Mark W. Womack is CEO of BioCina and member of the Board of Directors for NovaCina. He is long recognized for delivering unprecedented growth and revenue. As CEO for BioCina, he is the driving force behind the company's vision and commercial strategy. Mark is a catalyst for growth, championing a customer-centric business model founded on quality and right-the-first-time delivery on commitments.
Mark has 30 years of experience spanning executive leadership, management consulting and CDMO commercial operations. As CEO of KBI Biopharma and Selexis SA, he achieved a 30% year on year revenue increase in just six months, and he implemented a new commercial strategy that significantly increased deal size and profitability. As CEO and Managing Director of Stelis Biopharma, Mark spearheaded the development and implementation of the infrastructure for a pure-play CDMO. In addition, he oversaw the company’s efforts to build and qualify a state-of-the-art vaccine facility capable of clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing in record time. At AGC Biologics, Mark served as the Chief Business Officer. His extensive experience driving organizational performance improvements garnered nearly a 300% sales increase in just two years. Mark began his career with more than ten years of distinguished service in the U.S. Navy, where he was recognized with many of their highest honors for exceptional leadership.
Mark received a Bachelor of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Science in Organization Development from Chapman University and completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Program in Leading Professional Service Firms.
Cyrus K. Mirsaidi, is the Global CEO at Bridgewest Perth Pharma Pty Ltd, with subsidiaries NovaCina and LumaCina, focused on the manufacture and commercialization of sterile injectable pharmaceutical drugs.
Cyrus has an accomplished leadership track record. As CEO of BioDuro-Sundia, he led exponential growth, expanding from 500 to 2,000+ employees, and 3 sites to 10 global sites, including multiple tuck-in acquisitions and a major merger. Prior he was CEO at Formex, a contract manufacturer of solid oral dosage forms that merged with BioDuro. As founding partner, President and CEO at Molecular Response, a translational oncology CRO, also funded by Bridgewest Group, he successfully built a novel in vivo pharmacology powerhouse that was sold to Crown Biosciences in 2015. He continues to serve as Chairman and Managing Partner at BioSelective Capital Investments, Advisor to private equity firm Advent International, and Board Member at Sanguine Biosciences. Within Bridgewest Group, Cyrus holds appointments as Director to the Boards of BioOra, a CAR T cell therapy and turnkey delivery platform, and Bio4t2, a CAR T cell therapy company focused on treating solid tumors.
Brett Alderson is President of NovaCina and COO of Bridgewest Perth Pharma. He is a seasoned veteran in the pharmaceutical industry predominantly working with the manufacturing of sterile injectables. Brett is a determined and thoughtful leader adept at driving business success and leading through change. He is a champion for customers, instilling a customer-centric culture with transparency and helpfulness. He enjoys mentoring and nurturing a diverse workforce with a clear imperative of open and honest communication. Brett has a reputation as an energetic problem solver, acting with integrity and care, and always, encourages solutions for a brighter tomorrow by empowering people.
Brett's career includes more than 25 years at Pfizer (Perth) Pty Ltd., including 5 years as Site Lead. He oversaw a 500-member team and the production of more than 300 Oncology products plus several additional sterile injectable medicines for local and global markets.
Brett has a bachelor’s degree in applied science in chemistry.
Jonathan Kafer is President of LumaCina and Chief Commercial Officer for Bridgewest Perth Pharma. Jonathan has 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. His expertise includes all facets of the pharmaceutical supply chain, and spans all sectors, including Generic Rx, Brand, and Specialty markets. He built his career from the ground up starting as a pharmaceutical sales representative to ultimately serving several Senior Executive Leadership roles at global pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Teva, Allergan (Abbvie), and Akorn. During his career, Jonathan has launched over 100 products, working closely with all critical market forces to assure successful market penetration.
Dr. Jay Short is Co-founder of BioAtla and Co-inventor of the BioAtla's patented Conditionally Active Biologics (CAB) platform. He also cofounded Diversa Corporation (now BASF), a pioneering developer of enzymes, antibodies and biologically active compounds, and served in multiple roles including CEO, President and CTO from 1994 to 2005. He led Diversa's public offering, raising over $200 million, which was the largest biotechnology IPO at that time. Prior to Diversa, Jay served as President of Stratacyte, an antibody engineering company and subsidiary of Stratagene (now Agilent), which together with Scripps Clinic was the first to clone and screen human antibody libraries in E. coli. Jay received his B.A in Chemistry with Honors from Taylor University. At Case Western Reserve University he received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry with additional studies in Macromolecular Science. He is the author of more than 100 publications and is the inventor of over 500 issued patents.
Andrew Sims is the CEO and a Co-founder of SuiteFiles. In 2012, Andrew and his co-founder wanted to help small and medium businesses, that didn't have the resources of skilled IT departments, to leverage enterprise workflow systems simply and affordably. As cloud services were just burgeoning, they formed SuiteFiles, an early SaaS document management platform. Since then, Andrew has grown SuiteFiles, adding employees, new services and new customers.
Andrew combines enthusiasm with a strategic outlook to grow the company. He leverages his cloud consulting skills to ensure he and his team are meeting customer needs, and delivering quality and value.
Andrew started his career in the forestry industry before transitioning into senior management roles within global IT companies. He brings a professional and pragmatic approach to his business, stemming from the variety of industries in which he has worked. Andrew has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Canterbury and his MBA is from Massey University.
Mark Orttung is CEO of Projectworks and Chairman of Provoke Solutions. Mark enjoys working with the talented leadership teams as they break new ground working with clients on disruptive technologies. Previously Mark served as an Independent Director on Projectworks' Board, giving him unique insight into the company's global growth opportunities. He also served as President of Launch by NTT DATA during this time. Prior to Launch, Mark joined Nexient as CEO in 2014 and worked with the team to develop and hone Nexient’s product-centric approach, hoping to rid the world of crappy software. Nexient was acquired by NTT DATA in 2021. During his time at Nexient, Mark and his team struggled to find a professional services automation SaaS tool to run the business; when he saw what the team at ProjectWorks had built, he immediately wanted to get involved. Prior to Nexient, Mark held product and company leadership roles at venture-backed product companies Genesys, GetThere, Rearden Commerce, and Bill.com, resulting in three IPOs, two acquisitions, and a garage sale. Mark helped create Andersen Consulting’s Palo Alto technology center and co-led the creation of a startup SaaS company within Andersen. Mark is an inventor on 43 US patents.
Matt Hayter is President, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer for the cloud-based SaaS platform, Projectworks. After 5 years in the CEO role and building Projectworks from a pre-revenue idea to an international leader in the PSA space, Matt now spends most of his time working with the product and engineering teams at Projectworks.
On any given day you'll find Matt working on company strategy, talking to customers, prospects, and partners, designing new product features, and when he's lucky, on the tools cutting code. His primary skills involve bridging the gap between business and technology. Matt holds a degree in business but has been working for many years as a developer, solution architect, and technical account manager. Matt's leadership approach is simple; hire great people who share the same vision, and then get out of their way.
Matt holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration with Information Systems and eCommerce from Victoria University of Wellington.
Andy Lin is President and Chief Executive Officer at Provoke Solutions. Andy provides strategic direction and oversees all aspects of Provoke's business. Through his focus on driving compelling go-to-market offerings and developing leadership capabilities with his team, Andy instills client-centricity and accountability. With a strong technical background, Andy deeply understands what clients desire: delightful experiences that are at the intersection of technology, business strategy, and creative design. Andy's ability to balance tactics and strategy has led to his track record of driving hyper-growth for technology and management consulting businesses, breaking through revenue plateaus to reach new inflection points.
Andy joined Provoke in 2021. Prior to Provoke, Andy was Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at another services firm headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he helped the CEO develop and pivot to a new go-to-market. This resulted in a 38% CAGR between 2017 and 2020. He brings an abundance of expertise and experience through his nearly 30 years of serving in nearly every consulting position in the industry, starting his career as a software engineer with progressively increasing levels of responsibility and span of control. Andy received his BA in Biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Laurence Cooper is Executive Chairman for BIO4T2. As a c-level executive, scientist, physician, entrepreneur, and educator, Laurence has been innovating and leading teams to solve complex and noteworthy problems in cancer, gene therapy and immunotherapy.
His passion for discovering new knowledge and creating life-saving therapies is at the heart of his endeavors. With deep expertise, a pioneering spirit and a caring demeaner, Laurence has had a tremendous impact on others, from research lab to corporate boardroom, to patient bedside.
Currently, Laurence is on the board of Directors for Secure Transfusion Services and CellChorus. Laurence has an MD in Medicine and a PhD in Immunology from Case Western Reserve University.
Omid Tahernia is an Advisor for Bridgewest Group and Endura Technologies. Omid has over 30 years of experience in leading global high technology organizations and businesses providing systems and semiconductor solutions - both in the U.S. and abroad. Prior, he was CEO of Endura Technologies, after serving as CEO and Director of Ikanos Communications (NASDAQ: IKAN) which was acquired by Qualcomm in 2015.
Previously, Omid served as President and CEO of Tilera Corporation, as well as Vice President and General Manager of a newly created DSP Division of Xilinx. Prior, Omid spent 21 years at Motorola in both the equipment and semiconductor segments. He held a variety of positions at Motorola including running a nearly $1 billion wireless chipset business in the company's semiconductor unit, as Vice President and General Manager of the Wireless and Mobile Systems Division. Omid holds thirteen U.S. patents, a B.S.E.E. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, and an M.S.E.E. from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Saba Samiei is Founder and CEO of MACSO Technologies, an Artificial Intelligence company that makes sensory data, from the edge to the cloud, insightful. She has diverse experience from hands-on coding to leading multi-million dollar transformation projects across several industry segments, including banking, telco and technology. Before founding MACSO, she worked at Microsoft, leveraging her combined business and technical skills to help 30+ Microsoft partners in New Zealand achieve or exceed year on year growth targets and enhance brand recognition.
Saba has invested more than half of her professional life in researching and understanding AI from both an ethical and a technical perspective. She completed her master's degree from Auckland University of Technology with a thesis on The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Motivated by her findings, Saba founded Comfort.AI in 2020, an educational platform dedicated to making AI a comfort zone for everyone. In early 2021, she founded MACSO Technologies with the vision to become a pioneering company in ethical and accessible AI.
As a champion for diversity, Saba takes an active role in society to create a more diverse workforce in technology. Her leadership and passion for the community have been recognized via multiple national awards in New Zealand. From mentoring, taking part in conferences, and creating videos that show diversity in action, she doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to creating a diverse workforce. Saba’s motto in life is “I’ll find a way or make one!
Nataša Zec is CEO at Pontis Technology. Nataša brings energy, creativity and a broad operations background anchored with a law degree, to the innovative software company Pontis Technology. She leverages these skills to spearhead the company's growth and customer centric strategies. With oversight of the company's operations, she maintains stringent quality standards. Nataša's enthusiasm for empowering people and colleagues alike augment her business acumen.
Previously, Nataša was Director of General and Operational Affairs at Serengeti Ltd., where she launched a number of impactful initiatives, including the expansion and formation of Serengeti B.V. in the Netherlands.
Dr. Jasna Rakonjac is the President, CSO and Founder of Nanophage Technologies, and the co-inventor of the Biological Nanorod production system. She has assembled a “dream team” composed of five extraordinarily-talented emerging and mid-career scientists who are rapidly converting the bionanorod technology platform into diagnostic applications. Jasna is an Associate Professor in Microbiology and the Head of Microbial Biotechnology laboratory at Massey University in New Zealand. She has mentored over 25 PhD students and postdocs of which most are now active academics and scientists. She is an author of over 70 publications on filamentous bacteriophage, phage display focused on bacterial and archaeal secretome at genomic and metagenomic scale, bacterial physiology, antibacterials, antibiotic resistance and immunology. She is a co-inventor of novel antibacterial combinations, phage display tools and bacterial bioactive proteins.
Prior to joining Massey University, Jasna was a post-doc at the Rockefeller University in New York, and a Scientist at Plant and Food Crown Research Institute in New Zealand. Jasna holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Rockefeller University, MSc and BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from University of Belgrade.
Dr. Sean Feast is Founder and CEO for Precision Chromatography Limited. The biotech company specializes in 3D printed chromatography columns that will help revolutionize the biological separations industry.
Previously, Sean was an Assistant Lecturer and Teaching Assistant at University of Canterbury, and a manufacturing technician for Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Sean has a PhD in Biotechnology and a bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Process Engineering from University of Canterbury.
Dr. Nandoun Abeysekera is CEO and Founder of Avasa. Nandoun has always dreamed of working at the intersection of engineering, design and medicine, to invent emergent technologies that safeguard human life and advance the human spirit. Guided by this instinct, he is a Biomedical Engineer turned Clinician and Entrepreneur. He founded Avasa to provide a creative platform to develop novel ideas that address current unmet medical technology needs. The first being the Avasa coupler, a revascularization device to simplify microsurgery and help plastic surgeons restore form and function for patients who are left disfigured from disease and deformity. He maintains the philosophy that the process matters, and every effort should be made to develop technology ethically and sustainably. Nandoun places great importance on establishing a continuity of awareness to these guiding principles, recognizing that living an examined life is integral to this process to maintain balance.
Nandoun is a Registrar with the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, and has a Bachelor of Medicine, a Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), and a Bachelor of Engineering with 1st Class Honors in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Auckland.
Dr. Carissa Fonseca is CEO of TheiaNova Ltd. Carissa's depth of experience spans the multi-faceted aspects of developing medical products from R&D to clinical trials, and includes knowledge of the clinical practice landscape, medical education, and regulatory requirements. Coupled with keen insights into the marketing constraints and opportunities, Carissa is well-placed to lead TheiaNova.
After obtaining a PhD in the field of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, Carissa undertook postdoctoral research in medical imaging at UCLA. She embarked on a career in Medical Affairs at GE Healthcare (Pharmaceutical Diagnostics) in the USA. Following, she returned to New Zealand for a Clinical Research and Medical Affairs role at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare (Anaesthesia). Most recently, she launched Connex Medtech Ltd, a consultancy helping med-tech start-ups develop and execute their Medical Affairs strategy.
Julie Jones is the Founder and CEO of BioValeo Ltd, a contract research organization (CRO) focused on personalized medicines and immunology-based clinical trial services. Julie is passionate about the clinical research sector and the provision of safe and effective new treatments for patients.
Julie has been in the clinical research sector for over 20 years and has gained broad and diverse experience across the industry. Julie's most notable accomplishments include establishing a GMP facility for personalized oncology therapies, international clinical trial project management and trial portfolio management for pharmaceutical multinationals. In addition, she has created and implemented quality management systems, and led national governance and strategic development activities. She is recognized for industry consultation and development of numerous national templates and guidelines, and Ministerial ethics appointment.
Sarah Heine is CEO and Founder of Zealafoam, and a visionary in the world of bioplastics. With a decade plus of experience in bio-based materials, fueled by her early years in forestry, Sarah leads Zealafoam’s vision to drive sustainable packaging choices across a broad range of industries and applications.
Prior to Zealafoam, Sarah was CEO at Biopolymer Network limited. Sarah has a degree in Forestry Science and a Post Grad Diploma in Accounting.
Maher has over 20 years experience commercialising medical devices and diagnostics. He was previously a Director, Business Development at Orbis Diagnostics as well as ResApp Health, where he built and managed partnerships with several global pharmaceutical companies before ResApp was acquired by Pfizer. As a management consultant at McKinsey & Co.'s London Office, Maher advised medical device, pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations on strategic and operational change. Whilst investing from the University of Cambridge's Seed Funds, he worked with clinicians and scientists to establish two medical device startups.
