Sylke Poehling is an accomplished biotech and pharma executive with over 25 years of experience. As Chief Executive Officer of Spark Therapeutics, Sylke leads a talented team dedicated to Spark’s mission: to unlock the power of gene therapy to accelerate healthcare transformation. Sylke’s leadership at Spark is informed by her extensive background in the biotech industry, particularly her deep expertise in gene therapy and drug discovery.
In addition to her role at Spark, Sylke continues to serve as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Therapeutic Modalities for Roche, where she is accountable for research and drug discovery activities across six therapeutics areas, leading over 700 scientists at two R&D innovation centers. She is a key strategic member of the executive leadership team of Roche Pharma Research & Early Development (pRED) and has served as co-chair of Roche’s Early Stage Portfolio Committee. Sylke provides guidance on a portfolio of over 120 research and early development projects and has been instrumental in driving the company’s innovation strategy, which focuses on the development of transformative medicines.
Prior to her role as CEO of Spark and SVP and Global Head of Therapeutic Modalities at Roche, Sylke held various leadership positions at Roche. Sylke is a Professor of Practice at the ETH Zurich in the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering. She also serves as a mentor and sponsor for talent within Roche, with a particular focus on advancing women in STEM.
Sylke’s dual roles at Spark and Roche highlight her commitment to pushing the boundaries of science and improving the lives of patients around the world. Sylke can be found on LinkedIn.
