Robert Chess
Lecturer in Management
Teaching Statement
Bio
Rob Chess is a serial entrepreneur in the life sciences field. He has served as Chairman of five companies, a member of the Boards of Directors of 11 companies, and co-founded two companies. He currently is Chairman of Nektar Therapeutics, (NASDAQ:NKTR), a health care biotechnology company; Chairman of BigHat Biosciences, which uses ML/AI in combination with a wetlab for antibody discovery and engineering; Chairman of Issio Solutions, a SaaS-based health care labor productivity and analytics company; and serves as Lead Director of Twist Biosciences (NASDAQ:TWST), a synthetic biology company. Rob joined Nektar as its first non-founder employee in 1991 and led the company as CEO through 1999 and as chairman since then. Rob co-founded and was president of Penederm, a dermatology company that went public and was acquired by Mylan Laboratories, and was the start-up CEO and later chairman of OPX Biotechnologies, a renewable chemicals company which was sold to Cargill. He also was the co-founder and chairman of Biota Technologies, a pioneering company in the use of DNA sequencing for energy and other industrial applications. He started his career in the technology field and held management positions at Intel and Metaphor Computer Systems (later acquired by IBM). Rob served on the White House staff in the George H.W. Bush Administration as a White House fellow and associate director of the White House Office of Economic and Domestic Policy.
In addition to his entrepreneurial endeavors and activities at the Stanford GSB, Rob was a trustee of Caltech from 2007–2023, where he served on the Board Executive Committee and as Chair of the Technology Transfer Committee for 10 years, and was a long-time board member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization where he was chairman of the Emerging Companies Section and co-chairman of the Intellectual Property Committee. Rob received a BS in engineering with honors from Caltech and an MBA from Harvard.
Rob is an out-of-practice but avid golfer, a reformed political junkie, and a father of 26-year-old triplets.
Academic Degrees
- MBA, Harvard University, 1980
- BS in Engineering with honors, Caltech, 1978
Academic Appointments
- At Stanford University since 2004
Professional Experience
- President and CEO, Nektar Therapeutics, 1991–2001; Chairman, 2001–present
- Lead Director, Twist Biosciences, 2014–present
- Co-Founder, Biota Technologies; Chairman, 2013–2019
- Chairman, OPX Biotechnologies, 2007–2015; CEO 2007–2008
- Deputy Associate Director, White House Office of Economic and Domestic Policy, 1990–1991
- White House Fellow, 1990–1991
- Cofounder and President, Penderm, 1986–1989
- Market Segment Manager, Metaphor Computer Systems, 1983–1985
- Product Manager and Strategic Marketing Manager, Intel, 1980–1983
Teaching
Degree Courses
Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs
Stanford Case Studies
Service to the Profession
- Board of Trustees, California Institute of Technology, 2006-present
- Chairman, Bio Ventures for Global Health, 2004-2009, Board member 2004-present
- Board of Directors, Biotechnology Industry Organization, 1997-2008