Joan Lau, MBA, PhD, is President & CEO of Spirovant Sciences, is an entrepreneur and drug developer with broad experience in executive leadership, board service and community engagement.

Dr. Lau co-founded Talee Bio, envisioning the potential for gene therapies to treat inherited respiratory diseases. Within the company’s first three years, Talee Bio gained the scientific support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation; received the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies’ Healthcare startup of the year award; and was acquired twice and renamed Spirovant, first by Roivant and then by Sumitomo Pharma as part of a $3 billion transaction. As a result of these acquisitions and her past venture formation track record, Dr. Lau received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Greater Philadelphia and was named a Woman of Distinction by the Philadelphia Business Journal. Her professional journey was highlighted in two books: Stiletto Network: Inside the Women's Power Circles That Are Changing the Face of Business [2013] and Unstoppable Entrepreneurs [2025].

Previously, Dr. Lau co-founded and is a partner with Militia Hill Ventures, a firm focused on building and growing life sciences companies. She has served as President and CEO of Azelon Pharmaceuticals; President and CEO of Locus Pharmaceuticals; COO of Immunome [NASDAQ:IMNM]; and in various roles at Merck in R&D and business development.

With a strong interest in fostering consequential governance, Dr. Lau has leveraged her experiences in corporate and non-profit boards. Currently, she serves as Trustee for the University of Pennsylvania; Brandywine Realty Trust [NYSE:BDN]; and the Philadelphia Orchestra; and as Independent Board Director for Universal Display Corporation [NASDAQ:OLED]; Rockwell Medical [NASDAQ:RMTI], and previously Renovacor [NASDAQ:RCOR] prior to its acquisition. Engaged in the regional community, she holds an adjunct professor appointment in the Wharton School of Business, advises the Recharge & Recover PHL initiative of the Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia CEO Council for Growth’s Cell and Gene Therapy Collaborative; and Mayor Parker’s Business Roundtable for Biomedical Innovation.

Dr. Lau earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a BSE in Bioengineering, both at the University of Pennsylvania; and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.