KEITH BLUNDY, CEO, CANCER RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY
Keith joined CRT in 1998, became COO in 2004 and was appointed CEO in 2007. Since then he has overseen the launch of a £50m Cancer Research Technology Pioneer Fund in partnership with the European Investment Fund (EIF) to bridge the UK funding gap between cancer drug discovery and early treatment development. He has initiated risk sharing discovery alliances with AstraZeneca and Teva (formerly Cephalon), the establishment of CRT Inc in Boston (USA) as a business development arm of CRT and the further globalisation of CRT’s cancer IP development and commercialisation through becoming a partner of Cancer Therapeutics Pty in Melbourne, Australia.
DR ADRIAN BULL, MANAGING DIRECTOR, IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTH PARTNERS
Adrian was appointed as Managing Director of Imperial College Health Partners in April 2013. Dr Bull began his medical career by serving for six years in clinical practice in the Royal Navy, qualifying MRCGP, before continuing as an epidemiologist and Public Health consultant in the NHS. He has been the Medical Director of an NHS trust and held senior executive positions at PPP Healthcare, Carillion and Humana. From 2008 to 2013 he was Chief Executive of Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
ROEL BULTHUIS, HEAD, MS VENTURES
Roel Bulthuis joined the biopharmaceutical division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in 2006 and started MS Ventures in 2009. Previously, Roel was a Director in the Biotech Investment Banking Team at Fortis Bank, where he was responsible for the origination and execution of a wide range of financing and strategic transactions in the biotech sector based out of Amsterdam and New York. Before joining Fortis Bank, Roel worked at Devgen NV in Gent, Belgium, as a business analyst. Roel holds a Msc. in Biopharmaceutical Sciences from Leiden University, the Netherlands, and an MBA in Finance from the Helsinki School of Economics, Finland.
PAUL CUDDON, EQUITY ANALYST, HEALTHCARE & LIFE SCIENCES, PEEL HUNT
Paul is a highly ranked healthcare analyst with a strong interest in companies developing breakthrough drugs, devices and diagnostic tests that improve outcomes for patients and reduce costs for healthcare payers. He covers a range of UK small and medium sized healthcare companies across multiple sub-sectors, whilst maintaing broad knowledge of global industry trends. He has completed multiple IPOs, secondary fundraisings and private placements and is keen to meet the next-generation of leading healthcare companies and entrepreneurs. Paul regularly contributes to discussion panels and has represented the interests of public market investors at the House of Commons, and 10 Downing Street.
DR DARRIN DISLEY, CEO, HORIZON DISCOVERY GROUP
Darrin is a Cambridge PhD who has raised c$200 million of risk capital and closed c$350 million of customer deals for his various business ventures. In March 2014 he listed Horizon Discovery Group plc on AIM achieving a placement of $113 million, an all-time record for a life science company. Since the IPO, Darrin has completed several international M&A transactions resulting in the rapid scaling of the business. In recognition of his achievements he was named Business Leader of the Year at the 2012 European Life Science Awards and recently was named Executive of the Year at the 2014 Scrip Awards and Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2014 Quoted Companies Awards.
MARY-JANE ELLIOTT, CEO, CONSILIUM COMMUNICATIONS
Mary-Jane Elliott co-founded Consilium Strategic Communications after leading the MBO from M:Communications in 2013. She possesses almost 20 years of experience from leading financial PR agencies and industry roles. Before founding Consilium, Mary-Jane led M:Communications’ international healthcare team. Prior to that she was a Partner within WPP’s Buchanan Communications’ healthcare team. She has a broad range of experience across international capital markets. Mary-Jane spent six years working at PowderJect Pharmaceuticals Plc, initially as a scientist and latterly in investor relations and corporate communications, prior to the acquisition by Chiron Corporation. She started her career at Bell Laboratories Inc in Madison, Wisconsin US. As a healthcare specialist, she has a BSc (Hons) in BioMedical Sciences.
SAM FAZELI, BLOOMBERG INTELLIGENCE, DIRECTOR OF EMEA RESEARCH, SENIOR PHARMACEUTICAL ANALYST
Sam Fazeli is a senior analyst and the EMEA head of Bloomberg Intelligence, a dynamic platform for in-depth research available on the Bloomberg Professional service at BI. Mr. Fazeli specialses in European pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Mr. Fazeli brings with him over 15 years of experience conducting equity research as a pharmaceutical analyst, working at firms such as Nomura International and HSBC. Prior to joining Bloomberg in 2010, Mr. Fazeli worked at Piper Jaffray, Ltd. as a pharmaceutical analyst and head of European research. Before transitioning to investment banking, Mr. Fazeli was a research scientist for seven years.Mr. Fazeli has been ranked a top analyst by both the U.K. and Pan-European Extel surveys. He received a bachelor’s of science from Cardiff University, and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of London.
NIGEL GAYMOND, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, PERSONALISED HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE
Nigel Gaymond works on a wide variety of initiatives across the global life sciences landscape. His work has spanned biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices and informatics – in the US, Europe and parts of Asia. In 2010, he returned home from the US to head the UK BioIndustry Association and was co-founder of Life Sciences UK. Today Nigel continues to serve and support the UK health and life sciences via several initiatives. Recently he founded and serves as executive chairman of the Personalised Healthcare Alliance to articulate a vision for personalised healthcare in the UK, improve the life sciences environment and mobilise the UK to excel in this emerging sector. He also volunteers as a founder of Patients4Data to build public engagement and support for using patient data to improve care and fuel medical research. In addition, he tends and expands the BELS (British Expats in Life Sciences) network he founded in 2001 and which is being re-energised in 2014 to strategically harness the talent of UK diaspora who are global health and life science leaders in order to Strengthen Our United Kingdom of Life Scientists.
PETER GRANT, CEO, SKYEPHARMA
Peter Grant was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 31 January 2012. He joined the Company and was appointed to the Board as Chief Financial Officer in November 2006 and, on taking the Chief Executive role, retained responsibility for the Group’s financial matters up to 25 November 2013. Previously, Peter Grant was Interim Chief Executive Officer of Voice Commerce Group, Group Finance Director at Eurodis Electron PLC, Chief Financial Officer at WorldPay plc and Group Finance Director, then Group Chief Executive at Molins PLC. Prior to this he held a variety of senior commercial, financial and general management roles in the General Electric Company plc group of companies. He holds an MA in Mathematics from Oxford University and is a Chartered Accountant.
DAVID GRAINGER, VENTURE PARTNER, INDEX VENTURES
David joined Index in 2012 as a Venture Partner in the life sciences team. On behalf of Index Ventures, David has co-founded E3Bio, Methusalah, Purple therapeutics and Stx Pharma. He also founded Funxional Therapeutics and XO1. He is interested in disruptive early-stage technologies, particularly in inflammation and cardiovascular biology. Prior to joining Index, David led an internationally-recognised research group in Cambridge University’s Department of Medicine, where he published more than 80 first author papers in leading journals including Nature, Science and Nature Medicine. He is an inventor on more than 150 patents and patent applications.
AXEL HEITMULLER, DIRECTOR STRATEGY AND COMMERCE, IMPERIAL COLLEGE HEALTH PARTNERS
Axel has been involved with Imperial College Health Partners since its conception in 2011 as an Interim Director and joined the partnership full-time in August 2013 as Director of Strategy and Commerce. Prior to joining the partnership, Axel was Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He brings a broad range of experience from academia and central government where he was Deputy Director and Chief Analyst at the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit in Cabinet Office and No 10.
FRANCOIS MARTELET, CEO, NETSCIENTIFIC
François joined NetScientific in 2015. He brings over 20 years of biopharma experience and a proven track record of shaping and developing businesses to deliver returns. He has broad experience in both large and small companies, deep knowledge of commercialisation and has proven managerial capabilities Previously, François served as senior advisor to the CEO and Interim SVP at Stallergenes SA where he was responsible for international commercial strategies. During this period, sales revenues grew by 20+% and various new products were launched, including Oralair®, into ex-US markets. Before this, he was CEO at Topotarget A/S, a publicly traded European biotech company specialised in oncology therapeutics which he successfully transformed from a research based organisation into a late-stage clinical development company ready for a European exit.
DAVID MILLER, DIRECTOR, TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AND INDUSTRIAL PARTNERSHIPS (SCHOOL OF LIFE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES), UCL ENTERPRISE
David Miller joined UCL in September 2009 to take up a Drug Discovery Leader role with the remit of helping UCL in developing and implementing integrated drug discovery strategies and to provide drug discovery expertise in the development of a portfolio of therapeutic targets. Since joining, David has successfully implemented the UCL Therapeutic Innovation Fund which provides seed funding for therapeutic projects. In 2011, he became head of the Translational Research Office, which supports the translation of UCL’s basic and clinical research into therapies, techniques and medicinal products with therapeutic value. His role has recently grown to include leading on the development of industrial partnerships in the School of Life and Medical Sciences.
NIGEL PITCHFORD, CIO, IMPERIAL INNOVATIONS
Nigel is the Chief Investment Officer, and is responsible for the Group’s investment activities. He joined Innovations in January 2012. He was previously a Partner at DFJ Esprit, and prior to that spent 12 years at 3i, becoming a Partner in 2006, and ultimately leading the venture team’s healthcare activities across Europe and the US. As well as sitting on the board of Imperial Innovations Group plc, Nigel is also a board member of Oxford Immunotec Global plc (Nasdaq: OXFD), Veryan Medical, Polytherics, Psychology Online and Epsilon 3 Bio.
KEITH POWELL, CHAIRMAN, DOMAINEX
Keith has been in Biotechnology since it started. Having worked for GSK and ICI/Zeneca in genetics/molecular biology he led several large groups including Discovery, finally running the patent group. He then left for the USA and worked in a company on the West Coast, Maxygen, leading the small molecule group through the IPO and growing a business which eventually spun out as “Codexis”. On coming back to the UK, Keith worked with a fund called BBSF and acted as CEO for several of the companies in the portfolio, including Spear, sold to Advent International. He led Domainex through a merger with NCE to form a successful business in protein structure-based chemistry. Polytherics was built through organic growth since 2005 to a company of >30 people. Keith is currently chairman of Domainex, Biomoti and Canbex.
GRAZIANO SEGHEZZI, PARTNER, SOFINNOVA PARTNERS
He joined the firm in 2006, and primarily invests in biopharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Sofinnova, Graziano was a principal at Index Ventures in Geneva, Switzerland, where he invested in biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals companies. Before this, he worked for Sofinnova Partners, identifying new investment opportunities in Italian pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Graziano began his career as a biomedical researcher at New York University’s School of Medicine, where he gained five years of hands-on experience studying the molecular mechanism of angiogenesis in oncology and cardiovascular diseases. Graziano has invested in Creabilis Therapeutics (Italy), a specialty dermatology company; Crescendo Biologics (UK), a fragment antibody company; GlycoVaxyn (Switzerland), a bacterial vaccines company; Hookipa Biotech (Austria), a viral vaccines company; Mission Therapeutics (UK), an oncology company; and Omthera (USA), in cardiovascular disorders. Graziano is a board member of each company. Graziano has a degree in genetics and microbiology from the University of Pavia (Italy) and an MBA from the RSM, Erasmus University (Netherlands).
ADAM STOTEN, DEPUTY HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY, ISIS INNOVATIONS
Adam joined Isis in the role of Deputy Head of Technology Transfer in 2013, with specific responsibility for commercialisation of life/medical science technologies originating from Oxford research. Adam has worked for more than a decade in the pharma/biotech sector in commercial roles encompassing business development and licensing, new venture formation, product development, lobbying/advocacy and general management. Between 2010 and 2013 Adam worked as Deputy General Manager for the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium Ltd, a joint venture he helped establish between the University of Oxford and Emergent BioSolutions Inc, which conducted the first ever efficacy study of a new TB vaccine in infants.
PATRICK VERHEYEN, HEAD, JOHNSON & JOHNSON INNOVATION CENTRE, LONDON
Patrick Verheyen is Head of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center in London – a new organization dedicated to identifying, fostering and on-boarding early-stage science, technology and products to Johnson & Johnson businesses in the Pharmaceutical, Consumer and MD&D sectors.Patrick was most recently Vice President, New Ventures within Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. In this role, he led a nimble and diverse team that facilitated divestitures, established strategic collaborations and identified investments that provided Janssen with access to external innovation and early product flow. Prior to that, Patrick was Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions within the Pharmaceuticals Group.
MARTIN WALTON, CEO, EXCALIBUR GROUP
Martin is CEO responsible for all the investment and business activities of Excalibur and its subsidiary companies. In addition to managing Excalibur’s existing activities, this involves the evaluation, implementation and oversight of new initiatives conceived with and by group chairman, Professor Sir Chris Evans OBE. Martin joined the company in early 2011 after a 25-year career in the capital markets, as an investment banker for several major banks and also as an investor in medical and other sectors, having run investment and trading businesses, private equity portfolios and hedge funds with assets in excess of $8bn, in the UK, USA, Ireland, Canada and China.