Chris Rivera of the WBBA interviews Dr. Gary Gilliland of the Fred Hutch. Both say that Seattle needs to bolster its biotech image.
Chris Rivera, left, of the WBBA interviewing Dr. Gary Gilliland of the Fred Hutch earlier this year.

Chris Rivera is stepping down as president and CEO of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association, a nonprofit biotech trade group. He joined WBBA in 2009 to help enhance the life science sector in Washington state.

Rivera will continue to serve in the role as the organization searches for a new CEO and president, a search expected to last several months. Rivera said he doesn’t have another job lined up currently, but plans to stay in the Seattle area and work in the biotech industry.

Outgoing WBBA president and CEO Chris Rivera
Outgoing WBBA president and CEO Chris Rivera

“When I came in here, I always thought I’d be getting back into industry,” Rivera said. “We talked about a 3- to 5-year time frame, but after 7 years that’s come and gone quickly.”

Rivera has spoken passionately about how Washington’s biotech firms can get overshadowed by planes, retail and software. The region’s life sciences chops are “one of the best kept secrets in the world.”

He is proud of the industry he’s helped build in the Seattle area.

“One of the main motivators to run the WBBA was to try to help build the community so people like me didn’t have to move or relocate,” he said. Before taking the job at the WBBA, he commuted to Boston and San Francisco for work. “I wanted to build the industry here so people didn’t have to do that.”

Rivera has more than 25 years of experience in the biotech field. Before coming on as president and CEO of WBBA, he served as senior vice president at both Tercica and Genzyme, and founded and led Hyperion Therapeutics, which was sold earlier this year to Horizon Pharma for $1.1 billion.

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