Double leadership change at MBX Biosciences
Transition to support the company's next phase of growth
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MBX Biosciences, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Steve Hoerter, current Executive Chairman of the Board, as its new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hoerter succeeds Kent Hawryluk, who will step down as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Board has appointed John Smither, current Interim Chief Financial Officer, as the Company’s new Chief Financial Officer. All leadership changes are effective immediately.
“On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Kent for his leadership and contributions to MBX,” said Mr. Hoerter. “As a co-founder, Kent was instrumental in the company’s evolution from inception to a pre-commercial organization with a robust pipeline of precision peptide therapies. His many accomplishments over the last six years include leading a successful IPO, creating significant shareholder value and building a talented team dedicated to developing these novel therapies.”
“As we enter our next phase of growth, we remain committed to our mission of improving the lives of patients living with endocrine and metabolic diseases,” Mr. Hoerter continued. “I am honored to lead the Company during this important period, and I look forward to working with our Board and the exceptional MBX team to provide the experience, continuity and strategic leadership needed to execute on our long-term strategy. We remain on track to deliver on our three key milestones in the second half of 2026: initiation of the Phase 3 trial of canvuparatide in chronic hypoparathyroidism, nomination of a GLP-1/GIP/GCGR triple agonist candidate for obesity and the highly anticipated 12-week multiple ascending dose data from MBX 4291.”
Mr. Hoerter joined the MBX Board of Directors in April 2025 and was appointed Executive Chairman in November 2025. He brings a track record of building and scaling successful commercial-stage biotechnology companies. Most recently, Mr. Hoerter served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, where he led the company’s transformation from a research and development organization to a successful commercial-stage company in the United States and Europe until its acquisition by Ono Pharmaceutical in 2024.
John Smither has served as Interim Chief Financial Officer of MBX since March 2026. In his new role as Chief Financial Officer, he will continue to lead the Company’s finance organization and support MBX’s operational and strategic priorities. Mr. Smither joined MBX with more than 25 years of deep operational and strategic expertise across the biopharmaceutical industry. Most recently, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Arcutis Biotherapeutics, where he led Arcutis’ successful initial public offering and four follow-on financings. Prior to Arcutis, John was the Chief Financial Officer at Sienna Biopharmaceutics, UNITY Biotechnology and Kythera Biopharmaceuticals.
“I am excited to partner with Steve and the entire MBX team as we continue to execute on our strategic plan,” said Mr. Smither. “We remain confident in the strength of our business and in our ability to continue delivering value for shareholders and patients. Together with our entire team, we are committed to disciplined execution and thoughtful capital allocation while advancing our pipeline toward commercialization and positioning the Company for long-term success.”
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