David Epstein
Chair & Chief Executive Officer
David Epstein
Chair & Chief Executive Officer
David Epstein has over 30 years of experience in drug development, deal making, and commercialization. Most recently, David served as CEO of Seagen, where he led the company until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2023. From 2010 to 2016, he served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG, and earlier in his career, he founded and led Novartis' Oncology and Molecular Diagnostics units.
Mehdi Shahidi
Head of Development & Chief Medical Officer
Mehdi Shahidi
Head of Development & Chief Medical Officer
Mehdi Shahidi, MD, has over two decades of experience in oncology drug development. Previously, he was Global Head of Medicine, Oncology, and SVP & Chief Medical Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim, overseeing clinical development, regulatory filing, and registration of multiple therapies. Mehdi trained in clinical oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and had a successful clinical and research career before transitioning to the pharmaceutical industry.
Rick Anderson
SVP Finance
Rick Anderson
SVP Finance
Rick Anderson has more than 30 years of leadership experience in strategic financial and operational management. Previously, Rick served as Vice President, Corporate Controller at Seagen, where he supported the company’s growth, international expansion, and integration following its $44 billion acquisition by Pfizer. Rick holds an MBA from the University of San Diego and began his career as a CPA at Ernst & Young before joining their mergers & acquisitions group.
Spencer Fisk
Chief Technical and Quality Officer
Spencer Fisk
Chief Technical and Quality Officer
Spencer Fisk has more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing and CMC product development. Previously, Spencer was at National Resilience, Inc., where he led R&D transformations to accelerate multi-modality drug development. Previously, he served as Chief Technical Operations Officer at Rubius Therapeutics and held senior roles at Novartis AG, where he led the successful registration and launch of the first CAR-T cell therapy, Kymriah. Prior to Novartis AG, Spencer held various technical development and manufacturing roles at Merck, Genentech, Genencor and Novo Nordisk.
Ling Zeng
General Counsel and EVP of Execution
Ling Zeng
General Counsel and EVP of Execution
Ling Zeng, Esq., brings significant experience in legal leadership and corporate strategy execution. Previously, Ling was Chief Legal and Administrative Officer at Omega Therapeutics and Chief Legal Officer and Secretary at Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, where she played a critical role in its $3.3 billion acquisition by Novo Nordisk in 2021. Earlier in her career, Ling held senior legal positions at Novartis AG and Bausch Health Companies, focusing on global M&A and corporate governance.
Jonny Finlay
Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor
Jonny Finlay
Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor
Jonny Finlay has more than 20 years of experience in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics. Since 2016, he has been a serial founder of multiple biotech companies. From 2006 to 2016, he served as Senior Director of Biologics Discovery at Pfizer. Prior to Pfizer he held senior roles at Wyeth and was a postdoctoral researcher at CBER-FDA.
Board of Directors
David Epstein
Chair & Chief Executive Officer
David Epstein
Chair & Chief Executive Officer
David Epstein has over 30 years of experience in drug development, deal making, and commercialization. Most recently, David served as CEO of Seagen, where he led the company until its acquisition by Pfizer in 2023. From 2010 to 2016, he served as CEO of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, a division of Novartis AG, and earlier in his career, he founded and led Novartis' Oncology and Molecular Diagnostics units.
James Sabry
Vice-Chair
James Sabry
Vice-Chair
James Sabry, MD, PhD, has over 30 years of experience in business development and partnering. Currently, James serves as EVP, Chief Business Officer at BioMarin Pharmaceutical. Previously, he was Global Head and EVP of Roche Pharma Partnering, where he drove key deals to advance the company’s R&D pipeline. Earlier, James held leadership roles at Genentech Partnering, leading strategic collaborations and pipeline growth.
Francesco De Rubertis
Medicxi
Francesco De Rubertis
Medicxi
Francesco De Rubertis is a co-founder and Partner at Medicxi with over two decades of experience in life sciences investing. Previously, Francesco was a Partner at Index Ventures, where he developed the asset-centric approach to biotech investing. He has led numerous successful investments, including CellZome, GenMab, and Vaxcyte. He currently serves on the boards of a number of portfolio companies, including Centessa Pharmaceuticals, Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Levicept, Aly Pharmaceuticals and D3 Bio. Francesco holds a BA in Genetics and Microbiology from the University of Pavia, a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva, and conducted postdoctoral research at MIT.
Peter Thompson
OrbiMed
Peter Thompson
OrbiMed
Peter Thompson, MD, has over 25 years of experience in the life sciences industry. He is a General Partner at OrbiMed, where he serves as a Director for multiple portfolio companies. Previously, Peter co-founded Trubion Pharmaceuticals and held executive roles at Becton Dickinson and Chiron. Peter completed his medical degree and bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Mathematics at Brown University and trained at Yale University.
Mark Chin
Avoro Ventures
Mark Chin
Avoro Ventures
Mark Chin has 15 years of experience in venture capital, strategy consulting, and corporate development. Currently at Avoro Ventures, Mark previously served as Managing Director at Arix Bioscience, where he led private biotech investments resulting in multiple IPOs, reverse mergers, and acquisitions. Prior to this, Mark held roles at Longitude Capital, the Boston Consulting Group, and Gilead Sciences, focusing on corporate development and market planning.
Srini Akkaraju
Samsara BioCapital
Srini Akkaraju
Samsara BioCapital
Srini Akkaraju, MD, PhD, is the Founder and Managing General Partner at Samsara BioCapital. Srini has extensive experience in life sciences investing, with leadership roles at Sofinnova Ventures, New Leaf Venture Partners, and Panorama Capital. Earlier, Srini worked in business development at Genentech following his MD and PhD in Immunology from Stanford University. He currently serves on the boards of Scholar Rock, Mineralys Therapeutics, and Syros Pharmaceuticals, among others.
