David Chiswell has more than 30 years’ experience in the biotechnology industry. He co-founded Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) in 1990 where he served as CEO for six years. During his tenure he oversaw the company’s float on both the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq in April 1997 and June 2001, respectively. Most recently David Chiswell was Chairman, then CEO of Kymab Ltd from 2015 to 2018. He is a past chairman of the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) and his contributions to the field were recognised in 2006 when he was awarded an OBE for services to the biotechnology industry.

Dr. Marianne Uteng is a Principal at the Novartis Venture Fund in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to joining NVF, she worked in Novartis Global Drug Development and, before that, in the Pre-Clinical Safety Department at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, where she led teams delivering health authority-required and non-routine safety assessments for early and late stage programs across many therapeutic areas. Concurrently, she supported the Novartis BD&L Search & Evaluation Team, and spearheaded collaborations with biotechnology companies and academia for development of innovative in vitro/in vivo systems. Marianne received her MSc in biochemistry from the University of Oslo and her PhD in molecular biology, cell biology and biophysics from a joint program between European Molecular Biology Laboratories and the University of Oslo.

Marianne is a Partner at 3B Future Health Ventures, advisor to a venture capital fund investing in early-stage companies developing novel technologies and new treatments in oncology and rare diseases. Prior to joining 3B Future Health Ventures, she worked as a researcher for the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) studying cellular and molecular mechanisms in the brain integrating nutritional cues and regulating neuroendocrine signaling to control organismal growth and metabolism. She is a former Marie Curie Early-Stage Researcher and was awarded the AXA Prize from the French Academy of Science in 2014. Marianne received an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from the University of Bergen in Norway, a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Nice in France and an MBA from the IAE Nice Graduate School of Management, France.

Pete joined Epidarex Capital as a Venture Partner in 2014. He has more than twenty years of experience in drug discovery within the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Epidarex, he was Global Head of the Respiratory Disease Area and Site Head for the Novartis Institute of BioMedical Research in the United Kingdom. In this role, Peter had strategic and operational oversight for the respiratory portfolio from target discovery through to proof-of-concept trials in the clinic. He is a former Executive Director of the Novartis Developmental and Molecular Pathways Platform based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Peter holds a BSc and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Leeds.

Alek Safarian is the CEO of venture investment firm, ALSA Holdings Ltd. Alek has a diverse background in drug development spanning some 30 years. Trained as a pharmacist, he worked in regulatory affairs and clinical research roles for European and US based multinational pharmaceutical companies in Australia, with responsibility across the Asia-Pacific. He subsequently founded Novotech, a Sydney based contract research organisation working with hundreds of clinical stage biotech companies over a 21 year period. Alek holds a B. Pharm and MBA from the University of Sydney.

Emma is a Senior Investment Manager in the British Patient Capital Direct Investments team, where she focuses on opportunities in the life sciences. Emma joined the BPC team in September 2021 at the launch of Future Fund: Breakthrough and has led investments into companies spanning novel therapeutic modalities and technologies driving efficiencies in the life sciences sector. Previously, Emma spent three years investing in a broad array of life sciences companies for the Greater Manchester and Cheshire Life Sciences Fund managed by Catapult Ventures. Emma also joined Fund Her North as a founding member with the goal of increasing access to finance for female entrepreneurs in the North of England and has a background in Neuroscience.