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Rebecca Abram
Director, Strategic Technical Marketing of Fujifilm Diosynth BiotechnologiesRebecca holds the position of Director, Strategic Technical Marketing at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. She has global responsibility for leading technical marketing activities for all service offerings in alignment with our Commercial and Business Strategic Groups. Rebecca joined FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies in Billingham, UK, in the Analytical Development department in 2019 and led the analytical component for over 70+ early and late phase customer programs. Rebecca completed post-doctoral research at Durham University (UK) in collaboration with Avecia into the plasticity and wound healing capabilities of adult hair follicle stem cells before and after bioreactor expansion. She attended The University of Sheffield (UK) where she received her BSc in Chemistry and subsequently completed her doctoral research into anti-inflammatory peptides.
Ayokunmi Ajetunmobi
Venture Development Director of Pioneer Group
Anand Ashok
Corporate Finance Associate Director of BDO
Mimoun Azzouz
Chair of Translational Neuroscience at University of SheffieldProfessor Azzouz obtained a Master in Neuroscience with 1st Class Honours from the University of Marseille in 1994. In 1997 he was awarded a PhD in Neuropharmacology at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg. He then worked as post-doctoral scientist at the Gene Therapy Center in Lausanne, Switzerland from 1997 to 2000. He was recruited in 2000 by Oxford BioMedica plc as Senior Scientist then appointed as Director of Neurobiology in 2003. In 2006, he was invited to join the University of Sheffield and was appointed to the Chair of Translational Neuroscience. His pioneering work, which has already produced major breakthroughs in animal models, has short and medium term potential for real translation into major therapeutic advances for human neurodegenerative disease. Azzouz leadership has been recognized by several prestigious; e.g. ERC Advanced Investigator (2011) and ERC Proof-of-Concept (2017), IMI ARDAT (www.ardat.org) involving 34 partners and pharma companies to accelerate research & innovation of advanced therapies for rare diseases; JPND Award to develop better model systems for therapy testing; and the LifeArc/MRC Award and significant philanthropic gifts to establish a Gene Therapy Innovation & Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC) in Sheffield. GTIMC includes provision of a state-of-the art GMP manufacturing facility for gene therapy clinical vectors. He has been a key academic partner in the successful fundraising of £18M necessary to build the new Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). Azzouz established significant esteem markers evidenced by membership for Panels/Boards of funding bodies, Scientific Advisory Board memberships, keynote and plenary lectures at established international meetings/institutions.
Jenny Barnett
CEO of Monument Therapeutics LimitedJenny has an MA in Experimental Psychology from Oxford University, a PhD in the epidemiology of schizophrenia from the University of Cambridge, and completed post-doctoral work at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. She joined Cambridge Cognition in 2008 and worked in the clinical trial, healthcare and R&D functions before joining the senior management team in 2014 and becoming CSO in 2016. She has worked on the design and analysis of more than 100 cognitive trials and is the author of 60+ scientific publications and six patents. She has led IP strategy, KOL networking and the scientific validation of medical devices for regulatory approval.
James Barwick-Silk
Director, Scientific Strategy, Cell & Gene Therapy of Syneos HealthJames started his role as a Director in Cell & Gene Therapy at Syneos Health in January ‘22, his main responsibilities include integrating, enhancing & articulating Syneos Health’s biopharmaceutical offerings & operating model in the Cell & Gene Therapy space.
His background is in Biopharmaceutical Management Consulting & Synthetic Organic Chemistry. During his tenure as a consultant, he delivered organizational change programs across R&D, including manufacturing & technology strategy projects for Gene Modified Cell Therapies. His PhD focused on development of catalytic processes for applications in Medicinal Chemistry.
Philip Beer
CSO at Step PharmaPhilip is CSO at Step Pharma, a French therapeutic biotech focused on novel targeted approaches for the treatment of cancer. Prior to joining Step Pharma, Philip held senior leadership roles in biotech and biopharma companies, overseeing oncology drug development and biomarker discovery programmes. He is also a board-certified haematologist with over 16 years of frontline healthcare experience. Philip is a cofounder of Gabriel Precision Oncology, a clinical software company focussed on improving outcomes for those living with cancer. He also chairs the Genomics Working group at BIVDA, The British In Vitro Diagnostic Association
Kinga Bercsenyi, PhD
VP of Business Development at ArctorisKinga has a PhD in molecular and cell biology from University College London and Cancer Research UK and a MSc in Systems and Human Biology. Following her Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship at King’s College London, Kinga worked at Champions Oncology as a BD Associate Director and an immuno-oncology subject matter expert. She then moved to Cerba Research where she was the European Lead in Precision Medicine, supporting clinical trials. She joined Arctoris at the end of November last year and leads the Business Development activities of this dynamic, tech-enabled CRO, aiming to provide better data to clients, which will ultimately lead to better decisions during drug discovery, resulting in better drugs that can transform patients' lives.
Maina Bhaman
Partner at Sofinnova PartnersMaina joined Sofinnova Partners as a partner in 2018, bringing an extensive network and a long track record as a successful healthcare investor. Prior to joining Sofinnova Partners, she was director of healthcare investment at Touchstone Innovations (formerly Imperial Innovations) in London, where she led and co-led investments in the U.K. Before turning to investing, Maina worked in the R&D teams of several U.K. and U.S. biotech companies, including Celltech, Oxford GlycoSciences, Chimeric Therapies and GeneMedicine. Maina holds a B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the Imperial Business School. Her current investments include Sitryx Therapeutics, Cincor and Enyo Pharma.
Samana Brannigan
Head of Health Technologies at Innovate UK (UKRI)
Jim Bratherton
Green Solutions Program Manager at Fisher Scientific UKI graduated in Microbiology from the University of Huddersfield, and during the following years of laboratory research, scientific sales and product management, gained the Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma at Staffordshire University. In 2018 I joined the Fisher Scientific channel in Portfolio Management, and later joined the Program Team. Two years ago I launched the Greener Choice program designed to showcase products with environmental characteristics, and last year I created Green Solutions – a new program designed to help laboratories across Europe to reduce the impact of their operations. My work complements the wider corporate sustainability strategy and journey toward net zero. I now live in Nottinghamshire and outside of work can be found riding with my local cycling club.
Leigh Brody
Investment Manager at UCL Technology Fund
Alex Brown
Senior Investment Associate at 24 Haymarket
David Browning
CEO of Fixed Phage
Richard Bungay
CEO of Imophoron Ltd
Daniel Chain
President & CEO of TauC3 Biologics LimitedI am a seasoned biotechnology C-level executive, innovator and neuroscientist entrepreneur with over 25 years of industry experience . My career has been dedicated to the development of novel therapeutics addressing serious unmet medical needs in the challenging field of neurodegeneration. I pioneered Alzheimer’s immunotherapy in the mid-1990s as the inventor of a pivotal patent estate which was licensed to Wyeth/Elan and other global pharmaceutical companies developing monoclonal antibodies against beta amyloid, and have spearheaded the development of both small molecules and biologics especially focusing on types of pathogenic mechanisms that converge in frontotemporal dementia, progressive supranuclear palsy, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.
I have established and led biotechnology companies in Israel, the United States and the UK. My skills include drug discovery, intellectual property value creation, team-building, financing and strategic partnerships.
I obtained my PhD in Biochemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Sciences in Israel and was a Howard Hughes post-doctoral research fellow at the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University in New York where I collaborated with Nobel Laureate Dr. Eric Kandel. My research has been published in several prestigious high impact scientific journals and I have been invited to speak at conferences internationally with an upcoming engagement at EuroTau2023 in Lille on April 28 to discuss our recent findings in relation to FTD.
Alex Charitou
Partner | Life Sciences at EYAlex Charitou is an associate partner in EY Global Life Sciences. He has over 25 years of experience providing knowledge in strategic commercial opportunity assessments, clinical advisory, quality, safety and regulatory strategy, supporting both medical technology, diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies. He has a special interest in software as a medical device, wearables and drug-device combination products.
Alex studied medicine in London, and was a cardiothoracic surgeon in the UK and clinical lead for chest trauma, responsible for developing and running the chest trauma service at one of London's major trauma centres.
Bharat Chudasama
Vice President, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Syneos Health
Lisa Conte
President/CEO Jaguar Health and Chairman, BOD, Napo Therapeutics of Jaguar Health Inc.Ms. Conte is the founder, president, and chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors, of Jaguar Health, a commercial-stage pharmaceuticals company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing plant-based prescription medicines for urgent global health needs. Mytesi® (crofelemer), Jaguar’s FDA-approved drug product indicated for the symptomatic relief of noninfectious diarrhea in adults with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy, is a first-in-class, plant-based anti-secretory agent and the first oral drug approved under FDA Botanical Guidance. Ms. Conte is also Chairman of the Board of Napo Therapeutics, the corporation established by Jaguar in Milan, Italy in 2021 with a mission to expand crofelemer access in Europe for the treatment and management of orphan and rare disease indications including short bowel syndrome (SBS) and congenital diarrheal disorders (CDD). In July 2017, two companies founded by Ms. Conte—Napo Pharmaceuticals, a human-focused pharmaceuticals company, and Jaguar Animal Health, the veterinary-focused licensor of all of Napo Pharmaceuticals’ technology—merged and now comprise Jaguar Health. In 1989, Ms. Conte also founded Shaman Pharmaceuticals, and has pioneered plant-based prescription medicine investigation and development for more than 30 years, including Jaguar’s Entheogen Therapeutics Initiative looking at psychoactive plants for novel cures for mood disorders and CNS neurodegenerative diseases. Ms. Conte is a member of the board of directors of Healing Forest Conservatory, serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Life Science Leader magazine, and serves on the Leadership Council of Pure Earth. She holds an MS in Physiology and Pharmacology from the University of California, San Diego, and an MBA and AB in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College.
Jemma Contreras
Executive Managing Director of Syneos Health
Laia Crespo
Partner at Sanofi VenturesLaia joined Sanofi Ventures in 2018 as a Partner. She focuses on biotech investments and company creation. Prior to Sanofi, she served as Investment Director for Ysios Capital, where she led investments and served on the board of multiple early-stage biotech companies. Earlier in her career, Laia was part of the European New Business Development team of Janssen-Cilag, a pharmaceutical company part of the Johnson & Johnson group, where she assessed commercial and scientific licensing opportunities. Previously she worked as a researcher in the UK in companies such as Spirogen (now AstraZeneca), Medivir and UCB-Celltech.
Laia’s active investments include Muna Therapeutics, NodThera, OMass Therapeutics, QurAlis and Therini Bio. Previous investments and board roles include Lava Therapeutics (LVTX).
Laia graduated in Chemistry from the University of Barcelona, where she also completed a Master in Science and a Ph.D. with honors. Laia holds an M.B.A. from Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, where she focused on biotechnology, healthcare and finance.
Laura Dickens
Associate Director – Industry Partnerships of UKRI MRC
Mark Dowling
Head External Innovation Immunology at SanofiMark currently heads the External Innovation – Immunology team withing the Sanofi Partnering group. His team is responsible for the search and evaluation for all Immunology opportunities from early platform technologies to late stage clinical assets. Prior to joining Sanofi in 2021, Mark was VP Translational Sciences for a Flagship microbiome company, Kaleido Biosciences, and led efforts to delineate the molecular pathways linking the gut microbiome and autoimmune disease. He also led their clinical Ulcerative Colitis programs. From 2004 – 2018 Mark worked within the Respiratory Disease division of Novartis (NIBR). He started his career running a GPCR pharmacology group and held positions of increasing responsibility. In 2014 he led transition of the respiratory team from the U.K to Cambridge U.S and was the ad interim Disease Area Head. In this role he led a team of 40 scientists dedicated to novel drug discovery in multiple respiratory indications including IPF, CF and COPD.
Stuart Farrow
Vice President of Biosciences at Cancer Research HorizonsStuart is Vice President of Biosciences at Cancer Research Horizons, the recently established translational arm of Cancer Research UK. Before joining Cancer Research UK in 2015, Stuart spent more than 20 years in drug discovery and leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry. He has worked in several therapeutic areas and has directed major translational research initiatives and overseen programmes for drugs that have achieved regulatory approval and launch. In his current role he has been closely involved in the establishment of major drug discovery alliances in cancer immunology between CR-UK and various industry partners and the creation of the successful spin out companies Artios and iOnctura.
Sheelagh Frame
CSO at Ubiquigent Ltd
George Freeman
Minister of State (Minister for Science, Research and Innovation) at Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS)George Freeman was appointed Minister of State in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 7 February 2023.
George was previously Minister of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 26 October 2022 to 7 February 2023, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from 17 September 2021 to 7 July 2022, a Minister of State at the Department for Transport from 26 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Health from July 2014 until July 2016. He also served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of State for Climate Change from 2010 to 2011.
He was appointed government adviser on Life Sciences in July 2011, co-ordinating the government’s Life Science and Innovation, Health and Wealth Strategies (2011), and the Agri-Tech Industrial Strategy (2013). He was appointed the Prime Minister’s UK Trade Envoy in 2013.
Patrik Frei
CEO of Venture Valuation Inc.Dr. Patrik Frei is founder and CEO of Venture Valuation AG, Switzerland, the company he started in 1999 based on a collaboration with the Novartis Venture Fund, which became his first client. Since then he has been involved in over 800 valuations around the globe for investors as well as Biotech, Pharma and Medtech companies. Venture Valuation runs two additional services/businesses: 1) Biotechgate, a global business development database. 2. HelloPartnering, a leading one2one partnering software including the Biotechgate Digital Partnering event (www.digitalpartnering.com). Patrik graduated from the Business University of St. Gallen in Finance and completed his Ph.D thesis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL in Lausanne. Patrik has experience as a board member of public and private companies, published numerus articles and provides valuation workshops around the world.
Sapan Gandhi
Founder of Drishti Discoveries
Julie Gilmore
Vice President and Global Head Lilly Gateway Labs at Lilly
Lorna Green
CEO of LYVA Labs and LCR Ventures
David Grimm
Investment Director of UCL Technology Fund
Robert Grundy
Vice President, Business Development at Intelligent OMICS
Tim Haines
Executive Partner at AbingworthTim is Executive Partner at Abingworth LLP, a leading global life sciences venture investment firm, which has recently become part of Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG). Tim joined Abingworth in 2005 having been Chief Executive of Abingworth’s portfolio company, Astex Therapeutics, and was instrumental in establishing it as one of the leading UK biotechnology companies which was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and has had 3 important medicines approved by FDA. Tim has held a number of senior management positions in the US and Europe, including CEO of both Datascope Corp. and Thackray Inc, and General Manager at Baxter UK. Tim has a BSc from Exeter University and an MBA from INSEAD. He is a former Director of the BIA and sat on the BVCA Venture Committee and the Wellcome Trust / NHS Health Innovation Challenge Fund. During his time at Abingworth Tim has taken board roles in a number of companies including Adaptate Biotherapeutics, Astex, Avillion, Fovea, GammaDelta Therapeutics, MEDIAN Technologies, PowderMed, Scorpion Therapeutics, Sientra and Venatorx.
Peter Hamley
Chief Scientific Officer at Samsara Therapeutics LtdPeter is CSO of Samsara Therapeutics, an Oxford-based biotech company with a focus on autophagy and neurodegeneration. He spent more than a decade at Sanofi, in various global discovery and business development roles. He and his teams have contributed to the advancement of many projects into development across multiple therapeutic areas. He started his career at AstraZeneca after postdoctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania, a PhD from Cambridge University, and a BSc in Chemistry from Imperial College London. He holds an MBA from the University of Bath.
Moritz Haneklaus
Senior Scientist at Macomics LimitedMoritz is senior scientist at Macomics with interests in pharmacology, myeloid immunology, and bioinformatics. Moritz has over 10 years of experience studying human myeloid biology with extensive expertise in applying molecular techniques and genomics to complex immunological questions. Mortiz joined Macomics from an academic career, most recently as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Child Health, University College London studying brain tumour single-cell analysis. Prior to that, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge as part of the Open Targets consortium investigating neuroinflammation in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. Moritz obtained his PhD in Immunology at Trinity College Dublin studying inflammatory signalling in macrophages. He has an MSc in BioMedicine from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, and a BSc in Biology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Victor Harabari
Founder and CEO of CardiocrownCardioCrown is developing a technology that will enable stroke patients to take control of their rehabilitation. With our innovative product, NeuroVive, patients can benefit from the combined power of Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and Functional Electrical Stimulation to improve their controlled voluntary arm and hand functions. This system also allows patients to track their rehabilitation progress and receive constant feedback and psychological support. Ultimately, NeuroVive aims to revolutionize stroke rehabilitation by bringing it directly to the patient's homes.
Richard Hebdon
Head of Health & Medicine at Innovate UK (UKRI)I am the Director of Health & Life Sciences at Innovate UK, part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI). I lead and manage the Innovate UK Health & Life Sciences Sector which comprises health, agriculture and food and biosciences, with a combined current portfolio valued at £685 million, and a historic investment of £1.9 billion.
My career spans 32 years and prior to joining Innovate UK, I worked in technology transfer, R&D management and research and innovation roles in the life science industry and public sector. This included working in medicines discovery and development, vaccine R&D and FMCG product innovation.
Alistair Henry
Head of UK Research at UCBAlistair is SVP & Head, Discovery Science and UK Site Head for UCB. He is responsible for molecule generation across the portfolio alongside the development of the molecule platforms. He is also the UK Site Head for UCB and part of those responsibilities include the redevelopment of the UK Campus at Windlesham. Alistair Joined Celltech in 1998 (acquired by UCB in 2004) and has worked on multiple therapeutic programs and technology platforms. He has contributed directly to the discovery of molecules that are now approved therapeutics. He has championed the use of advanced structural and biophysical methodologies to support drug discovery and to provide mechanistic understanding and robust patent protection around key molecules. He collaborates extensively with the UK academic network, and this has led to several long-term partnerships with key institutions. Alistair continues to publish and to contribute to inventions and patent filings. Alistair received his BSc in Immunology from King’s College London and his PhD from the Department of Biophysics, also at King’s College London.
Kathy Hills
Partner Corporate Tax at Penningtons Manches Cooper
Carin Ingemarsdotter
Co-Founder and COO of Spliceor Therapeutics
Aneesh Karatt Vellatt
CSO and Co-founder of Maxion TherapeuticsDr Aneesh Karatt-Vellatt is the Chief Scientific officer and co-founder at Maxion Therapeutics Ltd (Cambridge, UK), a company developing antibody drugs for treating diseases driven by ion channels and GPCRs using its KnotBody technology platform. Dr Karatt Vellatt was also co-founder of IONTAS Ltd and holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge.
David Kim
CEO of CyanoCaptureDr David Kim is the Founder at CyanoCapture - a company that began at the University of Oxford, harnessing GM synechococcus to make carbon removal an energy-efficient and low-cost technology for the world.
Chris Kimber-Nickelson
Development Director of MEPCChris Kimber-Nickelson is a Development Director at MEPC and Commercial Director for Silverstone Park. Chris has direct responsibility for the delivery of MEPC’s thematic investment at Silverstone Park and also MEPC’s urban regeneration scheme in Bristol, St Mary le Port. In addition Chris’ team is responsible for capital projects at Milton Park, Oxfordshire. Chris originally joined MEPC in 2008 and was Head of Development when he left in 2015. Chris re-joined MEPC 2019 and over his combined time with the company has delivered over 2million sq ft of development and refurbishments across a range of sectors including life sciences, offices, industrial and retail. Chris specializes in place-making and was intimately involved in MEPC’s acquisition of Silverstone in 2013 and is now close to overseeing the delivery of over 1million space there. Chris has delivered numerous laboratory projects both speculative and directly for end-users across a range of science.
Chris is a member of the MEPC Senior Management Team and previously has served as Chairman of the Judging panel for BCO South West region. As such, Chris is focussed on delivering quality environments and user experiences and how these can be delivered in the context of investor performance and the requirement to achieve Net Zero Carbon
Jan-Philipp Kruse
Senior Director, Open Innovation of Bayer AGJan-Philipp Kruse, PhD, is Senior Director Open Innovation and Business Development and Licensing, at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. He leads Bayer’s biotech incubator Co.Lab in Berlin, driving company recruitment and selection, company engagement, and programming. He is also actively engaged in developing Bayer’s presence in various innovation ecosystems, including the U.S., U.K., and DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). With more than 10 years of experience in business and strategy consulting with exclusive focus on Life Sciences and R&D, Jan-Philipp has advised biotech companies, mid-to large scale pharmaceutical companies, investors, and venture funds. He has long championed novel ways of collaboration to maximize the impact for all involved parties, and ultimately patients. After 6 years with boutique life-science consultancy Catenion, Jan-Philipp joined Bayer in 2015 in a leadership role of the in-house R&D consulting team before joining Open Innovation in Boston in 2018, and later Business Development and Licensing / Open Innovation in 2020. He holds a PhD from Columbia University, New York, U.S.
Michael Kyriakides
Partner at SynconaMichael Kyriakides is an Investment Partner of Syncona and works closely with Syncona portfolio companies Freeline Therapeutics, Purespring Therapeutics, AGTC and Clade Therapeutics. Previously, Michael was a member of the Life Sciences team at L.E.K. Consulting, where he worked in projects for pharmaceutical, biotech and private equity clients. Prior to joining L.E.K. Consulting, he was a clinical project and NMR manager in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London. Michael obtained his doctorate degree in toxicology and metabolic profiling at Imperial College London.
Laura Lane
VP at Eli Lilly & CoLaura joined Eli Lilly & Co. in August 2022 as the European Head of Lilly New Venture’s Venture Science team. Her focus is on Lilly’s venture capital strategy for Europe covering both direct investments into biotech and life science companies, and fund-of-fund relationships and investments.
Laura joined Lilly from Advent Life Sciences where she was part of the London-based investment team. Selected new investments included Highlight Therapeutics S.L., MiroBio Ltd (acquired by Gilead Sciences August 2022), PIC Therapeutics Inc. and Proximie Ltd. She was involved across the full spectrum of investment activities, supported the wider portfolio including re-financings, and led on business development and pharma outreach activities. While at Advent she also served on the Boards of Aleta Biotherapeutics Inc., Artax BioPharma Inc., Highlight Therapeutics S.L., and Ventus Medical Ltd.
Prior to Advent, Laura held CEO and COO positions at several UK life science/biotech companies. This included leading the Series A and non-dilutive fundraising, and being a founding member of leadership of VirionHealth. Earlier in her career, Laura held BD and business intelligence roles.
Laura currently serves on the board of the non-profit Collaborative Community against Coronavirus (3CCorona) CIC.
Laura gained her masters and doctorate from the University of Cambridge.
Carole Le Page
Tax Partner at BDO LLP
Adrien Lemoine
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of Bloomsbury Genetic Therapies
David Llewellyn
CEO & Co-Founder of DJS AntibodiesDavid is the Managing Director and co-founder of DJS Antibodies and led the company from initiation through to its acquisition by AbbVie in 2022. He completed a PhD at the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institute and has more than 10 years’ experience in evolutionary immunology, antibody discovery and myeloid cell biology. DJS was founded with Dr Joe Illingworth to pursue the discovery and development of novel therapeutic monoclonal antibodies which target GPCRs and secured investment from pharma, venture capital, and non-dilutive granting bodies prior to the acquisition.
Prior to founding DJS, David co-founded and led Beyond Equality, an organisation promoting positive masculinity and gender equality amongst groups of young men. David remains committed to promoting values of equality and diversity throughout DJS and more broadly.
Peter Llewellyn-Davies
CEO of invIOs GmbHPeter Llewellyn-Davies is CEO of invIOs, an Austrian biotech focusing on discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies. Peter has more than 25 years of experience in executive leadership and Board of Director roles in life sciences at companies such as Medigene AG, Shield Therapeutics plc, WILEX AG, Immunocore ltd. and Catherex Inc.
Peter is also the founding president of BIOTECH AUSTRIA, the Austrian Biotechnology Association.
Simon Loiodice
Co-Founder and CEO of Karla TxSimon has a PhD in neuropsychopharmacology with 10+ years of experience in early drug development gained in biotech, pharma and CRO.
He has been involved in various neuroscience drug discovery/development programs mainly with tens of biotech/pharma in EU and the US.
Passionate bioentrepreneur, Simon is used to face both scientific and business challenges in fast-paced environments.
He likes to leave his comfort zone, challenges the status quo and has a reputation for his “can do” attitude.
Debora Lucarelli
Chief Executive Officer at Enhanc3d GenomicsDebora has a wealth of experience in technology development and a strong track record of successfully delivering large-scale projects in academia and industry. Previously, she led a cancer signature discovery program at Cambridge Epigenetix, directed laboratory research in large population studies (Head of laboratory, MRC Epidemiology, University of Cambridge) and worked on the development of the Oxford Nanopore’s technology. At Enhanc3D Genomics Debora is driving development of the technical platforms, establishing partnerships across the pharma and biotech industry and advocating the advent of a 3D genomics era.
Kath Mackay
Director of Life Sciences at Bruntwood SciTechDr Kath Mackay is Director of Life Sciences for Bruntwood SciTech - the UK’s leading property provider dedicated to driving the growth of the UK science and technology sector. She has a keen interest in growing the life science industry, and businesses and infrastructure within the sector, ensuring the UK is the best place to establish and scale a life science organisation.
As Director of Life Sciences, Kath is responsible for developing the life science vision and strategy for Bruntwood SciTech, external affairs, and developing sector specific innovation services and investment support for the life sciences business across our network of campuses. Kath also oversees Alderley Park - the UK’s largest single- site life science campus - the new £210m Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, and Citylabs in Manchester, the world-leading health innovation and precision medicine campus in partnership with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.
Kath joined Bruntwood SciTech from the executive board of Innovate UK where she led the team responsible for growing and scaling businesses working in the biomedical, health, agriculture and food sectors, creating and delivering a £700m portfolio of infrastructure, Catapults, grant and loan investments. Kath is also Non-Executive Director of the Northern Health Science Alliance, the North of England’s health partnership, UKRI’s National Biofilms Innovation Centre, and Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership.
Thomas Mander
CEO of DomainexDr Tom Mander has enjoyed an industrial career in drug discovery and translational sciences spanning over 30 years. He completed his DPhil at the University of Oxford investigating the role of microglial cells in the CNS before undertaking scientific research positions with Xenova and CNPR (Singapore) before being appointed as a Group Leader in HTS for Glaxo Wellcome. Tom has subsequently held scientific, business development and management positions at EVOTEC, Tripos Discovery Research, Asterand, Advanced Cell Diagnostics and BioFocus/Charles River. He was appointed COO of Domainex in 2015 and became CEO in 2020.
IM
Igor Matushansky
Global Head, Oncology Therapeutic Area at Ipsen
Andrew McConaghie
Senior Writer at Citeline
Keith McDonald
Senior Director, Global Regulatory Affairs of IQVIA
Thomas Mcinally
Director of Alevin Therapeutics Ltd
Sonali Mohapatra
Quantum Innovation Sector Lead at National Quantum Computing Centre
Frances Murphy
Regional Vice President, Clinical Business Solutions EU & APAC at Precision for MedicineLeading authority in clinical CROs, focused on client services and regional growth implementation. Dedicated proponent of harnessing truly personalized medicine to develop more effective treatments for patients. Brings a high ethical standard to discussions and values transparency and collaboration.
Szabolcs Nagy
Founder, CEO of Turbine AISzabi used to consult for The Medical Futurist and is the former Head of Marketing for Tresorit, a leading, global, secure cloud technology startup. With his understanding of molecular biology, oncology and AI, he translates simulated biology into real world impact by pinpointing the most challenging aspects of the current drug development workflow. Today, he is responsible for building a team dedicated both to sound science and delivering results, and for turning Turbine's disruptive technology into a ground-breaking business.
Jack O'Meara
CEO of Ochre BioJack O'Meara is co-founder and CEO of Ochre Bio. Ochre Bio is developing a portfolio of therapies for chronic liver and cardiometabolic diseases, by combining advances in genomics, RNA medicine and organ perfusion. Jack received his Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from National University of Ireland, Galway and his Masters from the University of Notre Dame.
Lisa Page
Partner at Penningtons Manches Cooper LLP
Emma Palmer Foster
CONSULTANT at EJ Palmer ConsultingAs EJ Palmer Consulting, Emma Palmer Foster works with pharma and biotech companies/organisations on strategy, investor relations and communications.
Emma has 30 years of experience in the European healthcare sector, via roles in investment banking, VC, financial communications and investor relations, journalism and technology transfer.
She has worked with a wide range of pharma, biotech and medtech firms on IPOs, M&A transactions, public and private fundraisings.
Emma has an MA in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Durham University Business School. She chairs a UK NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Award Panel and is a Director of Discovery Park Ventures.
Mark Peakman
Head of Autoimmunity Cluster, Immunology & Inflammation Research at SanofiMark Peakman trained in medicine at University College London and pursued postgraduate training in clinical immunology. After he received his PhD based on studies of the immune system in type 1 diabetes he held a senior clinical research fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. He subsequently returned to the UK to oversee a research group at King’s College London in the Department of Immunobiology, focused on the role of T lymphocytes in the aetiology of autoimmune disease. In particular, the group defined the critical targets for T cells that appear to have a role in the destruction of insulin-producing cells in type 1 diabetes, and key immunological pathways through which this damage is mediated. More recently, the work led to the definition of targets enabling the design of a novel therapeutic approach “peptide immunotherapy”, currently being pursued at Phase 2 of development. In 2019 Mark took a position as Senior Director of Autoimmunity and Type 1 Diabetes in Immunology and Inflammation Research at Sanofi in Cambridge MA, with the goal of designing and implementing strategies to bring disease modifying therapies to patients with autoimmunity.
Jonathan Pearce
CEO of Antibiotic Research UKJonathan is Chief Executive of Antibiotic Research UK - the first and only charity in the world formed specifically to tackle antibiotic resistance via research, education, and patient support. Jonathan has nearly 20 years’ experience as a CEO in the UK charity sector and has led a number of national organisations, including DKMS UK, Lymphoma Action and Adoption UK. He has experience in the social care, health and legal sectors, working both nationally and internationally. Since 2013 he has worked exclusively in the health sector, focusing on raising awareness and funds for blood cancers and disorders, as well as providing medical services, and information, advice and support, for patients and families, often with unmet needs. Earlier in his career he worked in the fields of law, publishing and journalism.
Anna Perdrix Rosell
co-CEO and co-founder of Sixfold Bioscience
Carole Pugh
General Manager at QbD
Nils Rage
Head of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) at Stanhope - Oxford NorthNils is Head of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) for property company Stanhope.
He leads the company’s sustainability and ESG strategy across design and construction development activities, asset management and investments through to corporate governance.
Stanhope works across a 12 million sq ft development pipeline and £4 billion of assets under management including Oxford North, the new one million sq ft life sciences’ innovation district under construction in the city, recently acquired buildings at Cambridge Science Park, and in London the British Library, Royal Street and White City Place.
Prior to joining Stanhope in 2021, Nils led environmental sustainability strategy and implementation for FTSE 100 real estate company Landsec.
Jonathan Rees
CEO of MitoRx Therapeutics Limited
Michael Roberts
CEO of Chromatin BioscienceMichael Roberts is currently the Founder & CEO of Chromatin Bioscience Ltd.
Dr Roberts completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge and completed post-doctoral positions at RHUL in London, and NHRF in Greece.
He then spent five years running Gene Therapy R&D activities for Regulon Inc, spending three years on the board. In 2010 he established Synpromics Ltd. In the following 10 years, Synpromics grew into the leading supplier of novel synthetic promoters and gene control elements to the gene therapy industry, until it was acquired by Asklepios Biopharmaceuticals Inc in 2019. Asklepios was subsequently acquired by Bayer in 2020.
He is also a member of the Board of Trustees at Medical Research Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
Jonathan Rohll
Head of Science & Entrepreneur Advocate 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.
Uma Sagaram
CSO at CyanoCapturePhD in Plant Microbiology from Texas A&M University. More than 10 years of experience in leading innovation driven R&D in corporate and academic environments related to sustainable biobased solutions in energy and materials. Led multiple microalgae techno-economic feasibility studies for application in biofuels, alternative protein and high-value compounds. Currently, leading the R&D at CyanoCapture in developing a scalable cyanobacteria-based technology for industry scale CO2 capture.
Arne Scheu
Co-Founder & CEO of LiliumXArne is Co-Founder and CEO of LiliumX. His doctoral thesis at the University of Oxford concerned the development of approaches to stable protein modification as a means to improve diagnostics and drug delivery; LiliumX is built on modular protein technologies of this research group. The spin-out combines his passions for protein engineering and drug discovery.
Vlad Seitan
CSO at Laverock Therapeutics
Oliver Sexton
Investment Director of UKi2SOliver Sexton joined Midven in April 2014 to manage the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund’s synthetic biology investments.
Prior to joining Midven, Oliver managed commercialisation of bioengineering and medical technologies At Imperial Innovations and was on the board of oncology therapeutic Acublate Ltd. Earlier in his career he held commercial and partnering roles at Ark Therapeutics.
Oliver also managed a team of biotech buy-side analysts and worked at a pharma strategy consultancy.
Oliver has a BSc in Molecular Biology/Biotechnology and an MSc in Plant Science from Bristol University.
Nik Sharma
Co-Founder CEO of BioCorteXNik Sharma is the CEO and co-founder of BioCorteX. Before founding BioCorteX, Nik was an clinician-scientist and remains a practicing consultant neurologist. BioCorteX is a techbio that applies deep technology to deliver effective therapeutics and de-risk the pharma pipeline by leveraging the synergy between therapeutics and bacteria. BioCorteX has engagements with a number of multinational companies in pharma, consumer health and manufacturing.
Our key product, Carbon Mirror™ uses deep tech and AI, to simulate how the colossal number of microbiota interact with a therapeutic, de-risking preclinical studies and clinical trials, and replacing uncertainty with confidence for the patient. Carbon Mirror™ has been used to solve pain points for a number of multinationals. We will transform the treatment landscape by delivering therapeutics that simply work.
Malcolm Silander
Founder of Precision BioSearch
Jeremy Skillington
CEO of Poolbeg Pharma PLCJeremy Skillington began his biotechnology career in the Business Development group of Genentech, Inc in California in 2002. At Genentech he was responsible for executing over 40 licencing, investment and collaboration transactions. Returning to Ireland in 2009, Jeremy led Business Development and was a member of the Senior Management team at Opsona Therapeutics Ltd before becoming a founder and CEO of immuno-oncology company TriMod Therapeutics Ltd. In 2014 Jeremy joined German investment fund HS Lifesciences GmbH to provide start-up and business development support to portfolio companies ImmunoQure AG and Ethris GmbH.
Jeremy joined Inflazome on its founding in 2016 and was instrumental in their acquisition by Roche in September 2020 for €380M (£325M) upfront and significant downstream milestones. Jeremy studied Biochemistry at the National University of Ireland, Galway where he was awarded his Ph.D. He performed his post-doctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco in the lab of Prof Rik Derynck.
Kirsty Smitten
CEO of MetalloBioDr Kirsty Smitten, CEO of MetalloBio Limited. Kirsty has PhD in Chemistry and Microbiology from the University of Sheffield and is a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellow. Kirsty co-founded MetalloBio with Professor Jim Thomas. MetalloBio is developing a novel antimicrobial platform technology. The technology is being developed as a broad-spectrum systemic antimicrobial and as a coating for medical devices, giving the capability to both prevent and treat multi-drug resistant infections.
Karen Spink
Head of Medicines at Innovate UK (UKRI)
Clare Terlouw
Head of LifeArc Ventures at LifeArc VenturesClare Terlouw is Head of LifeArc Ventures, responsible for LifeArc’s venture investments across the life science sector, which include a portfolio of direct and indirect investments. She is the head of the LifeArc Ventures investment team. LifeArc’s venture strategy is focused on a seed to Series A investment strategy with capital to fund portfolio companies into later rounds of funding.
Clare was previously at Syncona Investment Management Ltd, a FTSE250 healthcare investment trust which builds and invests in life sciences companies, where she was Head of Corporate Development. She has 15 years of biotech financing experience as an investment banker in the City of London with significant expertise in funding for innovative life sciences companies in the private and public markets.
Clare is also a board member of the UK BIA and a director of several venture backed companies.
Panteli Theocharous
Global Vice President, Cell and Gene Therapy Strategy Lead at PPD, part of Thermo Fisher ScientificDr. Panteli Theocharous is global vice president, cell and gene therapy strategy lead at PPD.
As a senior-level industry executive in prior CMO roles and a cancer immunotherapy expert,
Dr. Theocharous has led multiple hematology/oncology assets in clinical development
including innovative immuno-oncology technologies (1st generation clinical CAR-T cell
applications in hematologic malignancies, and AAV gene-directed therapies in benign
disorders) and successful life cycle management, MAA/NDA and HTA submissions.
Dr. Theocharous is the global business leader and single point of accountability for building
partnerships with a broad range of clients in the advanced therapies field across all phases
of development. Originally working in the NHS, (trained in both malignant hematological
oncology and rare benign disorders including sickle cell disease and hemoglobinopathies
under the direction of Professor A. Victor Hoffbrand), and then in large pharma and
biotech, Dr. Theocharous came to PPD from his position as CMO, and Global Head of
Clinical and Medical Affairs at Cell Therapeutics Inc., in London. Dr. Theocharous brings
extensive experience of both malignant and benign hematologic diseases and stem cell
transplantation to PPD under the prior mentorship of Professor H. Grant Prentice. His
experience also includes work on novel chemotherapy agents, on immuno-oncology
treatments for differing tumor cell types and on a prostate cancer vaccine and other novel
immunotherapy technologies.
Douglas Thomson
CEO of Pneumagen LtdDouglas Thomson is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder at Pneumagen. Prior to co-founding Pneumagen, he led executive teams generating rapid value creation at companies such as GT Biologics a part of 4D Pharma. His background is in vaccine research and development. He was previously at SingVax, in Singapore, as CEO, and Microscience Ltd as Business Development Director. Douglas currently sits on the board of Omideon, a St. Andrews based biotech company focused on the development of novel treatments for cancer. He also Chairs the EnteroBiotix board, a microbiome therapeutics platform and product company.
Emma Tinsley
CEO of WeatherdenEmma Tinsley is a leading biotech executive and the CEO of Weatherden, a global integrated clinical consultancy and experts in scientific strategy and clinical development. Emma has deep experience of company formation, clinical development strategy, operating model transformation and investment management and was previously at SV Health Investors in the biotech company creation team creating immunology and oncology companies; and prior to this, in the Life Sciences team at KPMG.
James Tumbridge
Barrister, Partner at Venner Shipley LLP at Venner Shipley Intellectual Property
Ned Wakeman
CEO & Founder of Lean Life Science Limited
Clare Wareing
Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Cumulus OncologyDr Clare Wareing PhD, Founder and CEO (Director). Senior executive and entrepreneur with the vision, drive and experience of successful oncology drug development and company exits to lead the company forward.
Dan Williams
CEO of SynaptixBioDan Williams is an accomplished biopharmaceuticals leader with two decades of industrial experience from bench to operational and scientific executive roles.
During his career Dan has served as Vice President of Research Operations at Adaptimmune PLC. and Chief Product Officer at Meatable B.V.
Dr. Williams is the CEO and co-founder of SynaptixBio LTD., a developer of therapeutics to treat TUBB4A leukodystrophy.