Speaker Biographies

Emmanuel Abate works to bring out the best in his team so they can better serve the scientific community working on the next medical breakthrough. The Genomic Medicine business includes solutions to help advance the discovery and manufacturing of viral vector, cell therapies, and nucleic acid-based therapies. As he is deeply connected to nature, our surroundings, and our role in protecting people and the planet, Emmanuel also leads the company-wide Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. This role involves continuous improvement in the way the company looks after customers and associates and enables positive societal change. Emmanuel’s career began in 1999 with GE Healthcare, where he worked in business development and eBusiness. He earned his MBA in 2004 and joined the Boston Consulting Group from 2004 – 2007, based in Paris. When he returned to GE Healthcare in 2007, he served in product and commercial leadership positions for Interventional Imaging, Women’s Health Imaging, and Radiology. In 2018, Emmanuel became the General Manager of Genomics and Cellular Research, when the business was part of GE Healthcare Life Sciences, now Cytiva. Emmanuel was appointed to his current position in September 2022. He lives in Paris with his wife and son.

David joined Ampersand in 2010. Previously, David spent six years with Covington Associates, a specialty investment bank focused on middle-market M&A in the healthcare sector. Prior to Covington, he spent five years as a consultant for Boston Healthcare Associates. David's current and past board seats include Vernal Bio, Genezen, Arranta Bio, StageBio, Protogene, BioClinica, Brammer Bio, Cellero, and Vibalogics. David holds a B.Sc. In Immunology from the University of Aberdeen, a Ph.D. in Tumor Immunology from the University of Sheffield and a M.B.A. from Babson College.

Samuel S. Chuang, PhD, Senior Director, Scientific Advisory Services at Charles River Laboratories Sam leads a global team of seasoned scientists with extensive regulatory and scientific experience in drug development. An experienced scientist, Sam has over 25 years of academic, biotechnology and preclinical CRO research experience, with over 20 years drug development experience. He provides scientific and regulatory expertise covering a wide range of drug classes (new chemical entities, new biological entities, advanced therapies, 505(b)2 packages, excipient developments, vaccines, medical devices, etc.) across a variety of therapeutic areas, routes of administration, and animal species. Sam earned a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Tennessee Memphis. Sam earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Honours Biology at the University of Western Ontario. Through his academic and drug development research endeavors, Sam has authored or co-authored one patent, 20 peer-reviewed articles and over 80 abstracts and oral presentations.

Alex De Winter is with Danaher Ventures, where he invests in life sciences tools and clinical diagnostic startups. Prior to Danaher, he was at GE Ventures, where he invested in precision medicine startups like Labcyte, Raindance, Singular Genomics, Syapse, and Veracyte. Alex previously worked at Mohr Davidow Ventures, Pacific Biosciences, and 454 Life Sciences. Alex earned a PhD in Chemistry from Stanford, MBA from UC Berkeley, and BA from Amherst College.

Lori Ellis is the head of insights for BioSpace. She analyzes and comments on industry trends for BioSpace and clients. Previously she was a managing editor at Pharma Intelligence where she produced a variety of written, audio and visual media for in vivo subscribers and for Custom Content clients. In addition to being an editor and writer, she is an experienced host, moderator, and producer of webinars, podcasts, live discussions, and private events. She has received a Creative Muse award and several Vega and Adobe awards for collaborative narration projects. Areas she has covered span the drug development process, from pre-clinical to commercial stages. Her areas of expertise include the following as they relate to the life sciences industry: GenAI, DE&I, cybersecurity, and investments.

Steve Favaloro is a passionate biotech executive, board member, and investor. He is currently President and CEO of Genezen, a leading gene and cell therapy CDMO. He is also an executive advisor at Ampersand Capital Partners, a leading healthcare investor, and serves on the board of Vernal Bio. Prior to Genezen, Steve was CFO at Arbor Biotechnologies, a next-generation gene editing therapeutic company. Steve also served as CFO at Arranta Bio, a leading CDMO for mRNA, from its founding in 2019 to its successful exit to Recipharm in February 2022. Prior to this, Steve was CFO at Brammer Bio, where he oversaw a period of rapid expansion and capital deployment from 2016 to 2019 – leading up to its successful sale to Thermo Fisher Scientific in May 2019 for $1.7B. Before joining Brammer, Steve held finance roles of increasing responsibility at MilliporeSigma, Merck KGaA, and Bruker Corporation. He received his MBA and Master of Science from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Steve also received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Boston College

Dr. Sarah Glaven currently serves as the Principal Assistant Director for Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing within the Industrial Innovation Division of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Dr. Glaven is responsible for coordinating implementation of the Biden-Harris Administration's Executive Order to Advance Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Safe, Secure, and Sustainable U.S. Bioeconomy. Prior to joining OSTP, Dr. Glaven spent 15 years leading biotechnology and biomanufacturing efforts for the Department of Defense. Both as a research lead at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and more recently as Program Director of the Tri-Service Biotechnology for a Resilient Supply Chain Program.

Audrey Greenberg is a visionary leader in the biotech industry with extensive experience in building and scaling life science companies. As a recognized Top Trailblazer in Biotech, Audrey has been instrumental in achieving multi-billion-dollar valuations for several companies through her expertise in capital attraction, strategic partnerships, and innovative technologies. Her leadership roles have spanned Founder, CFO, CSO, CMO, and CBO, demonstrating her versatile skill set and deep industry knowledge. Audrey is a renowned expert in cell and gene therapy, outsourced manufacturing, and the development of innovation hubs. She played a pivotal role as the Founder and Chief Business Officer of the Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM), where she spearheaded business development, corporate strategy, and investor relations. Following CBM's acquisition by SK Pharmteco, Audrey continues to contribute as a key member of the leadership team. Beyond her biotech achievements, Audrey has a strong background in private equity, having raised billions in LP capital, managed flagship funds, and driven significant value creation and growth. She holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and is a registered CPA. Audrey's impact extends through her active participation on numerous boards and advisory roles. She has been honored with prestigious accolades, including being named on the Medicine Maker Power List and as one of the Most Influential Philadelphians. As a prominent figure in the biotech and investment communities, Audrey continues to drive innovation and leadership in the field. At the Bioprocessing Summit for Investors, Audrey will share insights drawn from her extensive experience in the biotech and private equity sectors, offering valuable perspectives on the future of bioprocessing and investment opportunities.

Robert Hughes joined Galapagos in January 2024 as Global Head of Technical Operations. He will lead Galapagos’s global cell therapy operations, including manufacturing, Quality Control (QC), Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), process development, analytical development, and technology transfer. Robert brings a wealth of experience and has a rich background in the biopharmaceutical industry. He previously served as SVP & Global Head of Bioindustry at Miltenyi Biotec and VP & GM at Siegfried Holding AG and held operational leadership positions in several multinational organizations. In his most recent role at Miltenyi, he gained a deep understanding of cell therapy manufacturing and CMC. Robert holds a Master of Business Administration from Kaplan University and a Bachelor of Science from the San Diego State University.

Nandini is a seasoned professional who seamlessly transitioned from a successful career as a pharmaceutical scientist to becoming a conference and business networking expert with over 16 years of experience within the biopharmaceutical industry and the partnering ecosystem. As the Senior Director of Conferences and Social Media Strategy at Cambridge Healthtech Institute, she and her team play a pivotal role in fostering connections among key stakeholders in the biotech, MedTech, and digital health sectors. She holds a bachelor's in pharmacy and a master's in pharmacy in Pharmaceutics and is a published author and speaker in diabetes and insulin delivery space. Beyond her professional endeavors, she is a fitness enthusiast who passionately advocates for fitness and postpartum weight loss. She is an Indian American Pageant winner, and enjoys dancing, modeling, and being the human spinner in response to endless requests of "Mommy, spin me!".

Konstantina Katcheves is Senior Vice President of Business Development at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). She has over twenty years of business development, corporate strategy and intellectual property experience. In her role at BMS, Konstantina is responsible for all business development activities for new technologies including early discovery partnerships, platform collaborations, digital innovation, precision medicine and cell and gene therapy technologies. She also leads a global team responsible for business development in Japan and China and innovation search and evaluation outside the U.S. Prior to joining BMS, Konstantina served as Vice President of IP and Licensing at Agilent Technologies and prior to Agilent was Vice President of Global IP and Licensing at Lonza. Konstantina holds a M.S. from the Johns Hopkins University, J.D. from the University of Oklahoma and B.S from the University of California at San Diego.

Bryan Kipp is the SVP, Technology and Licensing, at Revvity, responsible for accelerating strategic execution and innovation across the organization, as well as in-licensing and out-licensing of novel technologies to help in the advancement of Revvity’s purpose: to expand the boundaries of human potential through science. Prior to his current role, Bryan was the Vice President, General Manager, Life Science Strategy and Integration, helping guide and hone the Life Science strategy in partnership with the Life Science leadership team in addition to being responsible for the legacy Horizon Discovery and Sirion Biotech businesses following their respective acquisitions. He also served as the Vice President of Investor Relations from February 2019 through May 2021. Prior to joining the Company, Bryan worked at Balyasny Asset Management where he was responsible for investing in the Life Science, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, Animal Health, and Dental industries. Prior to Balyasny, Bryan spent multiple years covering the Life Science and Diagnostic industry at Citigroup, Janney Montgomery Scott, and CLSA. Bryan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Columbia University.

Daniella Kranjac is the Founding Partner at Dynamk Capital LLC. Daniella founded the first venture fund focused entirely on Life Science Industrials based on her experiences as an entrepreneur and business development leader. She is CEO and Founder of Dynamk Consulting, providing capital, strategy and business development consulting to leading life science companies, startups and investment firms. She started her career as an entrepreneur, co-founding Wave Biotech LLC driving the start-up, growth and commercialization of a highly disruptive technology. As Vice President, Daniella established a high growth company with significant brand recognition, and led the group to a successful exit and acquisition by GE Healthcare in 2007 (now Danaher/Cytiva). At GE Healthcare, Daniella held a variety of strategic, M&A and business development roles. One of her most notable achievements is the success in an entrepreneurial group within the broader GE Healthcare, where a focus on integrating the acquired Xcellerex business enabling global commercialization of a several hundred million dollar enterprise solutions business. She holds a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and an Executive MBA from New York University Stern School of Business.

Ann Lee is Chief Technical Officer at Prime Medicine, a next generation gene editing company aiming to deliver a new class of one-time curative genetic therapies to patients. For over 30 years, she has built and led industry-leading global technical and operational organizations across multiple biopharma companies including BMS, Celgene, Juno, Genentech, Roche and Merck. Her teams have developed new processes and technologies, designed new facilities, manufactured high quality vaccines, small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies, and built global supply chains and digital systems to deliver these medicines. Ann is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She serves on the board of directors of Alliance of Regenerative Medicine, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, and two public companies. Over the course of her career, she has contributed to the commercialization of 25 new vaccines and medicines, the most recent being two CAR-T cell therapies.

Peter Lee joins Avant Bio as Partner having helped lead public and private life science investments at Casdin Capital with a focus on life science tools and technologies and genetic medicines. At Avant Bio he plays a leading role in investment strategy and thesis development, deal execution and supporting portfolio companies in their growth. He has previously served on the boards of Vector BioMed, Xcell Biosciences, iVexSol, Invetex, PanTHERA CryoSolutions, Multiply Labs, SequreDx, and Molecular Assemblies. He started his career in Investment Banking at Canaccord Genuity and later at RBC Capital Markets where he focused on healthcare transactions across equity and debt financings and M&A.

Ulrike Lemke is the Business Unit President, Sterile Fill & Finish at Recipharm AG. Ulrike has 20 years’ experience from the pharmaceutical sector working mainly within marketing, business intelligence and business strategy for companies such as Sartorius, Lonza and McKinsey. Ulrike holds a Diploma in Biochemistry from the University of Leipzig, 2002 and a Ph.D. in Functional Genomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg.

Patrick has over 32 years of experience in the biotechnology industry including corporate development, licensing, partnering, acquisition and financing through his various roles in executive leadership. As President and CEO of RoslinCT USA (formerly Lykan Bioscience), Patrick is responsible for driving dynamic growth of the company, developing infrastructure and efficiencies and ensuring successful execution and delivery to our clients. Prior to joining RoslinCT, Patrick spent 19 years at Pfenex Inc., which began with the spin out of the novel protein production platform from The Dow Chemical Company into a stand-alone biotechnology company. Patrick played an instrumental role in the development of Pfenex’s initial strategy and evolving that strategy over time to derive greater value from the platform. Pfenex successfully completed an initial public offering in 2014 and received their first FDA product approval in 2019. Patrick and his team built the diverse Pfenex portfolio through licensing, development agreements and partnerships, which ultimately led to the acquisition of the company by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in 2020. Previously, Patrick held various roles in business development, operations, QC, validation and capital project management at Repligen Corporation, Celltech Biologics, Lonza Biologics and Collaborative BioAlliance.

Gil Roth is the Founder and President of the Pharma & Biopharna Outsourcing Association (PBOA), a nonprofit trade group advocating for the regulatory, legislative and general business interests of the CDMO sector. He has successfully negotiated several User Fee agreements with FDA and industry, lobbied Congress on behalf of the CDMO sector for numerous issues, launched a conference specifically for CDMOs, and has created working groups where CDMOs can share best practices, consult with their peers, and form consensus agreements for the sector's response to new regulations. He founded the PBOA in 2014 after 15 years as the Founding Editor of Contract Pharma magazine.

Dr. Sakurai joined AVM in 2022, bringing with her over a decade of experience in R&D across both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. Her career began at Astellas Pharma Inc., where she joined the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory in 2014 and led a cardiovascular program for two years. In 2016, Dr. Sakurai transferred to the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) in Westborough, MA, to advance research and development in pluripotent stem cell therapy and explore new opportunities in the field. After approximately five years at AIRM, Dr. Sakurai returned to Tokyo, where she took on a strategic role at the company's headquarters. Here, she was responsible for supporting the development of corporate strategies in regenerative medicine and ophthalmology. Additionally, she played a key role in evaluating both internal programs and external collaboration opportunities, leveraging her extensive background in molecular biology and business management. Dr. Sakurai earned her PhD in molecular biology from Tottori University, graduating at the top of her class. She furthered her education by obtaining an MBA from NUCB Business School, where she was awarded the KEI Scholarship, an accolade reserved for female leaders exhibiting exceptional promise.

Rahul Singhvi, ScD, M.B.A., is a global leader in the Life Sciences industry and cofounder and CEO of Resilience (National Resilience, Inc.). Prior to Resilience in 2020, Rahul was an Operating Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Before Flagship, Rahul was the Chief Operating Officer of Takeda’s Vaccine Business Unit responsible for worldwide vaccine CMC and manufacturing operations. Before Takeda, Rahul was President and CEO of Novavax, Inc. where he transformed the company from a specialty pharmaceutical business into a vaccine development company. Rahul serves on the Board of Trustees of the Keck Graduate Institute, and on the Board of Directors for Codexis and Garuda Therapeutics. He graduated as the top-ranked chemical engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India and obtained his M.S. and Sc.D. in chemical engineering from MIT. He received an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar.

Georgia has 30+ years of experience in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry with emphasis in the vaccines and oncology space. Georgia’s background includes experience in Quality Operations, Quality Systems and Compliance, Board of Health Inspection management, Manufacturing Operations/Tech Transfer, CMO oversight and Regulatory Compliance. As the Senior Director of Global Quality Systems for Celgene, Georgia was responsible for implementing best in class solutions across the GxP’s for Laboratory Management, Document Management, Risk Management, Deviations Management and Complaint management. During her tenor, she was responsible to develop the global roadmap and portfolio of best in class systems for the organization. With the acquisition of Celgene in 2019, Georgia led the Quality organization as the GMP lead for the Integration program with Bristol Myers-Squibb. Prior to that role, Georgia served as the Site Head of Audits and Compliance for Pfizer. In that role, Georgia led the compliance organization for the site to manage best in class processes for Inspection management and audit readiness, Quality Governance Council, Specification limits and review team, global supplier management and organizational management across the network. The team was also successful in leading the PAI efforts for the oncology business for Pfizer, a first in class facility that is licensed to manufacture Mylotarg®. In addition, Georgia served as a Quality lead for the Hospira/Pfizer integration. As the Director of Quality Assurance, Georgia was responsible for Quality oversight for drug substance and formulation of Pfizer’s next generation pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Prevnar 13®. Georgia’s experience includes product development oversight, analytical method approval, validation, supplier management, contract laboratory oversight, manufacturing, stability, specifications and commercialization. Georgia has in depth experience working with key suppliers, contract laboratories, CMO’s and closed system and sterile filling technologies. Georgia has a B.S. in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from St. Thomas Aquinas College. Georgia is active with the PDA Metro Chapter, NJPQCA, HBA and has presented on topics related to Regulatory Compliance and Auditing. Connect with Georgia Sloboda

Prem Tumkosit (he/him) is a Managing Director at the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund (MGHIF), investing in digital health, healthcare technology, and techbio. Prem leads GHI’s Next Horizon investment area, focusing on independent, stage-agnostic investments in frontier technologies and emerging business models. Prem has led investments at the intersection of technology and biology including precision medicine, synthetic biology, microbial drug discovery, cyclic peptide discovery, and quantum computing. He serves on several company boards as a director or observer playing active roles guiding and developing portfolio companies. He also advises the Merck Social Impact Investment Fund and Merck for Mothers initiatives.

Phil is responsible for technical due diligence and evaluation of potential investments, as well as guiding operational, R&D and strategic initiatives carried out at portfolio companies. An entrepreneurial and strategic international business leader, Phil joins Gamma from GE Healthcare’s Cell and Gene Therapy business unit where he directed strategy and portfolio growth. Phil received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Georgetown University Medical Center followed by an IRTA fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, and at the Hollings Cancer Center in Charleston, SC. Phil was an instructor for Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs teaching Biotechnology Marketing in the Masters of Biotechnology / MBA program, and has held leadership positions in a number of life sciences companies including Life Technologies, Becton Dickinson, and Lonza. Phil is a Board Member of CCRM in Toronto Canada and a Board Member of the ARM Foundation.

Mike J. Walker is an executive advisor who brings 30 years of paradigm-shifting transformation experience to aid his clients on their digital journey. Across the life sciences industry, Mike has provided high-impact and pragmatic advice to the top business and technology leaders around the globe. At Microsoft, Mike is responsible for Microsoft's life sciences strategy for supply chain and manufacturing. Mike provides strategic advice to supply chain business and technology executives that enables them to take advantage of digitization strategies while also maximizing on their current investments. Previously, Mike worked at Gartner, as a Vice President of Technology Innovation research where his thought leadership is reflected in over 150 published research notes and over 4,000 client engagements.

Chenny Zhang is a Director at Cerberus Ventures. She was previously a Principal at In-Q-Tel (IQT), the independent strategic investment firm supporting the missions of the Central Intelligence Agency and the broader Intelligence Community, where she focused on life sciences and biotech companies. Chenny managed IQT’s relationships with Tierra Biosciences, Synonym, and other undisclosed companies in proteomics, diagnostics, synthesis, optogenetics, AI and robotics. Prior to IQT, Chenny served as the China portfolio lead at the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Board (DIB), where she supported the AI ethics principles project, 5G report, and other initiatives. Before the DIB, Chenny was co-founder of an edtech software startup operating in Beijing, overseeing fundraising, product development and technical support. Chenny was a 2020 NextGen National Security Fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a 2022 Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. She received an MA in International Economics with a minor in China Studies from the Johns Hopkins University, and a BA from Boston College.

Ms. Zheng is a biotechnology industry veteran who brings more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology operations across multiple geographies to Landmark Bio. Ms. Zheng most recently served as Chief Technical Officer at Orchard Therapeutics, a commercial-stage global gene therapy company specializing in HSC based gene therapies. In this role, Ms. Zheng established the technical operations function and manufacturing network, and advanced the company’s product pipeline, including the approval of Libmeldy™ – the first gene therapy product for metachromatic leukodystrophy. Ms. Zheng has also held leadership positions at several major biotechnology companies including Genzyme (now Sanofi) and Amgen. At Amgen, Ms. Zheng played a key role in building differentiating capabilities in manufacturing for clinical supply and commercial product launch to enable speed to clinic and speed to market strategies for Amgen’s innovative products.

Colin J. Zick is a partner with the law firm Foley Hoag LLP, where he serves as Chair of its Health Care Fraud and Compliance Practice Group and Co-Chair of its Data Privacy & Security Practice Group. His practice is focused on health care and compliance issues, and often involves the intersection of those two subjects in investigations, administrative proceedings, or litigation. His work has had a particular emphasis on compliance issues related to life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, laboratories, hospitals, providers, and provider organizations. This compliance work includes helping clients establish and maintain effective compliance programs. Colin also defends clients in disputes alleging kickbacks, overpayments, and billing and coding problems, and represents clients before state health care licensing and regulatory entities. He counsels clients ranging from the Fortune 1000 to start-ups on issues involving information privacy and security, including compliance with state, federal, and international data privacy and security laws and government enforcement actions. He also frequently counsels health care, life sciences, technology, and consumer-facing clients on issues involving information privacy and security (including the GDPR, HIPAA, SEC, FTC, CCPA, CPRA, and other US federal and state data privacy and security laws, privacy policies, cloud security, cyber insurance, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence/AI, and data breach response). Colin co-founded the firm's Privacy and Data Security Practice Group and regularly contributes to its "Security, Privacy and the Law" blog, www.securityprivacyandthelaw.com. He speaks regularly on a variety of subjects relating to privacy and security, including to the Association for Corporate Counsel on breach response, on cyber risk and insurance at the New York Stock Exchange, to the Advanced Cybersecurity Center, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and to the members of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Medical Society and the Boston Bar Association, and with representatives of the Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services. Colin has served as the editor of the Massachusetts Health Information Management Association’s Medicolegal Guide to Health Record Information and he served as a member of Law360’s Privacy & Consumer Protection editorial advisory board. Colin is ranked as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Healthcare and for Privacy and Data Security Law, ranked since 2010 by CHAMBERS USA as one of Massachusetts' leading health care lawyers, and he has been selected by his peers as a Massachusetts “Super Lawyer” since 2004.