Chief Executive Officer, Muna Therapeutics (July 2025)

Rita Balice-Gordon, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of Muna Therapeutics, a global, early-stage biotech company focused on disease modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. She is a Director on the Board of Collegium Pharmaceutical, a publicly traded company focused on responsible pain management options, a Director on the Board of Capsida BioTherapeutics, a biotech company innovating new genomic medicines, and serves or has served on the Scientific Advisory Boards of several biotech companies.

Rita has authored more than 100 scientific papers, received several awards and honors, has given hundreds of invited research talks around the world, has chaired or served on many NIH, national and international committees, study sections, editorial boards and research organisation advisory boards. Rita is also an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Key milestones in your career journey to date?

  • Inspirational science teacher at middle school piqued my early interest.
  • Early stage it was an academic career or nothing. Becoming a full professor was key milestone in career by early 40’s.
  • Full lab was damaged by burst pipe, moved to neurology floor. Collaborated with neighbouring scientist, led to collaboration over 15 years on neurodegenerative diseases. First time work was applied to understanding a disease.
  • Speaking at Brain conference, met Pfizer employee who asked if she would be interested in carrying out her work there. Would do sabbatical for a year there then go back to academic job. At end of year was unsure whether to stay or go back. Carried on for a second year then ended up never leaving.
  • Pfizer exited its neuro business; catalysing move to Sanofi. End of 2019, reviewed foundational science from Novo Holdings, that was the seed planted which resulted in creation of Muna Tx.
  • Around Covid, worked remotely for a company in Denmark. Raised Series A funding July 2021. Muna partnered with GSK late last year. Happy with great set of teams in US, Belgium, Denmark.
  • Only regret is not doing it a decade earlier! Realisation that you can apply science expertise to a real-world impact for patients.

Who has had the greatest influence over your career?

  • Middle school science teacher. So generous with time.
  • High school college teachers. Great advice for aspiring academic.
  • PhD advisor, Wesley Thomson. Showed me I could do science with high integrity and have a lot of fun doing it. Always gave good advice even if I didn’t want to hear it!
  • Muna team of Anders Hinsby, Niels Plath, CSO. Jakob Bush-Petersen, CDO.

Describe your approach to motivating and leading high-performing, multi-generational teams in a flexible hybrid working culture

  • Learnt in academic career very early on to blend abilities, motivations and talent to get the best out of everyone.
  • Not everyone has the same visions for their career. Use conversation and listening skills to work this out.
  • Don’t preconceive and impose or apply one size fits all attitude.

Are there particular leadership characteristics which have encouraged greater cultural diversity in your company, resulting in different behaviours and outcomes?

  • Humility above all; and a team focused leader.
  • Understand you can’t do it alone, takes a mixture of cultures and skills to achieve a goal.
  • In Muna we have 20 ethnic backgrounds amongst c40 colleagues.

Tell me something about your company that you would like to share with the PIR community

  • Muna will be a clinical stage company in the next 2 months (by August 25). Ready and raring to go!

What impact will AI make both operationally and across research applications in your business over the next 5 years?

  • AI has been impactful. AI tools machine learning and modelling key for bioinformatics portfolio work, to mine really fast data sets.
  • Medchem & structural biology. Virtual screening. Can use AI enhanced modelling to find out where binding pockets might be. Powerful approach.
  • Standard tools to use like AI notetaking tools for meetings.
  • Not without its flaws, not a substitute for expertise just a tool to make things easier. Privacy concerns over the data used.

What are some of the key challenges affecting the biotech and life science industry in 2025?

  • Macro economy. Impacted the money flowing around the ecosystem from big pharma and investors.
  • Backlash against science. People groaning about the cost of medicine but they don’t know the work that goes on behind the scenes.
  • As an industry we have not been good at communicating this message to the wider markets and must get better at it!

What top three attributes make an outstanding and relevant leader in today’s world?

  • Variety of experiences to draw from.
  • Ability to communicate a vision to your stakeholders to create engagement.
  • Humility.

How do you see the role of biotech executives evolving in the next decade?

  • ‘Chief Executive Optionality Officer’; navigate uncertainties by keeping multiple options open; an understanding of the ecosystem and be prepared to pivot; look over the precipice.

How do you switch off and strive for a healthy work/life balance?

  • Mindful of switching off. Big reader of fiction, fear of flying so a good book helps take her mind off it.
  • Serious gardener, grows vegetables. Tins them and gifts them.
  • Winter likes to paint, keeps her in the moment, not worrying about anything else.
  • Nurturing my grandkids.

What advice would you give your 23-year old self?

  • Don’t ever take no for an answer. If someone says no, ask why not?
  • Make mistakes and take risks.

Words of Wisdom?

  • Best Advice I was given:
    • Step outside of your head and look at the entire landscape; focus on forest, not on the leaves on the trees.
  • Advice I’d give:
    • Position for success in the ecosystem through proactivity and networking as broadly as possible.
  • What I wish I’d known:
    • Careers, like life, are not linear. A good team and friends and family will sustain you through the worst and best times.