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Mark Beresford
Global Enterprise Relationship Lead at Thermo Fisher ScientificThermo Fisher Scientific is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challengers, improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to market and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Patheon and Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive services.
PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, provides clinical development and analytical services that enhance customer innovation and productivity. Utilizing patient-centered strategies and data analytics, we cover multiple therapeutic areas and include early development, all phases of clinical development, peri- and post-approval, patient recruitment, investigator sites and comprehensive laboratory services.
Thermo Fisher Scientific also provides industry leading CDMO services as well as clinical trial solutions. With more than 55 locations around the world, we provide an end-to-end drug development offering to companies of all sizes that includes API, Biologics, Plasmids, Viral Vector Services, Early and Late Phase Development, Clinical Trial Solutions, Logistics Services and Commercial Manufacturing. Thermo Fisher is a trusted partner for every step in the drug development journey with unrivalled quality, reliability and expertise.
Lutz-Peter Berg
Head of Science & Innovation at Swiss Embassy LondonI am highly experienced in the international aspects of science, innovation, startup and higher education, creating added value for individual stakeholders (e.g. universities, startups, researchers), networks or national organisations/agencies.
On behalf of the Swiss government I have developed and implemented a range of successful strategies such as:
- developing support for startup companies, including an accelerator programme for international expansion
- working with universities on international promotion, international mobility or setting up alumni networks
- facilitating collaboration between research networks
Jason Brown
SVP, Business Development at Evotec (UK) LtdJason serves as SVP of Business Development for Evotec, a world-leading multi-modality, multi-therapeutic area drug discovery and development partner. Prior to Evotec, Jason was the co-founder/Board Director and Scientific and Business Development Director at Ubiquigent, a company that provided drug discovery services and partnerships in the protein degradation space. During his industrial PhD at Cambridge Jason identified the molecular target of the blockbuster drugs Neurontin and Lyrica and subsequently ran an assay development team for Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer). Jason also built and ran a drug discovery service facility for Upstate Biotechnology and worked for a boutique biotech investment group.
Rod Cook
Partner at Biotech PersonnelRod has over 40 years’ experience working in a variety of high technology companies. His last company role was as Head of Personnel for British Biotech, where he helped grow a staff from 90, in a private company to over 330 in a potentially leading bio-pharmaceutical employer.
Since the formation of Biotech Personnel a substantial client base has been established with assignments varying from Board level remuneration advice to a total interim HR service. He has helped over 40 start ups get established.
Dimor Elbers
Associate Director of Licencing at LonzaAt Lonza, we enable a healthier world by supporting our healthcare customers on the path to commercialization. Our community of 15,000 skilled employees work across a global network of more than 30 sites to deliver for our customers across the pharma, biotech and nutrition markets. By combining technological insight with world-class manufacturing, scientific expertise and process excellence, we help our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines that help treat a wide range of diseases.
CATRIN GASTON-PENNY
Group Head of HR at Cell and Gene Therapy CatapultCatrin is senior HR professional with UK and International experience with a proven track record of driving organisational change programmes by utilizing HR solutions to transform organizational performance.
John Harris
CEO of OBNJohn brings to OBN extensive leadership and managerial competence developed within well respected Blue-Chip, Governmental and SME organisations, specialised in the Life Sciences Sectors. Over his 36 years working in this space (including 22 years at CEO level), he has developed considerable experience and expertise within the Biotech, pharmaceutical and medical technology arenas ranging through research, technical & commercial development, registration, manufacture, marketing, and sales.
Immediately prior to joining OBN he was Managing Partner of LifeAgility Associates, a specialist consultancy focused on strategy and business support for Life Sciences SME's and also provided expert participation in the development of the UKTI Government Life-Sciences 10-year strategy plan.
Previous appointments include Managing Director of IPS Specials (a cGMP, MHRA licensed manufacturer of pharmaceuticals), Managing Director of Key Organics Ltd (a leading manufacturer of chemical intermediates), Managing Director of Synerga Ltd (a start-up drug discovery venture), Chairman & CEO of TraceTag International Ltd (a biotech company specialising in hi-tech diagnostics), Managing Director of AgriSense-BCS (specialist biorationals manufacturer), and senior management roles in Zeneca, Novo Nordisk (Denmark), Monsanto (Belgium), and Shell.
John received the HSBC / SVBA Business Leader of the Year 2019 Award.
He holds a BSc (Hons) in Biology from the University of Salford, a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Southampton and an MBA from the University of Surrey.
Angela Hobbs
CEO of Wilkinson Hall- Company Showcase Presentations - Session 7
- HR Workshop: Critical Foundations for Early Stage Life Science Companies
Angela Hobbs joined the OBN Board in March 2020. Angela is CEO of Wilkinson Hall Ltd, a business consultancy working with entrepreneurs in their transition from start-up to scale-up. She is a member of the Design Council’s investment panel for Tech Spark and a mentor for Aspire for Equality Foundation. She founded her first company in the 1990’s working with media owners, advertising agencies and global brands. After a period of consulting with product design consultants Triteq, she became MD in 2017 working with MedTech clients and funding organisations developing safety critical medical devices and digital health solutions. In 2010 she completed her MSc in Sustainable Business at University of Bath.
James Otter
Chairman at Ellipson LtdJames Otter, Director at Venda Group and Apollo VCT will lead this round table workshop. The session has been designed to share important insight on how to attract investment, and maximise your working relationship with your investors.
Jonathan Rohll
Head of Business Information at OBN (UK) LtdJonathan joined OBN in early 2012. He carries out a number of analytical tasks related to the Life Sciences sector in Oxford, the Thames Valley and the UK Life Sciences sector in general. More widely he performed a key role in OBN’s involvement in the work of the Oxford node of the FP7 HealthTIES project. Jonathan is also involved with the realisation of the OBN Consultancy service including cluster mapping, product searches and consultation responses.
Prior to joining OBN he carried out academic research in a number of areas including cell division, virology and immunology and moved to Oxford BioMedica in 1997 where he played a major role in the development of their lentiviral gene therapy ‘system’ for use in treatment of a variety of indications.
Chris Rowe
Innovation Lead - Precision Medicine at Innovate UK (UKRI)Innovate UK drives productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential of new ideas.
We connect businesses to the partners, customers and investors that can help them turn ideas into commercially successful products and services and business Growth.
We fund business and research collaborations to accelerate innovation and drive business investment into R&D. Our support is available to businesses across all economic sectors, value chains and UK regions.
Innovate UK is part of UK Research and Innovation. For more information visit Innovateuk.ukri.org
Natalie Thomas
Head of the Swiss Business Hub UK+Ireland at Swiss Embassy LondonThe Swiss Business Hub UK+Ireland provides localised support, market information, consulting and networking services to Swiss companies venturing into the UK or Irish market. An experienced team stands ready to support inquiries of all kind and serves as a first-hand local contact for companies – new and experienced – in the UK and Irish market. In addition, the Swiss Business Hub actively promotes Switzerland as a highly attractive business and investment location for UK and Irish companies looking for growth in Switzerland and in continental Europe.
Matthias Wulf
Business Developer at BioInnovation InstituteMatthias coordinates diligence on our companies and projects, while running essential internal tasks which allows us to scale-up the projects and start-ups we incubate. He has a background in pharmacy and neuroscience, and obtained his PhD from Copenhagen University. He formerly worked as an Analyst at M-Ventures in Amsterdam, where he helped their team select projects for investment.