Jeffrey Hessekiel serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer at Cytokinetics, Incorporated, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering muscle activators and inhibitors for diseases involving impaired muscle function. In this pivotal role, he oversees all legal matters, including intellectual property strategy, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and alliances; he also leads administrative functions such as human resources, information technology, facilities, and corporate communications. Hessekiel joined Cytokinetics in 2014 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, rising through the ranks due to his instrumental leadership in supporting the company's clinical and commercial advancements. Before Cytokinetics, Hessekiel built an illustrious career in biotechnology law at Genentech, a Roche company, where he spent over 13 years and advanced to Executive Director and Associate General Counsel. There, he managed legal support for global commercial operations, strategic alliances, licensing agreements, and product launches, contributing to blockbuster successes like Avastin and Herceptin. Earlier, he practiced corporate and securities law at Cooley Godward LLP (now Cooley LLP), advising emerging biotech firms on financings, mergers, and IPOs. His achievements include architecting Cytokinetics' landmark collaboration with Amgen on the cardiac myosin activator omecamtiv mecarbil, now under FDA review, and guiding the company through multiple equity financings and partnerships that have fueled its pipeline. A Harvard Law School graduate (J.D., 1994), Hessekiel earned his A.B. in Politics from Princeton University (1990). Renowned for his strategic foresight and collaborative style, he has been recognized by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in life sciences, playing a key role in Cytokinetics' evolution from a research-stage firm to a potential commercial leader in cardiovascular and neuromuscular therapeutics.