Novocure, the Swiss maker of a wearable electric field therapy to treat certain cancers, has named veteran insider Frank Leonard as its chief executive, effective immediately.
Leonard, who has worked at Novocure for 15 years and most recently as president, takes over for Ashley Cordova, who has resigned from the company but will remain on the payroll through May 2026.
Cordova—the company's former chief financial officer, who took the reins as CEO this past January—stepped down Nov. 24 “by mutual agreement,” the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, adding that there “was no disagreement” with Novocure.
Leonard, meanwhile, was part of the Novocure team that prepared the company for its first commercial launch. He has held several different positions, including helping establish its finance, reimbursement and business development teams. Leonard also headed up Novocure’s early innovation and product development.
“Frank embodies Novocure’s core values and has an unwavering commitment to our patient-forward mission,” William Doyle, Novocure’s executive chairman, said in a statement. “He is the ideal person to lead our organization through the exciting, transformative milestones anticipated in the years ahead.”
Last December, the company’s Tumor Treating Fields approach cleared a phase 3 clinical study in pancreatic tumors, showing its electric fields could aid in what is considered one of the most lethal cancers. The trial found the wearable therapy improved overall survival as part of a first-line regimen for patients with inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
The device employs pads worn over the skin to deliver high-frequency fields that interfere with the physical structures inside cancer cells as they divide and reproduce, helping the immune system respond to the slowed tumor.
The company’s TTFields-powered Optune therapies have also been approved by the FDA for glioblastoma and mesothelioma.