Keith R. Leonard, Jr.

Independent Director Since: 2016
Board Committee: Audit

Mr. Leonard is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with a strong record of leadership in clinical development, commercialization, and company building in the life sciences industry. He brings to the Board deep experience in strategic growth, operational scale-up, and corporate governance across innovative healthcare and biotechnology companies.

Mr. Leonard is currently chair of the Board of Directors for Arcutis Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company developing and commercializing differentiated treatments for immune-mediated skin diseases. He previously served as chair of the Board of Directors and CEO of UNITY Biotechnology, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, leading the company from early-stage research through clinical development and its IPO in 2018.

Prior to that, Mr. Leonard was co-founder, president, and CEO of KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals, where he led the development and FDA approval of KYBELLA®, a first-in-class aesthetic medicine, until KYTHERA’s acquisition by Allergan in 2015. Prior to KYTHERA, he held a range of senior leadership roles at Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company, over a decade-long tenure, including as senior vice president and general manager of Amgen Europe, responsible for commercial operations in more than 28 countries. Leonard led the creation of Amgen’s inflammation business and served as worldwide head of information management, as well as in various leadership roles in sales and marketing, engineering, operations, and finance. He began his career as an officer in the Civil Engineer Corps of the U.S. Navy.

In addition to his service on Intuitive’s Board of Directors, where he is a member of the Audit Committee, Mr. Leonard has been a director of several life science companies and active in venture investing. His board leadership spans public, private, and not-for-profit organizations focused on biotechnology innovation and patient impact and includes seats on the boards of Sanifit Therapeutics, Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, and Anacor Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Leonard earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Maryland and a master’s in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.