Senior Executive in pharmaceutical and biotech industry with extensive expertise in drug development including cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, biologics, vaccine, oncology, gene therapy and Rare Diseases with a proven track record of bringing products through stage 1-3 testing, approval, launch and life cycle management of marketed products, experience building a new company from start-up to product development.

Leadership position in major pharmaceutical companies including Merck and GlaxoSmithkline with responsibility in licensing and technology acquisition,
clinical research (metabolic, oncology, infectious disease, vaccines, rare diseases), discovery research, product development, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs. Biotech experience includes raising equity for startup, design and completion of state of the art manufacturing facility, recruitment of outstanding management and scientific staff, establishment of functions associated with Research and Development activities including breakthrough research in development of new products and mechanisms to enhance effectiveness, regulatory affairs, clinical trials, business development, manufacturing and operations. Successfully developed and implemented unique biotech model within a large pharmaceutical company that resulted in taking a large asset, TANZEUM® a GLP-1 agonist for Type 2 Diabetes, from first time in human to approval in US and EU and launch in the US.

Other industry achievements include filing original INDs for approved and launched products such as HPV vaccine Gardasil®, rotavirus vaccine Rotateq® both Merck products; in collaboration with Human Genomic Sciences, obtaining approval and launch Belimumab®, the 1st product for Lupus approved in 40 years; filing and obtaining approval in the US and EU for Arzerra® for refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia; developing and launching what was as April 2016 the only 2nd gene therapy product ever approved at that time in the EU, Strimvelis® for ADASCID.

Academic career at Scripps Clinic, Columbia University and Cornell Medical School included teaching and researching in clinical and basic immunology and interfaces with oncology, infectious diseases, transplantation, and aging. Actively involved with national and international immunological research and review programs and founding member of the Geriatric and Rehabilitation Medicine Study Section of the National Institute of Health.