Deborah L. Birx, M.D., was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Armata on July 10, 2023. Prior to joining Armata, Dr. Birx served as a member of Innoviva’s Board of Directors from March 2021 until July 2023.
Dr. Birx is a world-renowned medical expert and leader who most recently served as the response coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Previously, she served as Ambassador-at-Large, when she assumed the role of the Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS and U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. Dr. Birx also served as the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator where she oversaw the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at the CDC and as the Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
From 1980 until 2008, Dr. Birx served in the United States Army, retiring with the rank of colonel. Dr. Birx has published over 230 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, authored nearly a dozen chapters in scientific publications, as well as developed and patented vaccines. She received her medical degree from the Hershey School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, and beginning in 1980, she trained in internal medicine and basic and clinical immunology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Birx is board certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and diagnostic and clinical laboratory immunology.
Pierre Kyme, Ph.D., was appointed Chief Business Officer of Armata in June 2024. Dr. Kyme also currently serves as a member of the boards of directors of Armata’s Australian subsidiaries. Dr. Kyme is devoted to Armata’s business and corporate development activities, a role that started at C3J Therapeutics in 2015. Previously, Dr. Kyme served as a lead Scientist and Director of Product Development at C3J Therapeutics from 2012, leading a team that set strategy and delivered key data essential for advancing a lead antimicrobial molecule through Phase 2 human clinical trials. He also contributed to the company’s pipeline programs, providing medical and commercial rationale to justify pipeline expansion. Prior to joining Armata, Dr. Kyme spent 5 years maturing his drug development career at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center leading project teams from concept through preclinical research in infectious disease and immunology. In this capacity, he worked closely with the Technology Transfer Office, and was the recipient of the Malaniak Award for Excellence in Research. Prior to this, in partnership with Qiagen Pty. Ltd., Dr. Kyme worked at Sydney’s Millennium Institute, as part of a priority national grant for urgent research into avian influenza. Dr. Kyme has also served as Scientific Advisor for the Australia Desk and Life Sciences & Healthcare Practice at Cappello Global, a boutique investment bank, and as consultant analyst to a global specialist life sciences investment firm, evaluating multiple therapeutic areas. His work contributed to a $60 million capital raising for a private U.S. oncology biotech, which in 2012 initiated the world’s largest Phase 3 human clinical trial for a melanoma vaccine. Dr. Kyme earned his Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Sydney, Australia, the bulk of which was accomplished as an invited scholar at the University of Tübingen, Germany. He completed his postdoctoral training at the Michael Smith Laboratories in Vancouver, Canada, under an $8M grant from the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, developing Innate Defense Regulators in partnership with Inimex Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Soligenix).
David House was appointed Senior Vice President, Finance and Principal Financial Officer on August 16, 2024. Previously, Mr. House served as Corporate Controller and Vice President of Accounting at ZO Skin Health, Inc., a multi-channel physician-dispensed skincare company, from October 2018 to May 2024. At ZO Skin Health, he led global accounting operations, managed financial reporting, and played a crucial role in the company’s acquisition by Blackstone. He also established international subsidiaries and oversaw financial integration for mergers and acquisitions. Mr. House’s experience includes similar financial leadership roles at Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, and Avid Bioservices, Inc., a contract development and manufacturing organization, where he served as Controller and was responsible for implementing ASC 606, managing technical accounting, and conducting Securities and Exchange Commission reporting. Mr. House’s career also includes roles at Viant, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSP), Sourcing Solutions, LLC, and Apria Healthcare, where he held various accounting and financial management positions. In the early stages of his career, Mr. House worked as a Senior Auditor at Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp., a public accounting firm. There, he managed comprehensive audits for public, private, and not-for-profit entities and contributed to SEC filings and internal control evaluations. Mr. House holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with an Accounting concentration from California State University, Fullerton. He obtained his California Certified Public Accountant license, which is currently inactive.
Peter leads Armata’s operations team with over 17 years of experience in biotech and pharmaceutical production with companies like Baxter Bioscience, GlaxoSmithKline, Pacira Pharmaceuticals and Kite Pharma. Most recently, he was the Director of Manufacturing at Armata Pharmaceuticals where he led the manufacturing team starting in 2022 and helped to build out greater manufacturing capabilities. Prior to joining Armata, Peter helped to mature manufacturing operations at Kite Pharma. He has experience leading Right First Time Initiatives, cost savings projects, and streamlining manufacturing operations. Peter holds a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Redlands. He also holds an M.B.A. from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School with an emphasis in Leadership and Organizational Change.
Mr. Patel has 15 years’ experience in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and combination products. Leading Armata’s Quality Assurance department, Mr. Patel is responsible for ensuring compliance with cGMP and GLP standards in the manufacturing and testing of Armata’s investigational phage products, as well as ensuring GCP compliance in the conduct of human clinical trials. Prior to joining Armata, Mr. Patel worked at Haemonetics Corporation in the role of Site Quality Lead, maintaining the quality and regulatory compliance of the manufacture of donor-derived blood products. Previously, he worked at Teva Pharmaceuticals as Senior Quality Analyst managing the remediation of regulatory audit gaps. Mr. Patel began his career in Quality at Bimeda, Inc., a global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of animal health products and veterinary pharmaceuticals, where he led the implementation of an electronic quality management system, hosted several FDA audits (with no findings), and cultivated a One Team mindset. Mr. Patel earned a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from R.C. Patel College of Pharmacy with an emphasis on quality of pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
Bani Tchekanova PhD, was appointed Head of Regulatory Strategy and Operations of Armata in July 2025. Prior to joining Armata, Bani served as a Chief Principal Advisor at ClinReg Partners, LLC. Bani brings with her over 25 years of diverse and dynamic experience in global drug development and regulatory affairs. Her career spans a wide array of therapeutic areas, including infectious disease, oncology, dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiovascular, neuroscience, and gene therapy. From investigational INDs to full-scale BLA and NDA submissions, Bani has led strategy and execution across the entire lifecycle of regulatory development — always with a clear focus on patient needs and regulatory innovation.
She has served in executive leadership roles including Senior Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs at HUYABIO and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Clinical, and Compliance at Collidion Inc. Notably, Bani currently serves as the Industry Representative on the FDA Advisory Committee for Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology, a role that reflects her deep expertise and national recognition in the field. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Bani is an advocate and educator in applying Artificial Intelligence in drug development and regulatory operations.
Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Health Administration, M.S. in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, and B.S. in Biology and Chemistry.