Slone Partners Places Jeffrey Kasten as Chief Business Officer at Vertero Therapeutics
Experienced executive will focus on driving business development, strategic partnerships, corporate and portfolio strategy, and commercialization planning
SOUTH RIDING, Va., Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Slone Partners, a nationwide executive search firm for life sciences and healthcare organizations, has announced the placement of Jeffrey S. Kasten as Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Vertero Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company breaking barriers in neurodegenerative disease treatment.
In his new role, Kasten is responsible for driving business development, strategic partnerships, corporate and portfolio strategy, and commercialization planning. His leadership will support the advancement of the company’s pipeline of therapies focused on neurodegenerative diseases, with its lead program for Parkinson’s disease, VT-5006, currently in a Phase 1 clinical study.
Kasten brings more than two decades of experience in the life sciences industry spanning corporate strategy, portfolio strategy, and business development across several leading biopharmaceutical organizations. He spent the past eight years at Sage Therapeutics, most recently as Vice President, Corporate/Portfolio Strategy & Business Development, where he helped shape enterprise strategy, optimize portfolio decisions, and advance key external growth initiatives. Prior to that, Kasten held senior commercial and strategic marketing roles during his 11-year tenure at Biogen. He also spent five years as Manager and Senior Manager at Putnam Associates and seven years in a variety of roles at Bain & Company.
“Jeffrey Kasten brings a deep and diversified business development and strategic management skill set to Vertero as the company expands its portfolio of therapies designed to help physicians better manage neurodegenerative diseases and help patients live longer, more productive lives,” said Sona Stroud, Senior Vice President, Executive Search, and Partner at Slone Partners. “He will be an excellent addition to the company’s leadership team and a valuable partner in its efforts to develop new partnerships and execute successful new product rollouts.”
“I am thrilled to welcome Jeff to the Vertero team. His strategic acumen and track record of successfully cultivating partnerships and advancing pipeline growth are impressive and highly relevant to our mission,” said Stewart Campbell, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vertero. “Jeff is not only a great cultural addition to our team, he also brings an important perspective to help sharpen our strategic development focus as we work to make an impact on patients and their families affected by neurodegenerative diseases.”
link
