Women in Biotech - Cambridge

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. 

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Melanie Ivarsson

Chief Executive Officer, Health Data Research Service

No bio provided

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Kate Barclay

Skills Strategy Consultant, BIA

What does your role at BIA involve?
As an experienced Biochemical Engineer, Kate leads skills and talent programme development across STEM industries using over 30 years of experience within large pharma and small company networks. Working with BIA, she represents the sector ensuring access to the incredible talent and addressing skills gaps to start, grow and scale innovative life sciences and biotech organisations.

Previous experience & achievements
In addition to her role at BIA, Kate works as an independent consultant supporting organisations to develop their skills and talent strategies. She has oversight for quality governance of technical and professional education as IfATE Non-Executive Director and is a Board member of North Hertfordshire College. Kate holds MBA from Open University and a PhD in Bio-Chemical Engineering from UCL. As a Chartered Engineer (CEng FIChemE), she held previous senior leadership roles across diverse pharmaceutical manufacturing and R&D portfolios including Solid Dose, Parenteral & Inhaled Devices.

If you could invite any scientist or entrepreneur to dinner, who would it be and why?
Rosalind Franklin, as she made contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA and RNA. She studied science at a time when few women attended university and led pioneering work on multiple viruses. Kate would love to know what she thinks about what we know now!

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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.

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Tanya Bos

Global Biopharma Executive and Strategic Advisor

Tanya is a global biopharma executive recognised for driving sustainable growth at the intersection of science, strategy, and commercial execution—translating breakthrough innovation into meaningful impact for patients worldwide.

With more than 25 years of experience across high-growth biotech and multinational pharmaceutical organisations—including executive roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (formerly Shire), AstraZeneca and Sandoz—she has led international organisations, directed portfolio and disease-area strategy across R&D and commercial, and influenced multi-billion-dollar investment decisions.

Her work spans first-in-class innovation, rare disease, specialty and established medicines—bringing uncommon agility across business models, therapeutic areas and development stages. Most recently, as a member of the International Executive Team at Vertex, Tanya built and led the international pipeline and early commercialisation organisation, positioning the company for sustained multi-disease expansion and unlocking significant enterprise value.

A builder and enterprise leader, she aligns organisations around bold ambition, brings clarity to complexity, and converts strategic intent into measurable outcomes—combining commercial discipline with broad perspective and an infectious energy that builds trust, inspires followership, and mobilises teams to perform at their best.

A strong advocate for mentorship and allyship, Tanya is deeply committed to advancing women in science and strengthening leadership representation across the industry.

Tanya holds a degree from McGill University and an MBA from Smith School of Business.

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Aline Charpentier

Science Strategy and Innovation Lead, Welcome Genome Campus

Aline is currently the Science Strategy and Innovation Lead at the Welcome Genome Campus and was previously Head of Innovation at Bruntwood SciTech, where she played a pivotal role in fostering vibrant TechBio and life sciences ecosystems across the UK. She brings extensive experience in supporting life science entrepreneurs, having developed Bioentrepreneur bootcamps across Europe, established the One Nucleus Virtual Innovation Centre for growing biotech companies, and advised early-stage therapeutics funds and startups.

Prior to joining the Cambridge ecosystem, she worked on technology transfer programmes for the scientific services of the French Embassy in the USA (Boston) and technology scouting at the CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique). She holds a MSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Toulouse and MBA from Grenoble School of Management.

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Jackie Crockford

VP Global Business Services, AstraZeneca UK Ltd

No bio provided

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Anna Dickinson

Associate Director - Health & Life Sciences , Public First

Anna joined Public First as Associate Director for Health & Life Sciences in early 2026. Prior to this, she was Head of Strategy to Baroness Nicola Blackwood, serving as a trusted advisor across her portfolio including Genomics England, Oxford University Innovation, BioNTech, RTW Biotech Opportunities, and the House of Lords.

Previously, Anna was Head of Office to Lord Ara Darzi, where she supported major projects such as the NHS Review. She has also worked at leading think tanks, including the Tony Blair Institute and Onward, where she led policy development across life sciences and innovation.

An experienced advisor to senior leaders across health and life sciences, Anna holds particular expertise in navigating government, building cross-sector coalitions, and delivering high-impact projects.

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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

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Paula Holland

Partner, Cooley (UK) LLP

Paula Holland has more than 20 years’ experience of executive compensation and equity incentives in the UK, the US and internationally. Companies turn to Paula for advice and transactional support throughout their life cycle as they build their businesses, expand internationally and plan their exits. Paula is skilled in advising multi-nationals, both public and private, on the incentive aspects of their most strategic transactions including M&As, with a focus on private equity, IPOs, and SPACs. She also assists remuneration committees in their determinations relating to retention and incentive arrangements for board members and senior management.

Paula’s key areas of work include:

• Guiding late-stage private companies on opportunities to leverage equity incentives fully within their strategies for growth, exits and IPOs
• Advising UK companies on the compensation aspects of preparing for and listing on NASDAQ and NYSE
• Exporting US and UK equity plans to multiple jurisdictions, with the ability to provide advice on the tax, securities laws and employment law issues in more than 60 countries
• Helping start-ups with their early stage incentives, key hires and first international steps

Paula regularly contributes to Cooley led programs such as Comp Talks, IPO Institute, HR Network, Future50 and UpScale to ensure clients are kept up to date on the latest legal developments and best practices within the incentives space.

She is consistently recognised by Chambers UK and the Legal 500 as a leading lawyer, with clients noting:

“Paula Holland comes recommended for her ‘world-class substantive knowledge of equity matters’ and her ‘great client skills.’ She offers a wealth of experience advising on compensation and equity incentives.”

Paula Holland is “incredibly experienced and helpful in her advice.”

Paula Holland is “excellent – she understands our needs and demands as second nature, and her speed of delivery is exceptional.”

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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. 

 

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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Jody Thelander

Founder & CEO, J.Thelander Consulting

J.Thelander Consulting is headed by Jody K. Thelander, a compensation executive with more than twenty years of professional experience. Jody has a keen understanding of business through a diversified background in compensation, sales and customer service. The Thelander Surveys and Reports have become a well-respected and highly desired tool for compensation decision-makers in the private business sector.

Jody speaks publicly on executive compensation, investment firm and corporate venture compensation topics, including events hosted by PitchBook, NVCA, LaunchBio and Stanford.  She is frequently published as a compensation expert in Axios, Forbes, Fortune and the Wall Street Journal.

Jody earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer Studies at the University of Vermont and a Masters Degree in Human Resources at Marymount University. Her career began in the fashion retailing industry with British Vogue, Ralph Lauren Womenswear, Bonwit Teller and Garfinkels in London, New York and Washington, DC. Jody also spent ten years in human resources with TRW Space and Defense both in Washington DC, and San Francisco, before starting her own firm.

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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.  

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Roser Vento-Tormo

Group Leader, Cellular Genetics Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Roser Vento-Tormo’s research interest is to understand the influence of cellular microenvironments on individual cellular identities and responses, in the context of development and immunity. Her team (https://ventolab.org/) employs single-cell and spatial transcriptomics methods to deconstruct the cell signals in human organs and tissues, and utilise this information to inform the reconstruction of novel in vitro models. Essential for this work, is the novel computational tools her team develops to build cell–cell interactions networks from transcriptomics data. Her team has used these computational and genomics tools to generate atlases of the human reproductive tissues leading to transformative advances in the area of women’s health.

Vento-Tormo work has been funded by many recognised international agencies (ERC, Wellcome-LEAP, CZI), and she has been awarded multiple prizes, including the Early Career Research Award from the Biochemistry Society (2021) and the Michelson & Science Prize Finalist (2023).

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Jane Wall

Managing Director, BIA

What does your role at BIA involve?
Strategic leadership of the organisation and oversight of P&L to ensure that BIA is a sustainable, successful, and ever-evolving association. Serving the needs of existing members, growing new communities, and increasing member benefit; producing sector-leading thought leadership and events, growing influence, reach and impact.

Previous experience & achievements
25 years of experience managing teams in academic publishing and membership organisations: providing strategic and editorial direction combined with business acumen; driving operational, organisational and community development, profitability, and innovation. Previous roles at Oxford University Press, Taylor & Francis (Informa PLC), Oxford Brookes University, Fire Protection Association and Food and Drink Federation. Jane holds a first degree in Italian and European Literature from Warwick University, MA in Social Anthropology from SOAS and MBA from Oxford Brookes Business School.

If you could invite any scientist to dinner, who would it be?
Galileo Galilei: having been slightly obsessed with Italian culture and the Renaissance, I was fascinated by Florence, the Medicis and their patronage of artists and scientists. I am always in awe of the bravery and foresight of individuals willing to push human understanding beyond what was/is generally acceptable at the time: Galileo was willing to risk the ire of the Inquisition and to live condemned as a heretic in times when the punishment was extreme – to become the ‘father of modern science’.

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Lea Wenger

CEO and Co-Founder, Cyclana Bio

With a background in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD in Neuroscience from Cambridge University, Léa brings years of therapeutic research experience in both academia and industry to tackle the challenges faced in Endometriosis research.

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Alice Witt

Policy Fellow, Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity , MESSAGE, George Institute UK

Alice Witt is the Policy Fellow for the Medical Science Sex and Gender Equity (MESSAGE) project, a research and policy initiative working to improve consideration of sex and gender across all UK medical research. The project has convened over 50 major UK research organisations, including 15 funders, to co-design a new best practice for sex and gender integration which is now being implemented by funders including NIHR, Wellcome and the British Heart Foundation. A social scientist by background, Alice’s research interests sit at the intersection of gender and health and she is passionate about translating evidence into real-world impact. Alice holds an MA in Social Anthropology of Development from SOAS, University of London, and a BA in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford.

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