Mergers & Acquisitions names 2021 Top 25 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, including Covington & Burling’s Catherine Dargan.
Describe a recent accomplishment.
Much of my deal work in the last year related to efforts by clients to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. I led a team representing Merck in its acquisition of Themis, a vaccine and immune-modulation therapy company targeting infectious diseases and cancer. The acquisition is expected to accelerate development of Themis’ Covid-19 vaccine candidate. More recently, I led the team assisting Merck in its $425 million acquisition of OncoImmune, Inc., which recently announced positive top-line findings from an interim efficacy analysis of a Phase 3 study evaluating its lead therapeutic candidate CD24Fc for the treatment of patients with severe and critical Covid-19.
In addition to deal work, I have actively worked with Covington’s Management Committee to craft the firm’s coronavirus pandemic response and guidance for the firm’s lawyers and staff, including regular outreach to the Covington community.
How are you a champion for inclusion and equality?
I worked with the management committee to expand and enhance—and be vocal and visible in—Covington’s commitment to diversity and inclusion this year, by increasing efforts to recruit diverse and women corporate associates, discussing diversity and inclusion efforts in firm-wide Town Halls and reinvigorating the firm’s diversity leadership team, affinity groups and women’s forum and appointed new geographic Diversity & Inclusion leads. In addition, I was instrumental in firm-wide activities focusing on racial equality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, serving as a moderator for a firm-wide conversation with Covington lawyer and former Attorney General, Eric Holder, about the struggle for racial equality and justice.
