Paul Larsmon has worked as a broadcast television journalist for 25 years, covering general news, business and politics. He has been both presenter and producer in several news broadcasters, including the major British television news company ITN. He joined PharmaTelevision as Executive Producer earlier this year and has been responsible for getting , PTV News launched.
Claire Skentelbery
Secretary General
Claire Skentelbery presently serves as Secretary General of European Biotechnology Network. Claire Skentelbery has worked for Europe's biotechnology sector since receiving a PhD in crop biochemistry. After launching her career within technical marketing, she took on the role of UK Biotechnology National Contact Point in Framework Programme Five. Later Claire worked within the Cambridge biotechnology cluster for the regional biotechnology network, before being part of the founding team of the Council of European BioRegions (CEBR), for she is now Network Manager and working with biotechnology clusters across Europe. She also acted as Director of Operations at Europe Unlimited before taking on the role of Secretary General of the European Biotechnology Foundation.
Mark Treherne BSc, MPhil, PhD, MIoD currently serves as CEO of Senexis. Mark obtained his PhD in receptor neuropharmacology from Cambridge University, before holding a faculty position at the Biozentrum in Basel. Mark now has 25 years experience in the discovery of novel treatments for diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Mark was formerly at Pfizer in the UK, where he was responsible for research into neurodegenerative diseases. On leaving Pfizer in 1997, Mark set up Cambridge Drug Discovery as Chief Executive, which was sold to BioFocus in 2001. Mark has now been involved in fund raisings for various biotechnology companies and joined Senexis in 2002, when it was initially funded.
Eric Halioua presently serves as the CEO of Promethera Biosciences. He is co-founder of two biotechnology companies called Myosix and Murigenetics. Myosix is a tissue engineering company specializing in musculoskeletal cells culture used in the regeneration of the heart muscle. The company has signed a strategic partnership with Genzyme mid-2002 to finance phase 2 of the clinical trial. Murigenetics is a biotechnology company developing therapies for genetic disorders.
He was also a Board Member of a French public biotechnology company called Vivalis, which specializes in the production of avian stem cells lines for the production of vaccines and recombinant proteins.
He was as well principal of the international life sciences practice of Arthur D. Little based in Paris and Boston during 11 years. He has led and conducted work in the areas of strategy, M&A and technology & innovation management for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical devices companies. Eric also worked as a strategic marketing manager for the "Centre Europ"en de Bioprospective" and as project leader in the corporate R&D centre of Zeneca in UK.
Eric holds two master degrees (DEA and Magist"re) in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology and a Graduate from ESSEC business school (Paris, France), with an advanced degree from the Health Care ESSEC chair.
John Burt currently serves as CEO of PolyTherics. John joined PolyTherics in November 2010 and brings broad business and corporate development experience to the company. Prior to joining PolyTherics, he co-founded Thiakis, with Professor Steve Bloom (Imperial College), which he led as CEO through a major financing round in 2006 and ultimately to a very successful sale to Wyeth in 2008.
John has previously led medical and life sciences technology transfer for Imperial Innovations and at GSK served in a range of strategy, business and corporate development roles. His early experience in the biotech industry came through the R&D finance role with Vanguard Medica, now Vernalis.
John was a board member of Sterix, a joint Imperial College - University of Bath spin-out company which was acquired by Ipsen in 2004, and has been an active advisor to early-stage biotech and life sciences companies on strategy, business development and finance issues.