Panel Session
This session celebrates the success of therapy developers in translating UK innovation into commercialised products. We will hear from companies and individuals with positive stories to tell, as well as those who have gained critical learnings along their commercialisation journey.
In February 2024 Dr Chris Williams was promoted to Chief Business Officer. Chris was part of the team that founded Autolus in 2014 and he initially served on the Company’s board as a Non-Executive Director. In 2016, Chris transitioned into the Company to establish Autolus’ business development function.
Previously he worked at UCL Business where he led the establishment of strategic collaborations, licensing deals, new companies, and financing transactions across a portfolio of cell and gene therapies in oncology and rare diseases. Prior to that he served as non-executive director of Orchard Therapeutics, another company he founded during his tenure at UCL Business, and has worked in business development roles at Thiologics, Canbex and Eli Lilly.
He has also worked in research roles at GSK, Inpharmatica and Imperial College London and holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Imperial College London.
Paul is currently Chief Development Officer at Alchemab Therapeutics in Cambridge. He is an expert in biopharmaceutical development with more than 30 years’ experience of developing antibodies, proteins and other biological medicines from Research into the Clinic and through to commercialization. Previously Paul held similar roles in Cambridge Antibody Technology, Astra Zeneca, MedImmune and most recently Kymab. Paul has also worked at British Biotech, the UK National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. He holds a degree in Biomolecular Sciences from Portsmouth Polytechnic and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Paul was also a founder member of the UK BIA COVID-19 Antibody Task Force which spun out as RQ Biotech and was a member of the BIA Manufacturing Advisory group supporting the UK Vaccines task force. He also currently chairs a MHRA/BP working party on new standards for Biological Medicines (DPS), was previously a member of the European Pharmacopeia (EP) Expert Committee on Monoclonal Antibodies and the British Pharmacopoeia Commission.
Paul is also a member of the SAB’s of Audax, Spirea and Spliceor and has contributed to many other Advisory Boards and related activities during his career.
Paul also acts as an advisory consultant to multiple biotechs, typically in the startup / early development phase with a strong focus on product development strategy and line of sight to development and commercialization.
