Management

John E. Friend II, MD

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. John Friend is an experienced oncology and hematology drug development executive with more than 25 years of experience across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. As Chief Executive Officer of Kazia Therapeutics, he leads the company’s strategic and operational direction, overseeing the advancement of Kazia’s oncology pipeline and next-generation platforms focused on cancers with high unmet need.

Dr. Friend joined Kazia in 2021 as Chief Medical Officer and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2023. Under his leadership, the company successfully transitioned to a sole NASDAQ listing, established its U.S. headquarters, and expanded the clinical development strategy for paxalisib, Kazia's PI3K/mTOR inhibitor, including advancement into triple-negative breast cancer and other difficult-to-treat oncology indications. He has also played a central role in strengthening Kazia’s integrated oncology platform strategy, including the expansion of the company’s translational and epigenetic capabilities.

Prior to Kazia, Dr. Friend served as Chief Medical Officer at Cellectar Biosciences, where he led clinical development and medical strategy for the company’s oncology portfolio. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions at Helsinn Therapeutics, DRGT LLC, Akros Pharma, Actavis/Alpharma, and Abbott/Hospira, with expertise spanning medical affairs, regulatory strategy, business development, and corporate growth initiatives.

In addition to his executive leadership roles, Dr. Friend has served on multiple scientific and healthcare advisory boards and contributed to national policy and industry initiatives, including the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine and the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.

Dr. Friend earned his Doctor of Medicine from Rutgers University (UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from Southern Methodist University.

Sudha Rao, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Professor Sudha Rao, PhD, is a globally recognized translational scientist and biotechnology executive with over 20 years of experience spanning pharmaceutical R&D and early clinical development. 

As Chief Scientific Officer of Kazia Therapeutics, she leads the company’s integrated oncology strategy and next-generation pipeline, including PI3K/mTOR inhibition, PD-L1 protein degradation, and SETDB1-targeted epigenetic programs. The scientific originator of the epigenetic framework underlying paxalisib, she has played a pivotal role in establishing PI3K/mTOR signaling as a driver of epigenetic reprogramming. This work has positioned Kazia to move beyond pathway inhibition toward targeting the regulatory drivers of cancer. She brings deep expertise in translational epigenetics, AI-guided drug discovery, and liquid and spatial biomarker platforms, enabling precision medicine approaches and accelerating clinical development.

Professor Rao holds a prestigious Professorial appointment and is a senior group leader at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. She is the founder and former Chief Scientific Officer of EpiAxis Therapeutics, where she advanced first-in-class epigenetic therapies from discovery through IND-enabling studies into early clinical trials, including a Phase 1b study in metastatic breast cancer, and executed multiple international licensing partnerships. She is the lead inventor on 39 international patents, has authored high-impact publications in Science, Nature and Immunity, and is a committed mentor supporting the advancement of women in science and biotechnology.

She obtained her PhD from King’s College, University of London, and a Bachelor of Science with Honors from Keele University, UK.

James Levine

Chief Financial Officer

James Levine is a seasoned biotechnology executive and financial leader with a distinguished career spanning capital markets, strategic transactions, and corporate leadership across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. As Chief Financial Officer of Kazia Therapeutics, he brings deep expertise in financial strategy, investor relations, business development, internal controls, and audit management to support the advancement of Kazia's oncology pipeline.

Most recently, Mr. Levine served as Chief Financial Officer of Cardiff Oncology, a clinical-stage oncology biotechnology company, where he led financings with leading institutional biotech investors and a strategic equity investment from Pfizer's Breakthrough Growth Initiative. Prior to Cardiff, he served as CFO of Cidara Therapeutics, an antifungal and antiviral biotechnology company, where he structured two landmark global partnerships, a $568 million collaboration with Mundipharma, and a $780 million collaboration with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alongside additional equity financings to support the company's clinical programs.

Mr. Levine has also served as Chief Executive Officer of Verenium, an industrial biotechnology company, and Sapphire Energy, a biotechnology company focused on specialty nutrition, bringing operational and strategic depth to his financial leadership.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Levine spent more than a decade at Goldman Sachs, most recently as a Managing Director, advising pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the U.S. and Europe on financings, mergers and acquisitions, and complex strategic transactions. His work included landmark deals such as the $190 billion merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham and Stryker's $1.7 billion acquisition of Pfizer Howmedica, among others.

Mr. Levine holds an MBA in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Brandeis University. He also attended the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jeffrey J. Kraws

Head of Corporate Strategy & Development

Jeffrey Kraws is a veteran Wall Street executive, investor, and strategic advisor with more than 35 years of experience across healthcare, biotechnology, and capital markets. As Head of Corporate Strategy & Development at Kazia Therapeutics, he leads the company’s strategic growth initiatives, including capital formation, investor engagement, and business development, with the goal of maximizing the value and impact of Kazia’s oncology pipeline for patients and shareholders. 

Mr. Kraws has served in various C-suite positions for both public and private companies and has held senior roles with leading institutions, such as ABB, Bristol Myers Squibb, Deutsche Bank, Montgomery Securities, and Everen Securities. Additionally, Mr. Kraws has founded and led research, advisory, and investment firms, including Crystal Research Associates, CRA Advisors, and Tophat Capital, providing strategic guidance to institutional investors and companies, representing over $23 billion in assets under management. 

Earlier in his career, Mr. Kraws was a top-ranked pharmaceutical analyst and one of the most widely followed healthcare analysts on Wall Street, earning consistent recognition from StarMine, Zacks, and Institutional Investor. His ability to identify high-performing companies and deliver actionable insights has made him a trusted advisor across the healthcare and life sciences sectors.

Mr. Kraws holds an MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Elissa Hansen

Company Secretary

Elissa Hansen has over 20 years of experience as a company secretary and governance professional for both listed and unlisted companies. She is a Chartered Secretary who brings best practice governance advice, ensuring compliance with the Listing Rules, Corporations Act, and other relevant legislation.

Elissa is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance.