Maxine Simmons
Maxine is a New Zealand biotechnology company pioneer having co-founded one of New Zealand's first biotechnology companies in 1983 and gaining recognition by the Biotechnology community for this work as a recipient of the Distinguished New Zealand Biotechnologist award in June 2000. Currently managing her business consulting company, (BioCatalyst Ltd) which advises early stage biotechnology ventures on commercialisation and capital raising, Maxine is also Chief Executive of the seed co-investment fund Cure Kid Ventures Limited.
Maxine graduated with an MSc in biological sciences from the University of Auckland and originally worked in medical research before starting her first business venture. She has been very actively involved in the commercialization of science through her own companies, those she has advised in her consultant role and also through her involvement on investment and review committees for Technology New Zealand. Maxine was a founding director of Industry New Zealand (now New Zealand Trade and Enterprise) and also formerly a director of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
Maxine is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and is currently a director of the Maurice Wilkins Centre for BioDiscovery, BioCatalyst, Industrial Research, Photonz Corporation and KODE Biotech. Maxine is also a New Zealand representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
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Elizabeth Hopkins
Elizabeth is currently Acting Director of Biocommerce for the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. She is also an Executive Director of Innate Therapeutics, which is developing immune modulators to target Multiple Sclerosis and other immune-based diseases. Elizabeth also is the Deputy Chair of Canterbury Polytechnic Institute of Technology and is a member of the Testing Laboratory Registration Council and Canterbury University’s Technology Transfer Advisory Board.
Previously Elizabeth was CEO of Wool Equities, a publicly listed New Zealand company focusing on the bio-tech sector and the commercialisation of technologies derived from pastoral sector research.
She has spent 20 years successfully commercialising science outcomes and is actively involved in the New Zealand biotech community, being a Board member of NZBIO and a founding member of NZBio/Auckland. Prior to working for Wool Equities and Keratec, Elizabeth has been involved in senior management of a number of NZ Biotech start-ups, including EnCoate and Neuren Pharmaceuticals. Before coming to New Zealand she worked for many years as a senior scientist for Pfizer, at their European headquarters. Elizabeth trained at Oxford University and holds a First Class Honours degree in Pharmacology. She was also a member of the New Zealand Biotechnology Taskforce.
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David Darling
David is the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Edge Ltd a Dunedin based bio-medical company specializing in the development and commercialisation of novel diagnostic and prognostic tools for the early detection and management of cancer. Prior to Pacific Edge, David was Director of Business Development and Biotechnology, for Rubicon Ltd.
David has had considerable experience developing start-up companies and developing early stage technologies. He has been involved in the entrepreneurial development of nutraceuticals, herbal medicines, biotechnology, forestry and horticulture. His roles have included the development and management of an integrated biotechnology and manufacturing operation that employed up to 100 fulltime and seasonal employees. His role in the building of biotech start-up companies has also involved the management of intellectual property platforms and large patent portfolios. David has degrees from Massey University and Canterbury University and during his career as a scientist and science manager David has led the development and management of the tree breeding and biotechnology program for Fletcher Challenge Ltd. David was actively involved in the development and start-up of ArborGen, a USA based biotechnology joint venture business between Rubicon and two North American forestry giants, International Paper and MeadWestVaco. One of the key roles for David has been as Science Manager for Rubicon on the ArborGen joint venture.
Pacific Edge has raised in excess of NZD 12 million of shareholder capital and now has four late stage diagnostic and prognostic products in development with the first of these expected to be market ready at the end of 2009.
David has sat on the Board of Directors of a number of companies and enterprises including GEENZ, Tasman Biotechnology, Trees and Technology, CAMCORE (USA), and sits on the Board of Directors of Primepine, Ecotek, Ginzeng, Axel and Prognostic Systems. David is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Foundation for Research Science and Technology, (FRST) and a Director of Football South.
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Professor Peter Shepherd
Peter is a Professor at the University of Auckland and the Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery. He has a particular interest and experience working at the very important interface between academia and industry. He has been a founder of two biotechnology companies spun out from his former base at University College London where he had a variety of roles including CEO and CSO. In recognition for his achievements with his first start-up company he was awarded the London Biotechnology Networks’ Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2002. The second company, Symansis, was successfully migrated from the UK to New Zealand this year and has recently launched its drug discovery tools products for sale worldwide. He retains a number of positions allowing him to maintain international biotechnology and research linkages. These include being New Zealand representative on the Asia-Pacific Diabetes and Obesity research organisation, Chairman of the Queenstown Molecular Biology Meetings Society and Deputy Chair of the UK based Biochemical Journal. Peter would bring to the NZBio Board his experience in the European biotechnology industry and his hands on experience in starting up and developing new technology based companies.
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Kannan Subramaniam
Kannan worked in the New Zealand health system as a physician before switching to a career in the commercial sector. Medical training has provided a good foundation and the discipline to work in environments of shades of grey. He has held leadership roles in a variety of industries including information technology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology. These have spanned the spectrum of company sizes from start-up ventures to corporate-funded business units of multinational companies.
After a decade in clinical medicine, Kannan led a joint venture of global pharmaceutical companies (Merck, Glaxo, Lilly & CSL) with an aim to create a price differential for evidence-based pharmaceuticals. Later, he was General Manager of LactoPharma, a biodiscovery joint venture between the University of Auckland and Fonterra, which aims to create novel ingredients for functional foods, nutraceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. Kannan's involvement in start-up companies has been in getting them investment ready and commercialising the efforts of R&D. He has worked in Europe, USA, Australia and NZ. A member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the NZ Institute of Directors, Kannan is currently a director of Impetus in Melbourne, Gordonia in Sydney and Associate Medical Director, Pfizer Australia and New Zealand, all healthcare related companies.
Kannan was previously Chairman of NZBIO's regional committee in Auckland.
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Candace Toner
Candace is the Chief Executive Officer of Biomatters Ltd, a multi-award winning, New Zealand based scientific software development company. Biomatters’ flagship application, Geneious Pro, is used for DNA sequence analysis and disease research by tens of thousands of researchers in over 65 countries worldwide. Biomatters is rated as one of the top 10 fastest growing companies in New Zealand by Deloittes Fast50.
Having had prior responsibilities in the development of a market vertical approach for health and life sciences for SolNet (Sun Microsystems) and Telecom New Zealand, she is regarded as an evangelist for creative product development and marketing in the life science and education.
Candace graduated with honors degrees in Anthropology and Political Science from the University of Hawaii and has post-graduate and Master’s degrees in International Business and Management from Massey University in New Zealand and has graduate qualifications from Rutgers University in Bio-pharma Enterprise Management. Candace is also a member of the Institute of Directors for New Zealand, and has served previously on the NZHealth IT Board of Directors.
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