Spark Therapeutics announced the appointment of John Furey to the newly created position of chief operating officer. Mr. Furey will be responsible for global commercial operations, medical affairs, technology development and technical operations. He will report to Jeffrey D. Marrazzo, chief executive officer, and will be an executive officer of the company. Mr. Furey has 25 years of experience in developing and implementing operational strategies and leading commercial and technical teams. Prior to joining Spark Therapeutics, he was senior vice president and head of global operations for Baxalta, where he directed manufacturing, quality, engineering, and process development. He also spent two years in China as general manager of Pfizer’s vaccine business unit following a role with responsibility for global pricing and reimbursement at Pfizer Vaccines. In these roles, Mr. Furey gained extensive experience in pipeline development and global product launches. Earlier in his career, he held both commercial and operations positions of increasing scope and responsibility with Pfizer and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.