Professor Sir John Cadogan, non-executive Chairman

CBE FRSE Hon FREng FRS
The first Director General of Research Councils at the Office of Science and Technology. He was the Purdie Chair of Chemistry at St Andrews at the age of 32 and later the Forbes Chair of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. He joined BP as Chief Scientist, BP Research Centre in 1979 and became Director of Research in 1981 until 1992. He is currently Honorary Professorial Fellow at University of Wales,Swansea, Science Policy Adviser to the Science Foundation Ireland and Chairman of Fusion Antibodies Ltd. Until October 2004 he was a founder investor and Chairman of DNA Research Innovations Ltd when it was acquired by the Invitrogen Corporation. 

Simon Douglas, Chief Executive Officer

PhD
Experience in the Biotech industry includes 5 years working for Amersham International, ICI and Zeneca, in a variety of commercial and technical positions, and over 5 years with an LSE listed diagnostic company where he was the Chief Executive and raised £10 million as a rights issue. Most recently he was CEO of the embryonic start up company DNA Research Innovations Ltd (DRI) growing the company during 4 years and completing two rounds of Venture Capital financing. In November 2004, under his leadership, DRI was aquired by the Invitrogen Corporation for $65 million.

Professor Jim Johnston, Chief Scientific Officer and Founder

PhD
Founder and CEO/CSO of the Company is a recognised world expert in immunology. He is currently Chair of Immunology and Head of the Infection and Immunity division at the Queen’s University Belfast. He was a senior staff fellow at the NIH (Bethesda, MD), and later a senior scientist at DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto, California Late 2000, he was appointed chair of Immunology at Queens, where his science is supported by the Wellcome Trust, BBSRC and numerous other agencies. During his career he has published more than 80 high profile scientific papers in journals such as Nature, Science, Nature immunology and Nature cell biology.  

Dr Nigel Courtenay-Luck, non-executive

MD
Nigel co-founded Antisoma Research Ltd in 1988 has been a pioneer/leader in the cancer antibody-therapeutic field for over twenty years. In this period he has been involved in bringing several antibodies into all stages of clinical trials, from phase I to phase III. Nigel is an honourey senior lecturer in the Division of Medicine at Hammersmith Hospital and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. Nigel has collaborated with many of the worlds leading cancer centers, such as the MD Anderson and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where he has collaborated on both scientific and clinical research for several years.

Dr John Maynard OBE, non-executive

OBE
One of the first Directors of Amersham International when it was privatized in 1982, serving on this Board as Executive and Non-Executive (on retirement) for 17 years, and was awarded the OBE for Services to Industry in 1989. His industrial career spanned over 40 years with Amersham International, with posts held including Global Research and Development Director, Chief Executive (and founder) of the Life Science Division, Chief Executive of the Healthcare Division and Operations Director in the UK. He set up a major laboratory facility for the Company in South Wales which today bears his name. He was an Honorary Professor of Chemistry at Cardiff University for 15 years; He has held Non-Executive Directorships with Professional Staff plc (a scientific staffing company) and in recent times DNA Research Innovations Ltd. Both companies are now privatised.

David Moore, non-executive

MA
An Investment Executive with QUBIS Ltd, the early stage investment fund responsible for the commercialisation of technology at The Queen’s University of Belfast and fund managers of the University Challenge Fund (NI) Ltd.

David identifies, structures and ‘nurtures’ technology-based start-ups from the QUB research base before providing ongoing pragmatic business advice and guidance to the spin-outs as they grow. He has extensive experience of high-growth venture capital backed businesses across a number of technology sectors and currently holds Non-Executive Board positions with ten of the QUBIS Ltd spin-out ventures. David has spent six years as a early stage seed capital investor, prior to joining QUBIS Ltd, he spent ten years with a regional development agency working with high growth export orientated technology businesses and four years as a Systems Engineer within the defence industry. David has a primary degree in Engineering, a Masters degree in Business Strategy and a professional finance qualification.

Dr Alan Mawson, non-executive

PhD
Alan is Chairman and co-founder of Clarendon Fund Managers a venture capital company managing early stage and start up investment funds. He is also a founding director of Innvotec ltd. Previous to his venture capital career he was Director of Group Development and Technical services at Wiggins Teape and has also held several other research posts. He completed studies in business at the Sloan School of Management at MIT in 1971 and also has a Phd in Polymer Chemistry. He is a Liveryman and is on the Court at the Salter's Company where he is involved in running Chemistry Clubs and summer schools for teenagers.