Jeito Capital strengthens the expertise and international reach of its investment platform with four senior promotions to Partner and Operating Partner and the appointment of a Director of Translational science

Pascal joined Jeito in 2022 as a Special Advisor before being appointed Operating partner in June 2025, based in London. His strategic expertise has played a pivotal role throughout investment phases, contributing significantly to Jeito’s development. His operational experience in portfolio management, together with his expertise in the clinical and commercial development of medical innovations, has been instrumental in driving the growth of portfolio companies.

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Throughout his professional journey over more than 40 years, Pascal has remained dedicated to transforming the lives of patients with serious medical conditions through his passion for pioneering science, collaborative leadership, and a steadfast commitment to excellence.
Pascal was CEO of Atara Biotherapeutics (Nasdaq: ATRA) in California from 2019 to 2024, where he led the company’s transformation into a leader in cell therapy, obtaining in 2022 the first-ever regulatory approval for an allogeneic T-cell therapy, EBVALLO® (tabelecleucel).
Before joining Atara, Pascal was Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cell & Gene at Novartis Oncology, where he led the global development, regulatory approval and global launch of KYMRIAH® (tisagenlecleucel), the first CAR-T therapy approved in the US. He also served previously as Global Head of Strategy and Business Development for Oncology and was a member of the Novartis Oncology Executive Committee. Earlier in his career, he held various roles across research, marketing, general management of subsidiaries and geographic areas, strategy and business development at Servier and GSK.
He is also an Independent Director on the Boards of Ipsen (Euronext: IPN, ADR: IPSEY), Medincell (Euronext Paris: MEDCL), RoslinCT, and CDR-Life[1], as well as representing Jeito on the Boards of CatalYm[1] and XyloCor Therapeutics[1].
Pascal holds a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Paul Sabatier University (Toulouse, France), a DESS in Management from IAE Toulouse, and an MBA from INSEAD.
[1] CDR-Life, CatalYm, and XyloCor Therapeutics are Jeito portfolio companies.

As a member of Jeito’s founding team and CSO to date, Claudio has leveraged his deep expertise in translational science to identify, monitor, and selectively evaluate cutting-edge therapeutic innovations worldwide as potential investment opportunities, while also supporting the scientific and strategic development of Jeito’s portfolio companies.
Since Jeito’s inception, Claudio has played a key role in broadening the firm’s investment focus toward high-impact therapeutic areas and innovative modalities with strong scientific potential, increasing strategic relevance, and the ability to deliver meaningful benefits to patients and society.

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Claudio is a member of Jeito’s founding team and brings more than 25 years of experience in biomedical sciences across Europe, the US, and Brazil, including seven years in the European venture capital industry, and several roles on scientific and strategic advisory boards. His experience spans biomedical R&D, academic leadership, translational science and venture investing.
Prior to joining Jeito, Claudio was Professor of Biochemistry at the University of São Paulo Medical School, where he also led a translational research unit and served as Head of Department. Claudio has published more than 100 scientific articles, delivered lectures at international conferences and institutions worldwide, and served on the editorial boards of scientific journals.
Claudio holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and Molecular Pharmacology, based on joint research conducted at the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. He also holds a Habilitation Degree (Privatdozent) in Structural Biochemistry, and has held visiting research positions at the Collège de France and Institut Cochin in France.

Annette is part of Jeito’s founding team, based in London. Her contribution to shaping acquisition strategies and guiding teams through strategic M&A transactions has been instrumental in unlocking and crystallizing value across the portfolio.

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Annette is part of Jeito’s founding team and has more than 30 years of international Pharma experience across the US and Europe with proven executive leadership in strategy, global Business Development, international M&A and extensive board-level experience.
She also brings over a decade of life sciences venture capital experience, with a focus on biotech investments, Board leadership, and successful exits.
Annette worked for 30 years with GSK, where she led the Worldwide Transactions and Alliance management function for the latter 10 years. She executed many innovative deals ranging from early drug discovery partnerships to global commercial alliances and led over 30 multibillion dollars deals.
She also served as Chair or Non-Executive Director on several private and public Biotech companies. Most recently, she was Chair of SOBI, a global rare disease Company.
Annette holds a BSc degree in Pharmacology from Bath University. She is also a member of W.I.T.H. (Women Innovating Together in Healthcare).

Samit Hirawat, M.D, joined Jeito as a Strategic Medical Advisor in March 2026, and he is based in the US. His promotion to Operating Partner recognizes his contribution to the investment strategy and his strategic support to portfolio companies, helping them achieve the highest standards.

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Samit brings over 25 years of senior leadership and clinical development experience at top-tier international pharmaceutical groups.
Most recently, Samit Hirawat, M.D., served as Chief Medical Officer, Executive Vice President, and Head of Global Drug Development at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he oversaw the worldwide clinical development portfolio and advanced multiple transformative therapies across therapeutic areas and modalities to registration trials and approvals. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade at Novartis Pharmaceuticals in roles of increasing strategic responsibility, leading to his position as Executive Vice President and Head of Oncology Development.
Samit Hirawat, M.D., earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Sawai Man Singh Medical College. He completed his Internal Medicine residency and Medical Oncology fellowship at North Shore University Hospital. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts across therapeutic areas.

Ana Leticia brings over 10 years of professional experience in pharmaceutical industry as project leader in drug discovery and translational research. She will work with Claudio Costa-Neto, PhD, Partner, CSO, and the investment team.

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Ana Leticia joins from Servier, where she has worked for more than 10 years, first as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Oncology and then as a Project Leader, contributing to shaping Servier’s oncology drug discovery strategy. She has led several drug discovery projects from target identification until clinical development, covering small molecules, antibodies and ADCs. She has also established long-term collaborations with big pharma and biotechnology companies, and has been involved in in-licensing and M&A due diligence.
Ana Leticia holds a PhD in cellular and molecular biology from Institut Curie, a Master’s degree in biochemistry from Universidade de São Paulo and a Pharmacist Degree from Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho.