John Burt
Chairman
John Burt is currently CEO of Medherant Limited, developing transdermal patch products for a range of indications. He was previously CEO of Abzena plc, a contract research, development and manufacturing organization, where he led multiple financing rounds, including an AIM IPO in 2014, and grew the business by acquisitions in the UK and US. He was previously co-founder and CEO of Thiakis, a company that he sold to Wyeth in 2008. John has degrees in Natural Sciences and Molecular Biology from the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, respectively, and qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant. His early career included finance, business and corporate development roles with Vanguard Medica, Glaxo Wellcome / GlaxoSmithKline and Imperial Innovations.
Colin Miles
Non Executive Director

Dr Colin Miles is Head of the Strategy and team leader for the Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy sector at BBSRC. His current role is to lead a team in BBSRC to help increase the capacity and capability of the UK academic base in research, training and knowledge exchange activities in UK industrial biotechnology and bioenergy research.

David Simpson
Non Executive Director

David co-founded Iksuda Therapeutics (formerly Glythera) in 2012, refocusing it into an Antibody Drug Conjugate development company underpinned by its proprietary technology platforms. Prior to Iksuda, David led Actavis’s biosimilar programmes (now Allergan) and started his industrial career developing expression systems with Cobra Biomanufacturing before moving to Eden Biodesign Ltd where he led its Process Development capabilities.

Georgina Pope
Non Executive Director
Georgina is a Technology Transfer Manager for Plant Bioscience Limited. Georgina has a wealth of experience in venture formation and support, holding positions on a number of spin-out company boards for PBL and previously for the University of East Anglia, where she was an Intellectual Property Manager. Georgina is also an Investment Executive Member for the Iceni Seedcorn Fund. Georgina has a background in life science research and holds a PhD in Microbiology.
Simon Aspland
Non Executive Director

Simon is Head of Commercialisation at the John Innes Centre (JIC).  Prior to joining JIC, Simon cofounded, built, and managed early-stage, venture capital-backed biotechnology innovation businesses most recently as a CEO.  These businesses include: Chalante (animal health), AgriMetis (crop protection), ZuvaChem (industrial biotech), Arginetix (human health) all incubated by Acidophil and Stell (xenotransplantation). He has worked in the US and UK and is a citizen of both.  He is an inventor on issued patents and author of peer-reviewed publications.  He began his biotech career after postdoctoral research at the UCSD following graduate and postdoctoral work with at the University of Cambridge

Simon Saxby
CEO
Simon has over thirty years of global international experience in life sciences, including his recent roles as CEO of Stratophase Ltd and Project Director for the design and build of the UK Government’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult commercial scale GMP Manufacturing Centre in Stevenage. He is a course mentor for the Cambridge University MBE programme and has also served as a Visiting Lecturer in Industrial Biotechnology at Vienna Medical and Technical University, and as a Course Student Advisor at The Boston University School of Management, USA.
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