Meet the leadership team
Baron Jean Stéphenne, MSc, MBA
Chairman
Jean Stéphenne, MSc, MBA, is former Chairman and President of GSK Biologicals. He began his career with SmithKline-Rit where he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He served as the President of Union Wallonne des Entreprises (UWE) from 1997 to 2000.
Furthermore, Jean Stéphenne has been Chairman of BESIX Group S.A./N.V. and TiGenix N.V. Currently he serves on the Board of various life sciences companies including Bone Therapeutics, Vaxxilon, and Bepharbel. He also heads the board of Nanocyl, a company specialized in carbon nanotubes for batteries and polymers.
Dr Debra Barker
Debra Barker is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 25 years of experience in drug development and commercialization from Novartis, Roche, SmithKline Beecham and Knall in Europe, the Americas and Asia. She currently serves as a Non-Executive Director for two additional public companies including BergenBio ASA, a Norwegian Oncology company, and Destiny Pharma PLC, a late-stage British Anti-infective company.
Previously, Debra led as Chief Medical and Development Officer at Polyphor LTD for two years. From 2006 to 2017 she held various leadership positions at Novartis, where she most recently served as Vice President, Medical Affairs Franchise Head for Ophthalmology as well as interim Franchise Head for Neuroscience. In addition, she held the role of Regional Medical Director, Asia Pacific for Novartis where she led teams to develop and execute medical communication, clinical trial and opinion leader development activities across the franchises.
Debra holds a degree in pharmaceutical medicine and received a master’s degree in immunology from King’s College in London and a medical degree from Queens’ College, Cambridge, UK.
Dr Viola Bronsema
Dr Viola Bronsema has been Secretary General and CEO of BIO Deutschland, Germany’s Biotechnology Industry Association since 2006. With its 350 corporate members, the sector association represents the interests of Germany’s biotechnology industry nationally and internationally. Currently she is member of e. g. the Advisory Boards of the German Federal Government (Bioeconomy Advisory Board), of the German Life Sciences Association (VBIO e. V.) and of one of the oldest German economic policy associations (WPCD e.V.).
Previously, Viola was Head of Communications of Roche Diagnostics GmbH and of Roche Diagnostics Europe, Middle East, Africa, and before that, of Lilly Pharma Holding GmbH. She earned her Ph.D. at the Centre for Molecular Biology (ZMBH) at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
Ralf Clemens, MD, PhD
Dr. Clemens has been working in vaccine industry since 1988 in various senior scientific and business positions, such as Head of GSK Biologicals’ Vaccine Development and Latin American business, and thereafter leading the global vaccine development at Novartis. During these years, Ralf developed and brought to licensure more than 25 different vaccines globally.
Ralf graduated with a medical degree from the University of Mainz, Germany and holds an executive business degree from the Wharton Business School, Philadelphia, PA, USA. He was member of the advisory board of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, Korea, and currently serves as an external scientific advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool, and to Aeras, a non-profit organization focusing on the development of vaccines against tuberculosis.
Matthias Hothum, PhD
Dr. Hothum is managing director of dievini GmbH & Co. KG, advisors in health sciences. Dievini manages the biotech investments of SAP co-founder Dietmar Hopp. He received his degree in Economics from the University of Mannheim and his doctorate from the University of Magdeburg.
For the past 20 years, he has worked as an economist in the sectors of healthcare, health services and life sciences. Mathias specializes in pricing, reimbursement and the evaluation of mid-sized companies, as well as of publicly-owned/market-listed companies. He is the owner and founder of HMM Consulting. Furthermore, he serves as a member of the boards of Apogenix GmbH, Cytonet GmbH, Joimax GmbH, and Novaliq GmbH.
Klaus Schollmeier, PhD
Dr. Klaus Schollmeier is an advisor to the Pharma/Biotech industry. He was Chief Executive Officer of SuppreMol in Munich from 2013 until 2015, when the company was sold to Baxalta. From 2004 to 2011, he served as CEO of Santhera in Basel, and as Chairman of the Board of Santhera until 2013. Schollmeier joined Graffinity Pharmaceuticals AG in Heidelberg, Germany as CEO in 2003 and merged the company with MyoContract AG, Basel in 2004 to form Santhera. Prior to joining the biotechnology industry in 2003, he was managing director of the healthcare/biotechnology group at ING-BHF Bank for ING Group Europe. Before that, he spent 16 years in the pharmaceutical industry at BASF, Knoll and Abbott. Mr. Schollmeier is member of the board and chairman of several biotech companies including Tacalyx (Germany), Modra Pharmaceuticals (Netherlands), Affiris Pharma (Austria) and Eternygen (Germany).
He holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Düsseldorf, Germany, and is currently an adjunct research associate professor at the Boston University Medical School, Massachusetts.
Michael Brosnan
Michael Brosnan has spent over 25 years of his career in positions of financial leadership, with broad experience in German and international stock markets. He was formerly Chief Financial Officer of Fresenius Medical Care Management AG, a publicly listed company and worldwide leader in dialysis products and services, where Michael held full global financial responsibility and oversaw several major acquisitions.
Prior to Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA, where Michael served for over two decades in positions of increasing responsibility, he held senior financial positions at Polaroid Corporation and was an audit partner at KPMG. He currently serves as chairman of the audit committee and member of the supervisory board at Daimler Truck Holdings AG and MorphoSys AG.
Craig A. Tooman, MBA
Craig Tooman is President, CEO and Board member at Silence Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: SLN). Mr. Tooman brings more than 30 years of operational, financial and merger and acquisition (“M&A”) experience. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer and CFO at Vyome Therapeutics, and prior to this was CEO of Aratana Therapeutics where he successfully negotiated a merger with Elanco. Before Aratana, Mr. Tooman was the CEO of Avanzar Medical Inc., a private oncology company, and CFO of Enzon Pharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Sigma Tau. Prior to that he led the $1.1 billion M&A initiative and integration of ILEX Oncology and Genzyme Corporation. He also held key positions at Pharmacia and Upjohn. Mr. Tooman holds a BA in Economics from Kalamazoo College and an MBA from the University of Chicago.