Dr Chris Towler
Advisory Committee
Chris is well known amongst the early stage investor and board communities, particularly for his work with Oxford Spinout Equity Management (OSEM), where he invested £12m in university spinouts, returning £40m to the university and growing the overall value of the equity portfolio. Prior to this he held senior roles at Glaxo and GlaxoWellcome for over 23 years, including leadership of the development teams behind major novel therapies (including Imigran, Zofran and Relenza).
He also served as a member of the Corporate Strategy Team in a period of significant organisational change. In 2001, he joined Imperial College London to assist the new Vice Chancellor, Sir Richard Sykes, in a variety of ways including strategic planning, complex project management, the commercialisation of science and leadership of the Communications Team. He has a PhD in Biochemistry and post-doctoral research experience in the use of oncofoetal antigens as markers of cancer presence or abnormal placental function.