# Ryan Spencer

> Ryan Spencer is the CEO of Dynavax Technologies, the Emeryville biotech behind HEPLISAV-B and the CpG 1018 adjuvant. He joined as an interim controller in 2005, climbed for fourteen years through finance, IR, and commercial roles, and took the top job in December 2019. Under him, Dynavax supplied adjuvant for nearly a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses and, in December 2025, agreed to be acquired by Sanofi for roughly $2.2 billion.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Dynavax Technologies
- **Organizations:** Dynavax Technologies, QRS Corporation, Ernst & Young
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Business Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara
- **Known for:** Led commercial launch of HEPLISAV-B in 2018; established it as the U.S. adult hepatitis B vaccine market leader., Scaled CpG 1018 adjuvant supply for nearly 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses., Negotiated Dynavax's $2.2B acquisition by Sanofi (announced Dec 24, 2025).

## Career timeline

- **pre-2005** — Audit practice at Ernst & Young; Assistant Controller at QRS Corporation.
- **2005** — Joined Dynavax as interim controller.
- **2015-2017** — Senior product roles tied to HEPLISAV-B through FDA approval.
- **2018** — As SVP Commercial, led the launch of HEPLISAV-B, the first two-dose adult hepatitis B vaccine.
- **2019-12** — Appointed CEO and joined the Board of Directors.
- **2020-2022** — Supplied CpG 1018 adjuvant for nearly 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses worldwide.
- **2025-12** — Sanofi agrees to acquire Dynavax for approximately $2.2 billion ($15.50/share).

## Achievements

- Led commercial launch of HEPLISAV-B in 2018; established it as the U.S. adult hepatitis B vaccine market leader.
- Scaled CpG 1018 adjuvant supply for nearly 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses.
- Negotiated Dynavax's $2.2B acquisition by Sanofi (announced Dec 24, 2025).
- Climbed from interim controller to CEO over 14 years inside the same company.

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Sanofi announces $2.2B acquisition of Dynavax; expected to close Q1 2026.
- **2025-01** — JP Morgan Healthcare Conference appearance discussing CpG 1018 and Dynavax's clinical pipeline.

## Links

- Website: https://dynavax.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-spencer-b646294

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ryan-spencer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-15