John L. Higgins
President and CEO

John L. Higgins is President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. Prior to joining Ligand, Mr. Higgins served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration and Corporate Development, of Connetics Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company acquired by Stiefel Laboratories in December 2006. Before joining Connetics, he was a member of the executive management team at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals. Currently, he is a Director on the Boards of Techne Corporation, CoMentis and BioCryst and serves as Chairperson on the BioCryst Audit Committee. Prior to BioCryst, Mr. Higgins was a member of the healthcare banking team of Dillon, Read & Co. Inc., an investment banking firm. Mr. Higgins serves as a director of numerous public and private companies. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Colgate University with an AB in economics.

John P. Sharp
Vice President, Finance and CFO

Prior to joining Ligand, Mr. Sharp served as Vice President of Finance and Principal Accounting Officer for Sequenom, (NASDAQ: SQNM).  From August 2000 to November 2004, Mr. Sharp served as Director of Accounting at Diversa Corporation, a publicly traded biotech company, where he was responsible for managing the overall accounting function, including financial reporting, internal controls, and corporate governance, during a period of significant company growth.  From January 1994 to August 2000, Mr. Sharp was at the public accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, most recently as a Senior Audit Manager.  He received a BS from San Diego State University, and is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Association of Bioscience Financial Officers.

Charles Berkman, JD
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Charles Berkman has served as our Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since April 2007. Mr. Berkman joined the Company in November 2001 and previously served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Patent Counsel for the Company (and Secretary since March 2007). Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Berkman was an attorney at the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie from November 2000 to November 2001. Before that he served as an attorney at the law firm of Lyon & Lyon from 1993 to November 2000, where he specialized in intellectual property law. Mr. Berkman earned a BS in chemistry from the University of Texas and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law. 

Martin D. Meglasson, PhD
Vice President, Discovery Research

Dr. Martin D. Meglasson joined Ligand in February 2004 as Vice President, Discovery Research. Prior to joining Ligand, Dr. Meglasson was Director of Preclinical Pharmacology at Pharmacia, Inc. where he engaged in research and development of drugs for central nervous system and infectious diseases from 1998 to 2003. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Meglasson served as Director of Endocrine and Metabolic Research, engaged in diabetes and obesity research, and was a member of the Exploratory Development Committee at Pharmacia & Upjohn. From 1988 to 1996, he was a researcher in the fields of diabetes and obesity at The Upjohn Co. Dr. Meglasson has participated in the discovery and development of two marketed drugs, is an inventor of 18 U.S. patents, and author of 70 scientific publications. Dr. Meglasson received his PhD in pharmacology from the University of Houston and post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Syed Kazmi, PhD, MBA
Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Planning

Dr. Kazmi has served as Vice President, Business Development & Strategic Planning since July 2007. Dr. Kazmi has more than 18 years of Pharmaceutical R&D and Business development experience. From 1995 until June 2007, he held various positions at Ligand, including Senior Scientist in Molecular Endocrinology, Director of Project Management and leader of multiple drug development teams, and Senior Director of Business Development. Prior to joining Ligand, Dr. Kazmi worked in discovery research at Johnson & Johnson from 1988 to 1995, where his most recent position was Principal Scientist in endocrinology and inflammation drug development programs. From 1985 to 1988, he held his postdoctoral research positions at McMaster University, Hamilton. Dr. Kazmi received a PhD in biochemistry from J.N. University, New Delhi, and an executive MBA from San Diego State University.

Audrey Warfield-Graham
Vice President, Human Resources

Audrey Warfield-Graham directs the department of Human Resources.  Ms. Warfield-Graham has worked continuously in the Human Resources department since joining Ligand in December 1994.  She has held a progression of positions with increasing responsibilities including Human Resources Coordinator, Compensation & Benefits Administrator and Human Resources Manager.  She was promoted to Vice President, Human Resources in January 2007.  Her previous Human Resources experience was with Fresh Western, an interstate agricultural business located in Monterey County, California.  Ms. Warfield-Graham’s management experience includes benefits administration, HRIS, records management, employee relations, leave management, recruitment, staffing strategies and performance management. She received her SPHR certification in January 2007.