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03 July 2025

Coulter Partners successfully places three senior executives at Augustine Therapeutics

Coulter Partners successfully completed search assignments for Augustine Therapeutics NV (“Augustine”) and is pleased to announce the placements of Carl Bjartmar as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Virginie Cartage as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Rie Schultz Hansen as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Augustine Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapies for neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases through the inhibition of the Histone DeACetylase 6 (HDAC6) enzyme.

With over 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Carl Bjartmar has an extensive track record in early and late-stage clinical drug development. He notably led late-stage development for Decuprate, a first-in-class treatment for Wilson's disease at Wilson Therapeutics, playing a role in their IPO and subsequent acquisition by Alexion. He also served as CMO of Ascelia Pharma, contributing to their IPO and leading global Phase 3 development. Dr. Bjartmar, an M.D. with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, has held senior positions at major pharma companies like Sanofi, Genzyme, and Lundbeck.

Virginie Cartage joins Augustine from Novadip, a late-stage clinical biotechnology company specializing in regenerative medicine, where she served as CFO and played a pivotal role in the company’s development during its first decade. Before Novadip, she held a number of senior finance positions in Belgium and Europe with big pharma companies including AbbVie and AstraZeneca after initiating her professional career at Deloitte. She received her Master of Economics from Université Catholique de Louvain and a master’s in accounting and Audit from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, complemented by a management degree for the pharmaceutical sector.

With over two decades in drug discovery and early-stage development, Rie Schultz Hansen brings deep expertise in cardio-metabolic and inflammation-driven diseases, and peptide therapeutics. As CSO at Aelin Therapeutics, she led the development of a novel degrader platform and launched an AI/ML-based initiative. Earlier, at Zealand Pharma, Rie served as Innovation Officer and Interim CSO, directing preclinical portfolios and research strategy. Rie holds a master’s in biology and a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Copenhagen, and completed her post-doctorate in cardiovascular research. She is also a member of the Danish Cardiovascular Academy Grant committee.

Commenting on the appointments, Gerhard Koenig, PhD, CEO of Augustine, said: “Augustine is pioneering a new generation of HDAC6 inhibitors and has recently achieved a significant milestone by initiating its first clinical trial of lead candidate AGT-100216 for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. To support the Company’s growth, we have significantly strengthened the management team and are delighted to welcome these new additions to our executive team. Their combined experience and leadership will be invaluable as we continue to drive our lead program forward and advance our pipeline of next-generation HDAC6 inhibitors in significant cardio-metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. We extend our sincere thanks to Coulter Partners for their outstanding work in identifying and sourcing such high-caliber talent, whose expertise perfectly aligns with our strategic growth and clinical ambitions.”

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Carl Bjartmar, CMO of Augustine Therapeutics

Carl Bjartmar, CMO of Augustine Therapeutics


Virginie Cartage, CFO of Augustine Therapeutics

Virginie Cartage, CFO of Augustine Therapeutics


Rie Schultz Hansen, CSO of Augustine Therapeutics

Rie Schultz Hansen, CSO of Augustine Therapeutics

About Augustine Therapeutics
Augustine Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the treatment of neuromuscular, neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases through its next-generation approach to selectively inhibit HDAC6. Augustine’s HDAC6 inhibitors have been purposefully designed to selectively inhibit HDAC6 while preserving its beneficial non-catalytic functions. Augustine’s lead program, AGT-100216, is the first selective HDAC6 inhibitor for long-term treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. With its novel non-hydroxamate, non-hydrazide producing chemotype, Augustine’s HDAC6 approach is selective, avoids the limitations of other chemotypes, and is built for chronic diseases. With this novel approach, the Company will also be targeting diseases beyond CMT, including neurodegenerative and cardio-metabolic diseases. Augustine Therapeutics was founded on the ground-breaking research of Prof. Ludo Van Den Bosch from the VIB-KU Leuven in Belgium. The Company raised an oversubscribed EUR 78 million / USD 85 million Series A financing round in March 2025, led by Novo Holdings and Jeito Capital and supported by Asabys Partners, Eli Lilly and Company, AdBio partners, V-Bio Ventures, PMV, VIB, Gemma Frisius Fund, the US-based Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) Research Foundation and Newton Biocapital.

For more information visit www.augustinetx.com
About Coulter Partners
We are executive search and leadership development specialists working to build a better future. As advisors and consultants to companies at the cutting edge of Health, Science, and Technology, we are united by our mission to build teams that change the world. Operating uniquely as one global team, we have honed our expertise, platform, and data for over two decades, working across three continents, and in 40 countries. Applying what we learn through our work with boards, leadership teams, and investors in the world’s most innovative companies, we bring together and develop the right people at the right time to propel them to achieve their worthwhile goals.

www.coulterpartners.com

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