Speakers
Nara Daubeney
Michelle Teng
Tiffany Thorn
Nicki Thompson
Panel session
Nara is a consultant ENT surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust with over 10 years of C-suite experience in immunology research and advancing assets through clinical development. She founded and led the medical services company, CCHC, and has been instrumental in growing Phaim from a UK start-up to a growth company with ongoing clinical trials in type 1 diabetes and a discovery pipeline in multiple autoimmune diseases.
A Royal College of Surgeons Tutor and Fellow, Nara also serves as the Honorary Secretary of ENTUK and the Clinical Lead for Innovation at the Royal Society of Medicine. She is a public governor at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust and a mentor for the BioIndustry Association.
She holds a Diploma in Otolaryngology, a Master’s in Surgical Education and a PhD in immunology from Imperial College.
Nara is one of Phaim's founding members and is passionate about bringing novel therapies and digital healthcare applications to market.
Tiffany is an experienced executive with over a decade of industry experience in the discovery and development of next-generation precision therapeutics. As Founder and CEO of BiVictriX Therapeutics, Tiffany has been key to developing the commercial strategy around the Bi-Cygni® approach, a novel concept which originated from her previous experience as a clinician in the NHS, and has been pivotal in securing more than £12m in investment to date.
Nicki has over 25 years’ experience in pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D in a variety of senior scientific and leadership roles. She is CEO of Cambridge-based TRIMTECH Therapeutics (an LMB/UK DRI spin-out), which focuses on a novel targeted protein degradation (TPD) approach to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Nicki was also founding CEO of Amphista Therapeutics. She was previously VP and Global Head of External Drug Discovery at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and prior to that, Senior Director, Business Development for GSK’s external drug discovery and external innovation groups. Nicki’s Biotech experience also include her roles as CBO, then Chair of the Board for Nanna Therapeutics Ltd (acquired by Astellas Pharma Inc.) and Chair of the Board for Camena Bioscience. She holds a PhD in Cell Biology from University College London
Jill began her career as a trainee accountant at EY. However, driven by a lifelong passion for science, she shifted her focus to medical research and earned a PhD from the National Heart & Lung Institute, in London (Imperial College). She later joined the University of Cambridge's Department of Medicine, where she contributed to groundbreaking research before transitioning into entrepreneurship.
In 2013, Jill co-founded RxCelerate, a leading outsourced drug discovery and development company, after recognising a critical gap in the drug development process. The company’s vision is to democratise drug development, ensuring ‘anyone with a promising idea’, regardless of company size, can access the top-tier services traditionally reserved for large pharmaceutical companies. Jill has steered RxCelerate from a pioneering start-up to a globally recognised leader in the biotech space, working with clients to design and execute every aspect of their research and development plans, turning promising discoveries into potential novel therapeutics.
Jill is a strong advocate for women in biotech, having navigated a path with few female role models, she dedicates significant time to both formal mentorship and personal guidance to help the next generation of female scientists and entrepreneurs to navigate the industry’s challenges.