At 40, Rami Elghandour was enjoying the best time of his life. The father of four had retired from his role as CEO of neuromodulation company Nevro, spending his days traveling with family, attending car shows like the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, meeting friends, serving as an executive-in-residence at a venture fund, and advising other organizations.

"As a retired person, I was incredibly busy," he says. "I'm not someone who ties their self-worth to their professional identity. I was perfectly content without a job, just enjoying life."

It was a well-deserved break. Before joining Nevro, he had been a venture capital lead at Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation. And during his seven years at Nevro, he served as Chief Business Officer, then President and CEO.

"I took Nevro from about 30 people to 1,000, grew revenue to nearly $400 million, took the company public, and led three successful pivotal studies," he says.

When he left the company in 2019, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do next.

"I certainly considered ending my career there," he says. "My career up to that point had been excellent, and I had achieved far more than I ever expected."

But like many people, Elghandour found that the pandemic changed his plans.

"I know it sounds cliché," he says, "but it really made me realize that life can change dramatically at any moment. Especially since it was a public health crisis, I couldn't help asking myself: 'Do I really want to just idle away my time in my 40s, or do I want to do something truly impactful?' The answer was simple."

In January 2021, Elghandour joined CAR-T cell therapy company Arcellx as Chairman and CEO. Arcellx is a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose lead candidate, CART-ddBCMA, is being studied in an ongoing Phase 1 study for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, and has received Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Elghandour says a Phase 2 pivotal study of the product is planned to begin before the end of this year.

Now, Elghandour has settled into his new role. He hasn't just returned to the industry; he's at the forefront of an ambitious effort—in the company's words—to "destroy cancer" while challenging "convention." For someone who wants to cap off his career with world-changing achievements, it's a perfect goal; and, fittingly, it also suits Elghandour perfectly.

Timely Leadership

Elghandour's career began as an engineer, but a chance friendship changed his direction.

"My first job was actually designing circuits and writing code at a medical company. We made implantable neurostimulators for treating chronic pain," he says. "What changed my life was becoming good friends with our CFO—for no other reason than we played fantasy football together at work. Otherwise, I had no reason to talk to him."

That CFO convinced Elghandour of his leadership potential and encouraged him to pursue an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. It was a career path he had never envisioned for himself. Elghandour's family is originally from Egypt, where he lived from age 2 to 10 before moving to the United States.

"We didn't live in a great place, and I didn't go to great schools," he says. "There was hardly anyone around me who had succeeded in business, and I had no way of knowing what those careers looked like."

But he quickly discovered a natural affinity for business and leadership. He admits he loved business more than engineering—in hindsight, the signs were there.

"If it succeeds, it could really change the world, and I think we have that potential."

—Rami Elghandour, CEO of Arcellx

As a child, "I took all my toys apart but wasn't very interested in putting them back together," he says. "So that was probably an early sign that my engineering career wouldn't last long."

This talent for business and leadership brought Arcellx and Elghandour together at the right time. He says that before he joined, the company was at an "inflection point": it had "highly differentiated technology" and proof of concept, but needed a different type of leadership to take it to the next level.

Elghandour attributes the company's current success to his "ability to define a vision, recruit exceptional talent, and build a culture centered on diversity, collaboration, and performance." Since joining, he has "built Arcellx's management team, completed a $120 million crossover round, scaled the organization, and led the company through a successful $142 million initial public offering (IPO) in February 2022," he wrote on LinkedIn. He also led a $128 million follow-on offering in June.

"In good times, the rising tide lifts all boats; but biotech has been especially tough and turbulent lately," he says. "So I think leadership is crucial. Since joining, I've had to make many difficult decisions, including deciding to take the company public when the macro environment wasn't favorable and the decision wasn't obvious."

He is also committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

"Diversity makes us smarter," he says. "It allows us to see different perspectives."

"Time Magazine Cover Potential"

When deciding on a career move, Elghandour didn't want to just join any company. He wanted to be part of something that he believed "could change the world in the next decade."

He believes Arcellx has that potential, and its lead program "has the potential to be the best-in-class therapy for patients with multiple myeloma, which in itself is meaningful work."

But further, he says the company's novel platform technology, D-Domain—a synthetic binding construct that enhances cell therapy—"is designed to address the biggest challenges in oncology" and could be "transformative."

That's what makes delaying retirement well worth it.

"What I want to do is something with Time magazine cover potential," he says. "If it succeeds, it could really change the world, and I think we have that potential."