Incyte Announces Appointment of Richard Hoffman as Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Incyte today announced that Richard Hoffman has officially assumed the role of Executive Vice President and General Counsel, effective December 1, 2025. In this key leadership position, Mr. Hoffman will join the company’s Executive Leadership Team and oversee all aspects of Incyte’s global legal and compliance functions. His responsibilities will include guiding legal strategy, supporting corporate governance, leading compliance initiatives, advising on business development and partnerships, and ensuring regulatory alignment across geographies as the company continues to expand its global footprint.
Bill Meury, President and Chief Executive Officer of Incyte, expressed confidence in Hoffman’s appointment.Richard joins us with a distinguished background, including many years of experience as a partner at a premier law firm, and a proven track record advising biopharma companies on corporate governance, strategic transactions, intellectual property and litigation,” said Meury. “He possesses exceptional legal acumen and sound judgment to help guide Incyte through its next phase of innovation and growth. We look forward to Richard’s contributions as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team.”
Mr. Hoffman brings more than two decades of legal leadership experience, with a focus on advising high-growth biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. His career spans legal practice, corporate leadership roles, and strategic advisory positions supporting emerging biotech organizations, late-stage companies and commercial-scale pharmaceutical innovators.
Before joining Incyte, Mr. Hoffman most recently served as a Partner in the Life Sciences group at Goodwin, an internationally recognized law firm known for its work with biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. In this role, he advised a diverse portfolio of clients—from early-stage startups to publicly traded organizations—on major strategic and operational legal matters. His work included guidance on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, public offerings, financing strategies, risk management frameworks and global alliance structures.
Throughout his tenure at Goodwin, Mr. Hoffman supported growth strategies for life sciences companies navigating rapidly evolving environments in drug development, regulatory oversight and commercialization. His portfolio of clients included Anthos Therapeutics, Compass Therapeutics, Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, PepGen and Syntimmune, among others. His counsel has played a role in supporting breakthrough innovations, enabling strategic partnerships and advancing companies through critical milestones, including IPOs, licensing agreements and clinical expansion.
Prior to his work in private practice, Mr. Hoffman served in executive roles within the biotechnology sector. He held key legal and operational leadership positions at Hybridon (now Idera Pharmaceuticals) and Avitech, where he contributed to organizational strategy, investor relations, legal system development and research-focused operational scaling. These early roles established the foundation of his career and provided direct experience working within the challenges and opportunities unique to biopharmaceutical development.
Mr. Hoffman holds a distinguished academic background that reflects both legal and business proficiency. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School. Recognizing the importance of multidisciplinary leadership in emerging healthcare markets, he later completed his Master of Business Administration at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This combined training has positioned him to bridge legal expertise with strategic corporate planning, contributing to his success advising and scaling life sciences organizations.
Mr. Hoffman succeeds Sheila Denton, who has served as Incyte’s General Counsel and has played a significant role in shaping the company’s legal foundation during a period of accelerated growth. Ms. Denton will remain with the organization temporarily to support a smooth leadership transition before pursuing new professional opportunities in the coming year.
Incyte leadership expressed appreciation for Denton’s contributions. Under her guidance, the company strengthened its compliance programs, expanded its global legal support infrastructure and reinforced governance structures to support clinical progress and commercialization. Her support during the leadership handover is expected to ensure continuity and stability across the legal organization.
The appointment of Mr. Hoffman comes at a pivotal time for Incyte. The company continues to advance an expanding research and development pipeline focused on oncology, dermatology and rare diseases. Incyte has also increased its presence across North America, Europe and other global regions, requiring sophisticated legal oversight to support commercial operations, regulatory engagement and partnership execution. As Incyte progresses through its next growth phase—including potential new product launches, expanded research investments and emerging global collaborations—executive leadership emphasized the importance of legal strategic foresight, compliance integrity and governance excellence.
With extensive experience navigating the complexities of the biotechnology ecosystem, Mr. Hoffman is expected to play an instrumental role in partnering with scientific, regulatory, financial and operational teams across the organization. His experience aligns with Incyte’s commitment to responsible growth, scientific leadership and operational excellence.
About Incyte
A global biopharmaceutical company on a mission to Solve On., Incyte follows the science to find solutions for patients with unmet medical needs. Through the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics, Incyte has established a portfolio of first-in-class medicines for patients and a strong pipeline of products in Oncology and Inflammation & Autoimmunity.
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