received her B.S. and M.D. from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University. She has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development since 2004 and served on the Board of Directors for Alliance Partners 360 from June 2017 – June 2019.

Colin Rutherford

Mr. Rutherford has served as a member of the Evofem Biosciences board of directors since November 2015. He recently joined the Board of Spanish Biopharma business, Hifas da Terra SA, which is a leading product innovator in the field of mycotherapy, providing applications for use in both immunotherapy and oncology. He also serves on the Board and is Audit Committee Chairman of Mitchells & Butlers Plc, the UK’s largest quoted F&B leisure group. He also serves on the Board and Audit Committee of the quoted Oil & Gas shipping logistics business, Renaissance Services SAOG, based in Muscat and Dubai. He is Chairman of Brookgate Limited, a UK property development business backed by Goldman Sachs and TPG. Mr. Rutherford serves Independently on three private Scottish based family company Boards in Healthcare, Retail and Timber.

From 2012 to 2014, Mr. Rutherford served as Chairman of European Healthcare Group Limited, before its acquisition by two US based hedge funds. From 2008 to 2011, Mr. Rutherford served as Chairman and CEO of the quoted UK fund management group, MAM Funds Plc. From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Rutherford served as Chairman of SGI Funds, a Guernsey, Cayman and Hong Kong based diversified fund management group. From 2003 to 2006 Mr. Rutherford was Chairman and oversaw the restructuring of Noble House Group Limited, a large UK leisure business which was sold in 2006. In 2002 as Chairman and CEO he led the restructuring and sale of quoted UK finance specialist Euro-Sales Plc with 18 offices across Europe.

Mr. Rutherford graduated in Accountancy and Finance from Heriot Watt University and qualified as a chartered accountant with Touche Ross in 1984. Mr. Rutherford is a Harvard Business School Alumni.