Pascal Schmidt joins Vienna-based biotech
Marinomed Biotech has strengthened its management team with the addition of Pascal Schmidt.
Schmidt joins the Vienna-based biotech as its chief financial officer, bringing with him more than 20 years’ of experience in corporate finance, business development and M&A practice.
Most recently, he held the position of managing director at Raymond James Financial.
Prior to this, he served as a partner at consultancy firm Mummert & Company.
Chair of the board Simon Nebel, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pascal Schmidt to the management team as he brings considerable financial acumen alongside in-depth business development expertise to Marinomed.
“With his knowledge and track record he is the ideal addition to our management team at Marinomed, further driving the successful development of our company.”
Medicines Discovery Catapult appoints new chair
Robin Brown has been named chair of Medicines Discovery Catapult, a not-for-profit technology and innovation centre established by Innovate UK.
Brown succeeds Graham Boulnois, the group’s founding chairman, and brings experience of academic research, biotech, big pharma and US venture capital to the role.
Ian Campbell, Interim executive chairman of Innovate UK, said: “Brown’s skills are ideally suited to the emerging needs of the sector and enable the Medicines Discovery Catapult to flourish in its next phase of delivery.”
Most recently, Brown was the chief executive officer of KWS BioTest, a specialist immunology-based contract research organisation.
He has also spent time at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Devgen and Galapagos.
Vivienne Cox to chair Rosalind Franklin Institute
Government-funded research facility, The Rosalind Franklin Institute has named Vivienne Cox as its first chair.
Cox has wide range of experience in creating and growing new businesses. She has previously worked for BP for 28 years, serving in numerous roles including executive vice president and chief executive of BP’s gas, power and renewable business.
Ian Walmsey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Innovation at the University of Oxford and Chair of the RFI’s Interim Board said: “I am delighted that Vivienne has agreed to be the first Chair of the RFI.
“She brings deep experience of leading large-scale, multidisciplinary organisations, as well as strong connections to industry, and a strong belief in the mission of the Institute.”
During her time with BP, Vivienne was regularly listed in Fortune magazine’s ‘World’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business’.
She said: “I have a passion for setting up new businesses and creating a culture of teamwork and collaboration. I’ve seen how siloed some parts of science and corporate R&D can be and relish the chance to break that down and bring university research and industry closer together.”
“The Industrial Strategy is clear that the UK needs to focus on areas where it has great competitive advantage. The exciting thing about the RFI is that it will harness our strengths in areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics to dramatically improve our understanding of biology, leading to new diagnostics, new drugs, and new treatments for millions of patients Worldwide.”
Ceylad appoints new CFO
Clinical-stage biopharma focused on the development of CAR-T cell therapies has announced that Filippo Petti has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer.
He will succeed Patrick Jeanmart, who will remain in an advisory position until the end of the year.
Chief executive Christian Homsy, said: “The addition of Filippo to the team will be instrumental in our development in the U.S. capital and financial markets.
“His deep industry expertise, experience in oncology and connectivity within the U.S. investor community will greatly serve Celyad as we approach key milestones for the Company.”
Petti has held numerous roles in investment banking but began his career as a research scientists at OSI Pharmaceuticals.
He said: “Celyad’s differentiated approach to the field of CAR-T cell therapy could lead to a meaningful impact on the lives of patients battling a broad array of cancers.
“I am honoured to join the Company during this exciting time in the advancement of their autologous and allogeneic programs that should provide transformative treatment options to help benefit patients.”