“Hope is not optimism which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.”
— Seamus Heaney
Mike Kelliher
Executive Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy
Mike joined Ardelyx as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy in March 2024. Mike brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and licensing from leading biotechnology and global pharmaceutical companies.
Prior to Ardelyx, Mike served as group vice President, M&A and Business Development, at Horizon Therapeutics, a global biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, and commercializing medicines for rare, autoimmune, and severe inflammatory diseases. Mike joined Horizon in 2014 and held roles of increasing responsibility on the team that led an aggressive growth and expansion agenda through acquisitions, development collaborations, and other transactions, including the acquisition of Horizon by Amgen. Mike was instrumental in transforming Horizon into a $28 billion, innovation-driven biotech company. Prior to his time at Horizon, from 2009 to 2014, Mike held financial roles at Elan Corporation (now Perrigo Company), a leading global pharmaceutical company, where he oversaw strategic partnerships and collaborations, and advised its Board of Directors and senior leadership on investments, business development, product commercialization, and asset monetization.
Mike began his career in banking, public accounting, and corporate finance and earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University College Cork (Ireland). He is also an Associated Chartered Accountant.
“Hope is not optimism which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.”
— Seamus Heaney