Women in Biotech - Cambridge

Ann Bevitt

Partner, Cooley (UK) LLP

Ann’s two key and complementary practice areas, employment and privacy, focus on helping companies manage two of their most important business assets – their employees and their data.

Ann’s employment practice covers all aspects, both contentious and noncontentious, of employment law and employment-related matters. On the noncontentious side, she focuses on counselling clients throughout the employment life cycle, from the cradle (hiring) to the grave (firing). Ann also advises clients on employment issues arising out of international reorganisations, outsourcings, insolvencies, and mergers and acquisitions. Her contentious work includes the protection of confidential information and trade secrets before, during and after employment, the enforcement of restrictive covenants against former employees, and the handling of other employment-related claims arising during and on termination of employment. 

In her privacy practice, Ann assists clients with privacy and data security compliance and risk management, and she advises on issues such as effecting data transfers, drafting privacy policies, conducting electronic marketing, monitoring employees (with a particular focus on monitoring to protect the employer’s trade secrets and other confidential information), dealing with eDiscovery, undertaking internal investigations (domestic and cross-border), responding to data subject requests, and notifying breaches.

Ann works with clients, including multinationals, large corporations, governments and individual senior executives, from industry sectors such as technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, banking and financial services, venture capital and private equity, insurance, hotel and leisure, music, and recruitment and employment.

Ann has rights of audience in all civil courts and significant experience as an advocate. She was called to the bar in 1992 and practiced as a barrister with a focus on employment law for seven years before qualifying as a solicitor in 2000.

Ann has appeared on the BBC’s ‘World Business Report’ discussing data transfers. She also regularly writes for legal and human resources publications, including the Financial Times, City A.M., Management Today and Personnel Today. She is co-author of ‘A Guide to Hiring and Firing in Europe’ and a contributing author to ‘Employee Privacy: Guide to US and International Law, Trade Secrets, and Sale and Supply of Goods and Services’ and ‘A Practical Guide to UK and EU Data Protection Law’.

Ann leads Cooley’s UK employment practice, which has been ranked in The Legal 500 UK. Ann also has been personally ranked for her employment and data protection work in Chambers UK and for her privacy work in The Legal 500 UK, and she is described as ‘very knowledgeable’ and ‘demonstrating noteworthy strengths in the life sciences and tech sectors’. Ann also has been ranked as a thought leader in Who’s Who Legal.

Susan Galbraith

EVP, Oncology Haematology R&D, AstraZeneca

Dr Susan Galbraith has over 23 years of Oncology pharmaceutical development experience. She joined AstraZeneca in 2010 and became EVP of Oncology Haematology R&D in 2021. She has been responsible for transforming the productivity and scientific output from AstraZeneca Oncology Haematology R&D. Susan has helped develop 13 approved medicines including olaparib, osimertinib, acalabrutinib, durvalumab, selumetinib, savolitinib, tremelimumab, trastuzumab deruxtecan, capivasertib, and datopotamb deruxtecan. In her prior role at Bristol-Myers Squibb she was instrumental in the development of nivolumab, ipilimumab and elotuzumab. 

Susan is a member of the Cambridge Cancer Centre Executive Committee and the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR). From 2021 to 2024 she served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) and currently serves on the European Association of Cancer Research (EACR) Advisory Council.

Susan trained as a Clinical Oncologist in the United Kingdom. She studied Medicine at Manchester and Cambridge Universities. She was admitted to Membership of the Royal College of Physicians in 1992 and then trained in Clinical Oncology in London. She gained Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists in 1997. She then completed a PhD at the University of London involving translational work on a vascular-targeting agent. In recognition of her contributions to oncology drug development, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Medical Science from the ICR in 2017, admitted to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2018 and elected to the Academy of the AACR in 2024. 

Jaspreet Grewal

CEO & Co-Founder, AxialBridge

Jaspreet Grewal is an accomplished clinician, researcher, and investor, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare, clinical research, regulatory affairs and strategic advisory to companies focused on the life sciences. Her career has allowed her to train and work globally in some of the best healthcare and innovation ecosystems. Jaspreet completed her medical training at Georgetown University’s School of Medicine (Ophthalmology), Medical Glaucoma and Cornea training (Yale University), an Executive Certificate in Public Health from Harvard University (T. Chan School of Public Health) and an Executive MBA from the London School of Economics and Political Science. As Chief Executive and founder of AxialBridge, Jaspreet has built the company into a global life sciences advisory firm supporting a variety of stakeholders along the biotech and life sciences value chain. She is a published researcher keen to support advancing innovation in MedTech, Biotech and Digital Health.

She has successfully merged her expertise and passion for innovation, research and finance to become a dynamic leader nationally and internationally. She is a sought-after speaker who addresses topics related to investment trends, regulatory strategy, international trade, and economic development, and emerging areas of innovation. She is passionate about championing innovation, ecosystem development and clinical adoption.

Roles and affiliations:

• Chief Executive Officer & Founder, AxialBridge Inc.
• Partner, Cerulean Health (NY-based PE Fund)
• Managing Partner, Access Innovation BioBridge
• Expert & Investor in Residence, London Institute for Healthcare Engineering, King’s College London
• Board Director, Canada UK Chamber of Commerce (London, England)
  • Co-Chair, Life Sciences Forum
  • Western Canada Liaison
• Board Director & Co-Chair, BioAlberta
• Director, Clinical Research Association of Canada

Ruth McKernan

Operating Partner, SV Health Investors

Ruth joined SV in 2018 as a Operating Partner. She has co-founded a number of SV companies; AstronauTx, LoAus23 and Cumulus alongside the Dementia Discovery Fund as well as Alchemab. 

Ruth has over 25 years in the pharma industry having held roles at Merck and Pfizer, leading several Research Sites in the UK and US. She has set up new Research Units, including Pfizer Regenerative Medicine and Neusentis, initiated multiple neuroscience partnerships, acquisitions and spinouts and played an active role in taking more than 10 compounds into the clinic. Immediately prior to joining SV, Ruth spent three years as Chief Executive Officer of the UK Government’s Innovation agency, InnovateUK, supporting the UK’s Industrial Strategy with responsibility for investing an annual budget of £1bn into Technology centres and SMEs. 

Outside of SV, Ruth is a Trustee for Alzheimer’s Research UK and previously served as Chair of the UK’s BioIndustry Association. She is an enthusiast for innovation and entrepreneurship, sitting on multiple innovation and translation boards including the Academy of Engineering and the Francis Crick Institute. Ruth was made a Commander of the British Empire for services to business and innovation in 2013 and elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2015. In her spare time Ruth is an award winning science writer, avid gardener and spokesperson for Women in Innovation. 

Academic credentials 
Ruth Has a BSc in Pharmacology and Biochemistry, a PhD in neuroscience and Honorary DSc from two Universities. 

Amira Modi

Healthcare Executive and Senior Advisor

Amira is a seasoned global business executive with a proven track record across FTSE 100, Fortune 500, and Private Equity-backed scale-ups. She began her career in Big Pharma before transitioning to Pharma Services (CRO), where she spearheaded the growth of a high-performing SaaS and services portfolio. In this role, she harnessed AI to drive business transformation across six businesses and more than 30 products, generating $200 million in revenue.

Most recently, she served as COO and board member of a founder-led, high-growth drug discovery private equity backed scale-up. There, she oversaw global operations and transformation initiatives, while also holding full P&L responsibility for the £40 million North American business.

Amira is deeply committed to mentorship and inclusive leadership, believing that diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes. 

Hannah Pearce

Chief Operating Officer, AstronauTx

Hannah serves as Chief Operating Officer of AstronauTx, having joined the company shortly after its founding. In this role, she is responsible for operational strategy and execution, supporting the advancement of the company’s portfolio as it grows from early-stage innovation toward the clinical.

She holds a degree in Pharmacy from the Welsh School of Pharmacy and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Microbiology from the University of Brighton, providing a strong scientific foundation that underpins her leadership across drug development and operations.

Prior to joining AstronauTx, Hannah spent 12 years at Pfizer, where she held roles of increasing responsibility. She began her career as a Pharmaceutical Project Lead before progressing to Global Development Director, supporting a broad portfolio of programmes across multiple therapeutic areas. In these roles, she contributed to the development of medicines from early project concepts through late-stage development and Post-Marketing Commitments (PMC), gaining extensive experience in global pharmaceutical development, cross-functional leadership, and regulatory delivery.

With a career spanning large pharmaceutical and biotech, Hannah brings deep expertise in translating scientific innovation into robust development strategies and operational execution.

Elena Rueda

Co-Founder and CEO, Dama Health

Elena Rueda is the co-founder and CEO of Dama Health, an Illumina-backed health tech start-up bringing precision medicine and personalized care to women’s reproductive health, starting with contraception. Dama Health helps providers better match patients to the right medication and treatment plans. Elena is a medical scientist by background, and holds an MSc in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Management from Imperial Business School. Elena has over 7 years of relevant experience working in the health tech, pharma, and social care sector, including Merck’s Silicon Valley Innovation Hub. 

Diana Torgersen

Head of Innovation Ecosystem Integration, Organon

Diana is Head of Innovation Ecosystem Integration at Organon, where she focuses on building the ecosystem that supports the innovation ecosystem for women’s health. Diana started her career in life science investment banking, initially at Credit Suisse and later at Torreya Partners. She later moved to Chiesi to head up the orphan disease BD team. Before moving to Organon, Diana worked as a VC investor at Novo Holdings, one of the largest life science investors globally.

Diana holds a DPhil (PhD) degree from University of Oxford.