Jonathan Tobin – BioLeader Interview
Jonathan Tobin BioLeader Interview - Jonathan Tobin (October 2020) Jonathan specialises in biotechnology investments and serves on the board of Arix portfolio companies Artios Pharma, Atox Bio, Stipe Therapeutics, Depixus, VelosBio, and Quench Bio. Prior to joining Arix Bioscience, Jonathan spent five years at Touchstone Innovations (formerly Imperial Innovations), where he was a Principal in the Healthcare Ventures team, and was involved with the formation of a number of early stage UK biotech companies. Previously, Jonathan worked at LifeArc (formerly MRC Technology), sourcing and evaluating new small molecule and antibody drug discovery projects. He has a first-class degree in biology [...]
Eliot Forster – BioLeader Interview
Eliot Forster BioLeader Interview - Eliot Forster (September 2020) Eliot has more than 28 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Immunocore, Creabilis Therapeutics and Solace Pharmaceuticals. Other previous roles include Head of Development and Operations for the EU and Asia at Pfizer. Eliot has also held several non-executive Director roles. He is an Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool and Honorary International Visiting Professor at the University of Pavia. He is also Chairman of MedCity, a Board member of OSCHR (Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research), [...]
Emma Sceats – BioLeader Interview
Emma Sceats BioLeader Interview - Emma Sceats (July 2020) Married with one daughter, enjoys running, keeping fit, reading business and economics books, cooking and enjoying a good glass of wine with friends and family. Key milestones in your career journey to date? Attending MIT; with its ‘anything is possible’ culture, stretching me beyond what I believed I was capable of. Joining the Licensing Team at Isis Innovation (now OUI) which provided an invaluable insight to deal structures, commercial IP and spinouts. Becoming the CEO of CN Bio Innovations in my early 30’s. Moving to Isogenica as CEO in September 2018. [...]
Tone Kvåle – BioLeader Interview
Tone Kvåle BioLeader Interview - Tone Kvåle (July 2020) For the last 25 years I have been leading finance teams in biotech and med-tech companies headquartered in Norway. I recently stepped down as a CFO of Nordic Nanovector ASA, Norway where I worked for more than 7 years. I am currently on the board of Bonesupport AB, Sweden and Chair of the Audit Committee. I have a diploma in Finance & Administration. On a personal level, I live outside of Oslo, Norway, and I have a partner and a grown-up son. Hobbies include cross country skiing, mountain hiking, orienteering and [...]
Namir Hassan – BioLeader Interview
Namir Hassan BioLeader Interview - Namir Hassan (July 2020) CEO of Zelluna Immunotherapy, a Norwegian biotech with a vision to save life through innovative cancer targeting cell therapies. I am forty-one, living in London and married to my quiet strength, Aseel; a father of three young energetic boys and deeply passionate about parenting. A degree from UCL and PhD in T Cell Immunology from Oxford University. Inspired by lifting others and I find energy from intense calisthenic workouts, learning and reflecting. Key milestones in your career journey to date? As Steve Jobs puts it: "you can't connect the dots looking [...]
Giulio Cerroni – BioLeader Interview
Giulio Cerroni BioLeader Interview - Giulio Cerroni (June 2020) Since joining IXICO as CEO in Feb 2017, I have enjoyed setting and achieving a path to profitability to turn around the fortunes of IXICO as a listed business. Milestones achieved include a three-year revenue growth CAGR of 35%, an oversubscribed capital placing of £5.5m and reporting the company’s first profits as a listed business for fiscal year 2019. As my first CEO role in a listed business, it has been particularly satisfying to see these achievements translate to very significant share price accretion over the past 12 months. I have [...]
Miguel Forte – BioLeader Interview
Miguel Forte BioLeader Interview - Miguel Forte (June 2020) During my 20+ year career as a pharmaceutical Industry executive I have performed and led operational and strategic functions at all phases of medicinal product clinical development; from early stages of academia, via industry first-in-man translation, to launch and commercialization. My experience has been gained in global corporate organizations as well as in start-up environments. A strong, challenging and energetic leader with a team spirit and clear strategic vision. Keen to drive organizations, by challenging and being challenged, to surpass themselves in delivering value to stakeholders and patients. Thought leader in [...]
Jackie Hunter – BioLeader Interview
Jackie Hunter BioLeader Interview - Jackie Hunter (May 2020) I have enjoyed such a rewarding career; in the early days as a young post-doc with the forerunners of GSK (working at both Glaxo and SmithKline French) leading to the role of SVP and Head of Neurology and GI CEDD. This encouraged more entrepreneurial thinking; and my first Board role was with Proximagen. On leaving GSK I founded two companies, including OI Pharma Partners, encouraging open innovation in bioscience; before becoming Chief Executive of the BBSRC in 2013. At the BBSRC I was able to create greater partnerships between academia and [...]
Jason Mellad – BioLeader Interview
Jason Mellad BioLeader Interview - Jason Mellad (May 2020) Jason is a scientist entrepreneur passionate about translating innovative technologies into better patient outcomes. As CEO and co-founder of Start Codon, a Cambridge based accelerator, he aims to identify and recruit the most disruptive healthcare start-ups worldwide, seed fund them and leverage the exceptional resources of the Cambridge cluster to de-risk and drive their success. Previously he was CEO of Cambridge Epigenetix and Business Development Manager for Horizon Discovery’s diagnostics division. He also served as an associate at Cambridge Enterprise, the technology transfer office of the University of Cambridge. Key milestones [...]
Maureen Coleman – BioLeader Interview
Maureen Coleman BioLeader Interview - Maureen Coleman (April 2020) After training as a pharmacist at Strathclyde University, I enjoyed a stimulating and varied 30+ year career in the life science sector; firstly at Sterling Winthrop and then at Glaxo where I stayed for 25 years in a variety of leadership roles; and supported the Glaxo R&D executive through the two major mergers. When GSK was formed, as the VP Global R&D Strategy Development I worked on the early game-changing CEDDs, and co-chaired the GSK Innovative Technologies board. I have represented EU industry in the drafting of the first ICH guidelines [...]