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BOARD
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CHRIS SMITH

BSc(Hons) PhD MBA GAICD

Director

Chris is a Senior Investment Manager with Brandon Capital Partners, Australia’s largest life-science VC. He is on the boards of both drug and medical device companies. Before this, Chris was a Business Development Manager with CSL Ltd, one of the top 10 biotechnology companies in the world. 

 

Chris spent three years as a postdoctoral immunologist and virologist at The University of Cambridge, UK.

 

Chris has a first class honours degree in science from the University of Melbourne, a PhD in Immunology conducted at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and an MBA specialising in innovation and entrepreneurship from the University of Cambridge.

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STEPHEN THOMPSON

BSc(Hons) PhD MBA GAICD

Director

Stephen has two decades experience in the international venture capital industry, focused on the life sciences sector, as well as significant experience in biotech management and research. He is a founding partner of Brandon Capital Partners, now the pre-eminent life sciences VC firm in Australia, and manager of the MRCF.

 

Previously in Australia Stephen worked with Bio Innovation SA and helped establish Terra Rossa Capital. Prior to this he was a Director of Apax Partners, a leading international private equity group based in London. Before joining Apax Partners, he worked in product development for Cantab Pharmaceuticals after spending ten years as a research immunologist in London and California.

 

Stephen has a PhD in Immunology from Kings College London and an MBA, specialising in Entrepreneurship, from Imperial College London. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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PETE SMITH

BA PhD

Director

Pete Smith has nearly thirty years’ experience in the healthcare industry. He has an MA in Natural Sciences and a PhD in cell signalling from Cambridge University.

 

Pete spent nearly ten years as a top-rated healthcare analyst with investment banks UBS and HSBC. In 1997 he co-founded and was a Director and CFO of cancer immunotherapy company Onyvax which was funded by GSK’s venture arm SR-One and 3i amongst others.

 

In 2002 he moved to Australia where he has had roles as CEO of significant ASX listed biotechnology companies AMRAD and Alchemia where he oversaw numerous clinical trials, fund raisings and corporate transactions. Pete is currently full-time CEO of Affinity Biosciences, founder and CEO of Amala Therapeutics and is a non-Executive Director of genetic testing company Fitgenes.

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PAUL SAVAGE

BSc PhD MBA FRACI FAICD

Observer

Paul Savage obtained a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Queensland (1988), and an MBA in Technology Management (2006), from the Chifley Business School.

 

In his current role of Research Director, CSIRO Biomedical Manufacturing, Paul provides business and scientific leadership to a multidisciplinary research program of over 200 scientists and engineers, primarily in the areas of chemistry, biology and materials for health applications. He has negotiated and structured collaborative research programs to generate more than $32 million in external revenue over the past four years, which includes deals for equity, licensing, research services, and consulting to companies ranging from biotech start-ups to multinational corporations.

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JO ALCINDOR

BSc(Hons) PhD

Observer

Dr Joanne Alcindor BSc(Hons) PhD (Cantab) completed her PhD in synthetic organic chemistry at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Dr Alcindor has more than 17 years of industrial experience having worked as a medicinal chemist for GlaxoWellcome, GlaxoSmithKline, Argenta Discovery (now Charles River), the Cancer Therapeutics CRC and MecRx on an extensive range of targets across several therapeutic areas.

In 2013 she co-founded MecRx and oversaw the company raising $5 million from the MRCF and CSIRO in her capacity as Chief Operating Officer.

Dr Alcindor is currently Senior Project Manager, Global Project Management Office at Seqirus, a CSL Company.

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