Hemmie Chang, Foley Hoag, LLP
Hemmie Chang
Partner, Co-Chair, Life Sciences Group
Foley Hoag, LLP
What led you to a career in the deal making industry?
I thrive on the high stakes of each deal. For life sciences deals, I love advancing the client’s interests while helping both parties progress and translate cutting-edge science for the benefit of patients. Collaborative and licensing transactions are critical to the ability to raise funds to drive further research and development.
How Diversity adds value in the deal-making process?
Diversity, both in background and experience, is crucial to the deal-making process. Being able to bring different perspectives to a negotiation and understand what each party is trying to achieve always leads to the best outcomes for all involved.
The most memorable deal I worked on?
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals’ 2019 collaboration with Novo Nordisk for novel cardio-metabolic therapies. The last pre-pandemic deal I negotiated in person paved the way for Novo’s 2021 $3.3 billion acquisition of Dicerna.
My number one advice for achieving success in the industry...
Be curious, creative and tenacious. Attack issues from all angles. Understanding what both parties are looking for, what’s special about the particular technology and what the various solutions are always brings out the best in a negotiation.
Profile:
Hemmie advises companies on a wide variety of licensing matters, having closed more than $16 billion in deals in recent years across diverse therapeutic areas. She has two-plus decades of experience within the bio pharmaceutical, medical device, gene and cell therapy and genomics sectors from both established and emerging companies.
Hemmie’s significant influence on the life sciences industry earned her an induction into the LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame in 2019.
Education: J.D., Harvard Law School, and A.B. from Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.
Location: Foley Hoag, LLP, Boston, Massachusetts.
