Carla joined Mersana in January 2021, with 20 years of experience in human resources in the U.S. and Europe. She has held a variety of roles, including scaling and developing talent and leadership at multiple large companies while also helping to shape a positive culture to support overall business success.

Before joining Mersana, Carla was Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer at Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. until its acquisition by Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to Akcea, she spent over a decade in human resources positions of increasing responsibility at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., culminating in her role as Vice President, Human Resources, where she drove change management throughout the organization during a period of tremendous organizational growth. Carla has also held managing positions at Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, Pepsi Bottling Group and ExxonMobil Corporation.

Carla holds both a B.S. in industrial/organizational psychology and a Masters in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Fun fact about Carla: Carla enjoys listening to personal finance podcasts, working out and traveling with her family and pets.