Summit President

Dr. Bandar Al Knawy

His Excellency Dr. Al Knawy has been Chief Executive Officer of Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) and President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Saudi Arabia since 2009. He is also an executive member of the Saudi Health Service Council, the national governing healthcare body in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Al Knawy is a strong advocate of patient safety and quality of care and oversaw the launch of several high-impact initiatives. Under his management and direction, the Health Sciences University and King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) commissioned state-of-the-art facilities, and he has also led a system-wide implementation of the BestCare electronic health record system covering all medical services in the MNGHA network.

His latest project was the Riyadh Global Digital Health Summit, a G20-associated event that envisioned a global health system connectivity in preparedness and response to COVID-19 Pandemics. The event has been described as one of the largest virtual health conferences of the year and certainly largest one on public health combined with digital health.

Dr. Bandar Al Knawy

CEO, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs,
President, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, KSA

Summit Chaiman

Summit Vice Chairman

Dr. Ahmed Alaskar

Ahmed Alaskar is a Consultant and a Professor, Adult Hematology & Stem Cell Transplantation at King Abdulaziz Medical City, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs. He is also the Executive Director, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center and the President of Saudi Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (SSBMT).

Dr. Alaskar gained his MBBS from King Saud University and completed medical trainings at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada where he obtained both the Canadian and the American Boards of Internal Medicine and of Hematology and Stem Cells Transplantation.

He assumed numerous administrative tasks and positions since 2001. He was the Director, Inpatient Services at King Abdulaziz Medical City – Riyadh and the Program Director of the Saudi Board Preparatory Course for Internal Medicine. He led the Department of Oncology at its establishment stage in 2005/2006 while he continued to be the Head, Division of Adult Hematology & Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation until March 2015. He was one of the founders of the Saudi Scientific Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was elected twice to be the President of the society. He was then appointed as Deputy Executive Director, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center from May 2010 and became the Executive Director in September 2013 until present.

Prof. Alaskar has more than 100 publications and involved in numerous local and national committees and member of several International Societies.

Dr. Ahmed Alaskar

Executive Director,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Dr. Abdelali Haoudi

“We are now witnessing the dawn of new era where we can no longer look at biomedical R&D centers separately from healthcare innovation centers and Biotechnology enterprises. The current COVID19 global pandemic has raised a serious alarm that the existing Biotech and Biopharma is still facing major challenges to rapidly and effectively cope with global health pandemics. Therefore, our proposed Riyadh Global Biotech Summit will bring together taught leaders in the field to push the boundaries of our existing thinking and practice and propose innovative models that will impact the country, the region and the rest of the world with direct impact on health and economy.“

Dr. Haoudi is currently leading the Strategy and Business Development and is also Managing Director of the Biotechnology Park at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, and is also Distinguished Scholar at Harvard University/Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Haoudi has held several senior positions in Research and Development and Innovation, including Founding Vice President for Research, Executive Director for Biomedical Research Institute and Chairman at National Research Fund at Qatar Foundation.

Dr. Haoudi served also as Research Professor of cancer and infectious diseases at the University of Virginia and Eastern Virginia Medical School and a fellow of the US National Institutes of Health. He has also held several other positions in elite research and education institutions including Visiting Professor at Harvard Medical School (USA) and a fellow at Institut Pasteur (France). Dr. Haoudi was elected as a member of Hassan II Academy for Science and Technology in 2006 and graduated from University Paris XI and Paris VI, France in 1996 with a doctoral degree in cellular and molecular genetics and received executive education from Harvard Business School in Corporate Management and Strategy and received multiple awards including Fogarty International Award and has published numerous peer reviewed international research publications and served as Founder and Editor-In-Chief for the Journal Biomed Research International and is a member of the international advisory board for the Lancet Oncology and member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the MASciR Foundation for Science, Research and Innovation.

Dr. Abdelali Haoudi

Head, R&D Strategy and Business Development,
Managing Director, Medical Biotechnology Park,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Summit Speakers

Sir. Menelas N Pangalos

Quote: The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge to humanity and demands a global, united response across the life sciences sector. At AstraZeneca, we have undertaken multiple approaches to find tangible solutions for overcoming the pandemic, combining our skills and expertise with world-leading experts to help realise this commitment; supporting healthcare workers with essential supplies, innovating in COVID-19 testing and researching and developing novel preventative and treatment approaches. Our development of a COVID-19 Vaccine with the University of Oxford has been an extraordinary and unprecedented journey. In just over 12 months, we have developed a vaccine that is highly effective against all severities of COVID-19, gained approval for emergency use in over 80 countries and delivered over 500 million doses. Right from the start we committed to supplying billions of doses of the vaccine at no profit during the pandemic to ensure broad and equitable access. It is fantastic to see the impact our vaccine is having, saving tens of thousands of lives already. Mene was appointed as Executive Vice-President, R&D BioPharmaceuticals in January 2019 and is responsible for BioPharmaceutical R&D from discovery through to late-stage development covering Cardiovascular, Renal, Metabolism, Respiratory, Inflammation, Autoimmune, Microbial Science and Neuroscience areas. Prior to this, he served as Executive Vice-President of AstraZeneca’s IMED Biotech Unit and Global Business Development. Since joining AstraZeneca in 2010, Mene has led the transformation of R&D productivity through the development and implementation of the “5R” framework resulting in a greater than four-fold increase in success rates compared to industry averages. In parallel, he has championed an open approach to working with academic and other external partners, changing the nature of academic-industry collaboration. Mene previously held senior R&D roles at Wyeth and GSK. Mene holds Honorary Doctorates from Glasgow University and Imperial College, London, is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Society of Biology and Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. He sits on the Council of the MRC, co-chairs the UK Life Sciences Council Expert Group on Innovation, Clinical Research and Data and is a member of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Implementation Board. He is also on the Boards of The Francis Crick Institute, The Judge Business School, Cambridge University and Dizal Pharma. Mene was awarded the 2019 Prix Galien Medal, Greece for his scientific research and named Executive of the Year at the 2019 Scrip Awards. Most recently, Mene was awarded the honour of a Knighthood by Her Majesty The Queen for his services to UK science. Mene also oversees the creation of AstraZeneca’s new Global R&D Centre in Cambridge – a state of the art facility designed to stimulate collaborative scientific innovation and which will play an important role in the future success of the UK life science industry.

Sir. Menelas N Pangalos

Executive Vice President and President,
BioPharmaceutical R&D,
AstraZeneca, UK

Dr. Paolo Martini

Paolo Martini is the Chief Scientific Officer for Rare Diseases, Hematology and Rare Alliances at Moderna. With more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery working on molecular mechanisms underlying monogenic and multigenic metabolic and fibrotic disorders, his laboratory is focused on identifying novel therapies and applying translational approaches for drug development in Rare Diseases and Hematology disorders. Currently exploring the identification of several targets and key animal models for translating messenger RNA therapeutic in human patients. Previously at Shire Pharmaceutical in Lexington, MA, as Senior Director of Discovery Biology and Translational Research, Massachusetts, his focus was on fibrotic diseases of muscle, kidney, skin, lung, bone marrow and metabolic liver diseases with particular emphasis on different therapeutic modalities for pathway modulation. He has been supporting phase 1 and 2 clinical studies for lysosomal storage and chronic kidney diseases. He has also worked at EMD-Serono prior to Shire in Discovery Research. After graduating at the University of Milan, Italy, he moved to Germany for a post-doctoral work at Schering AG (now Bayer) in Berlin, Germany, and then to the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign (USA). He has been collaborating with organizations supporting research and clinical development of rare metabolic disorders and fibrotic diseases and served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Keystone Symposia.

Dr. Paolo Martini

Chief Scientific Officer International Therapeutic Research Centers,
MODERNA Inc. USA

Dr. Stephen Lockhart

Stephen Lockhart MA, BM BCh, DM, FFPM, FMedSci is Vice President and Head of Europe and Asia-Pacific Vaccine Clinical Research and Development (VCRD) at Pfizer. I qualified as a physician in 1980. Following training in hospital internal medicine and research, I joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1986, working mainly on clinical trial programs. My roles include senior positions in Vaccine Development at Lederle Praxis Biologicals, Wyeth Vaccine Research, Emergent BioSolutions, Sanofi Pasteur MSD and now Pfizer. I have worked on development of vaccines against many infectious diseases including influenza, varicella, respiratory syncytial virus, H. Influenzae type b, anthrax, tuberculosis, pneumococcus, meningococcus, Clostridioides difficile, Staphylococcus aureus, tick borne encephalitis (TBE) and typhoid as well as SARS-CoV-2. I also manage clinical teams in Europe, US, Australia and Japan.

Dr. Stephen Lockhart

Vice President and Head, Europe and Asia-Pacific Vaccine Clinical R & D,
Pfizer, UK

Dr. Hyunghwan Joo

Dr. Hyunghwan Joo, the former Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy in the Republic of South Korea since July 2017 and the former Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance since January 2016. His Excellency held several leadership positions in the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (1995-2013). His Excellency also served as senior advisor to the President for Economic and Financial Affairs from March 2013 to July 2014. His Excellency was Secretary-General of the Presidential Council on National Competitiveness from April 2011 to August 2011, then Secretary-General of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth from August 2011 to January 2012. From May 2008 to February 2009 His Excellency held the position of Executive Secretary at Presidential Council for Future and Vision. His Excellency also served the Inter-American Development Bank from December 2005 to May 2008 as the Senior Advisor for Technology and Innovation, Director General at Central Officials Training Institute from February 2005 to December 2005, Advisor at Executive Director’s Office of World Bank from June 1997 to November 1999 and as Deputy Director in the Economic Planning Board (1984 – 1994). During 2017-2018 His Excellency was an Invited Professor at College of Business Administration, Seoul National University, 2018-2020 His Excellency was a Visiting Professor at College of Social Sciences, the University of Hawaii at Manoa and currently. His Excellency is an Invited Professor at Graduate School of International Studies, Yonsei University. His Excellency currently sits on the Board of Hotel Shilla Co. Ltd and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. Ltd., Senior Advisor to Knowledge Sharing Program to Ghana, Mexico, Visegrad countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia), and Colombia. His Excellency was a Member of the Board of Stewards of Future of Production at the World Economic Forum. His Excellency received a B.S. from Seoul National University in 1984, and an M.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1986. His Excellency received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991.

Dr. Hyunghwan Joo

Former Minister, Trade, Industry & Energy,
Former Vice Minister, Strategy & Finance,
Republic of South Korea
Eng. Suliman Almazroua, CEO of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP). He leads change and strives for innovation at this important stage of the program to contribute in achieving the strategic objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

In recent roles prior to his assignment as Head of the Program Office, he acted as Executive Director in the National Transformation Program, the NTP program was mandated to achieve the 37 strategic objectives of Vision 2030. Almazroua also acted as the Director General of the Delivery and Rapid Intervention Center where he managed a team of over 90 professionals to support the delivery of Vision 2030 goals.

Eng. Almazroua received his Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in 2001 and his master’s degree in business administration from Hull University (UK) in 2006. He also participated in many global leadership programs, including Program Management from Rice University and Executive Program of Harvard University.

Since then, he has gained a wealth of experience in technical, managerial, and leadership roles in the industrial sector; he began his career in Saudi Aramco in the technical field and then he moved to the managerial field, both experiences contributed to shaping his technical, managerial and leadership skills.

In 2011, Almazroua was appointed as Manager of the International Operations for Saudi Aramco in Houston, USA where he established North America Satellite Research and Development Centers, improved Cybersecurity Posture in all Saudi Aramco international offices and technical management of the healthcare sector in Saudi Aramco.

Almazroua acquired the technical skills and industry knowledge that enabled him to build a unique problem-solving ability. Equipped with his skills and work ethics, Almazroua aspires to play a pivotal role in KSA's most prominent Vision Realization Program, NIDLP, which is focused on transforming Saudi Arabia into a pioneering industrial powerhouse and a global logistics hub by integrating growth in four key sectors: Mining, Industry, Logistics, and Energy (with focus on Industry 4.0) in line with Vision 2030.

Eng. Suliman Bin Khaled Almazroua

CEO,
National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, KSA

Dr. Ronald DePinho

Quote: “To alleviate disease, we must convert scientific breakthroughs in the laboratory into new diagnostics and new drugs that improve the lives of patients in the clinic. Biotechnology companies play an essential role in bridging the gap between knowledge and clinical impact. A vibrant and productive biotech ecosystem requires the coordinated contributions of academia for workforce STEM training and laboratory research, hospitals for conducting innovative clinical trials, private sector for rigorous evaluation of opportunities and sufficient capital, and government for providing high-risk early capital and efficient regulatory framework that embraces innovation”
Ronald ‘Ron’ DePinho, M.D., PhD (hon) is currently Professor and Past President of MD Anderson Cancer Center. He began his career at Albert Einstein where he was the Feinberg Senior Scholar in Cancer Research. At Dana-Farber and Harvard Medical School, he was an American Cancer Society Professor and founding Director of the Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science whose mission was to improve the effectiveness of cancer drug discovery. As President of MD Anderson, he expanded its global network to reach one third of the human population and conceived the Cancer Moon Shots Program that inspired the Biden national program, produced practice-changing advances, and catalyzed cancer control legislation such as Tobacco-21. As a researcher, he made fundamental contributions to our understanding of cancer, aging and degenerative disorders. His most celebrated discoveries include the elucidation of a core molecular pathway for aging, determination of the link between advancing age and increased cancer, elucidation of the role of telomeres in cancer and aging, and demonstration that aging itself is reversible. Driven by the loss of his father to cancer, he has been devoted to the translation of knowledge into clinical advances as reflected by his founding of several private and publically-traded biotechnology companies, some of which have generated FDA-approved drugs and new diagnostics for cancer patients. In the last few years, he founded 4 biotechnology companies and launched Sporos Bioventures, a new model for creation, funding and development of new biotechnology companies. He is co-founder and chairman of Opa Health, a non-profit focused on enhancing the health and resiliency of underserved communities. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, member of National Academy of Medicine, fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, recipient of honorary degrees, scientific and public service awards including AACR Clowes Award, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and Portuguese knighthood.

Dr. Ronald DePinho

Professor and Past President,
MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA

Dr. James Weatherall

Dr. Jim Weatherall is the Vice President of Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, in Research and Development at AstraZeneca, where he leads in the application of advanced analytics as a way of unlocking the full potential of data – through data & text mining, machine learning & artificial intelligence, visual analytics, modelling & simulation, advanced statistical methods, and exploration of new technologies. He is driving a transformation in the way medicines are discovered & developed, through applications of advanced data science, in order to make a meaningful difference to the lives of patients around the world. He has already played a key role in helping to shape the new approach to data that is emerging across Research & Development. Externally, Jim is a Council member and Vice Chair of the Data Science section at the Royal Statistical Society in the UK as well as a founder member of the Cambridge Center for AI in Medicine. A particle physicist by training, Jim spent time as an academic researcher, before becoming a scientific software engineer consulting across a range of different industries, including the life sciences, before joining AZ. Jim obtained his doctorate in High Energy Particle Physics from the University of Manchester, before embarking on a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship studying the subtle differences between matter and antimatter. On leaving academia, he joined Tessella as a scientific software consultant, working directly as a lead software engineer and data scientist on many large-scale projects across the consumer products, petrochemicals, life sciences, automation and public sectors. He joined the Biomedical Informatics team in AstraZeneca in 2007 and has been in leadership positions of increasing responsibility since 2009. He has made critical contributions to, and published in, a number of diverse fields such as data visualisation, cryptography, text mining, machine learning and health data science.

Dr. James Weatherall

Vice President and Head, Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, R&D,
AstraZeneca, UK
Eng. Al-Hariri is the Senior Advisor to H.E. Minister of Industry & Minerals, post to his previous role as Chief Executive Officer of the National Industrial Development Center. He joined the National Industrial Development Center (previously known as Industrial Cluster) in 2015 as a VP for Pharma and Biotech. With 30 years of experience, Eng. Al-Hariri has a successful track record in business development for both government and private sectors. He has deep experienced across all aspects of business development, from concept to JV set-ups, contractual negotiations and funding arrangements, to major project management, strategic planning and organization structuring.
Eng. Nizar Al-Hariri holds a Master from the University of Cambridge, Engineering Department in Design, Manufacture & Management, as well as a BSc in Chemical Engineering from King Saud University.

Eng. Nizar Hariri

Senior Advisor to H.E. Minister of Industry & Minerals, KSA

Dr. Patrick Tan

Prof. Patrick Tan is the Executive Director (ED) of PRECISE and will oversee the implementation of Phase II of Singapore’s National Precision Medicine Strategy, which aims to transform healthcare in Singapore, and improve patient outcomes through new insights into the Asian genome and data-driven healthcare solutions. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Prof. Tan was Programme Director of Operation Stronghold, establishing one of Singapore’s largest COVID-19 testing facilities through a joint effort involving A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), National University Health System, and Temasek Holdings. Prof Tan is also Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore and Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School. He received his B.A. (summa cum laude) from Harvard University and MD PhD degree from Stanford University, where he received the Charles Yanofsky prize for Most Outstanding Graduate Thesis in Physics, Biology or Chemistry. Other awards include the President’s Scholarship, Loke Cheng Kim Scholarship, Young Scientist Award (A*STAR), Singapore Youth Award, Chen New Investigator Award (Human Genome Organisation), President’s Science Award, and the Japanese Cancer Association International Award. In 2018, he received the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Team Science Award as Team Leader, representing the first time a team from Asia has received the award. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), the Bioethics Advisory Committee (BAC), a Board Member of the International Gastric Cancer Association, and on the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science.

Dr. Patrick Tan

Executive Director,
Precision Health Research, Singapore

Dr. Junghae Suh

Dr. Junghae Suh joined Biogen in 2019 as head of the Gene Therapy Accelerator Unit (GTxAU) to develop transformative gene therapies for the treatment of neurological diseases. Dr. Suh received her S.B. in Chemical Engineering from MIT in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2004. She then completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Prior to Biogen, she was a tenured member of the faculty in the department of Bioengineering at Rice University. She was awarded the NSF CAREER Award and the Outstanding New Investigator Award from the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy for her innovative work on reprogramming viruses as therapeutic platforms. Her academic work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the American Heart Association. Most recently, she was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows.

Dr. Junghae Suh

Vice President, Gene Therapy Accelerator Unit,
Biogen, USA.

Dr. Sara Althari

Dr. Sara Althari is Managing Director of Biotech Pharma and Advisor to the Minister at the Saudi Ministry of Investment where she is leading the development and activation of a value chain based investment strategy for biotechnology in the Kingdom. In her current capacity, Dr Althari has launched a series of policy reform initiatives around intellectual property, clinical trials, and data governance to enhance the biotech and innovation ecosystem in KSA She has also established comprehensive private public partnerships with leading multinational biopharmaceutical corporations around pillars such as localization of clinical research, biologics manufacturing, talent development, and value based healthcare solutions Prior to this role, Dr Althari was Research Lead at the Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Foundation Misk where she established a policy research arm and designed youth centric policy solutions with leading knowledge partners and think tanks around youth employment, education, identity and well being Dr.Althari trained in molecular genomics as a research assistant and visiting scholar in institutions such as Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s Hospital and at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
She holds a PhD in Genetics and Genomics from the University of Oxford where she was a Radcliffe Department of Medicine Scholar Dr Althari earned her BA from Wellesley College in Biology and Anthropology where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

Dr. Sara Althari

Managing Director, Biotech & Pharma,
Advisor to the Minister,
Ministry of Investment, KSA

Dr. Steve Rees

Steve is Vice-President of Discovery Biology at AstraZeneca with responsibility for reagent generation and assay development, functional genomics, and cell and gene therapy. Previously Steve led the Screening Sciences department with accountability for Compound Management, Hit Discovery and Lead Optimisation biology. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Steve worked at GlaxoSmithKline for 24 years. He has served as Chair of the European Laboratory Research and Innovation Group and Chair of the European council of the Society of Laboratory Automation and Screening, and is Industry Trustee of the British Pharmacological Society. Steve was awarded an OBE in 2021 for services to science and the COVID19 response.

Dr. Steve Rees

Vice-President,
Discovery Biology, AstraZeneca, UK

Dr. David V. Erbe

Dave Erbe joined Alnylam in 2014 and led the discovery and early development of OXLUMO™ (lumasiran), the first and only treatment approved for Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 to lower urinary and plasma oxalate levels in pediatric and adult patients. Prior to Alnylam, he spent over 20 years in drug discovery and development of novel therapeutics across a range of diseases at Genentech, Genetics Institute, Wyeth and Pfizer. Dave received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Dartmouth College following a B.S. in Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University and currently serves as a Senior Distinguished Investigator in Alnylam Research.

Dr. David V. Erbe

Senior Distinguished Investigator,
Alnylam, USA

Dr. Markus Peterseim

Markus Peterseim is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal in Frankfurt, leading the Healthcare and Life Sciences group in Germany. He is deeply involved in serving the private equity sector.
He brings over 25 years of experience in strategy development and execution and performance improvement consulting as well as interim management in the healthcare industry. Mr. Peterseim has worked with clients in Europe, CEE/CIS and the Americas on a broad range of healthcare products and services, including pharma, CROs, CDMOs, wholesale, pharmacies and retail, medtech, HC providers and payers. He also served the chemical industry on performance improvement projects.
Recently, Mr. Peterseim completed numerous commercial due diligences for PE investors as well as strategy projects. Amongst others, he analyzed hospitals, a hospital procurement provider, a locum tenens platform, specialist physician networks, pharmaceutical as well as medtech companies. He led a range of value creation blueprints in major industrial carve-out situations and large-scale secondary buyouts, delivering comprehensive views on strategic and operational value drivers.
During his career, Mr. Peterseim served three years as interim CEO of ASTA Medica/Viatris – the former pharma division of Degussa. He was responsible for developing the strategic blueprint to sell the business. He developed a separation plan of the group and took over the CEO role for the largest division (c. € 500m in global sales). He drove the turnaround, all major performance improvement initiatives and sold the business to a PE fund.
As Partner of BCG he was responsible for the German payers and providers as well as private equity in healthcare. He led large-scale payer programs on financial strategy and cost management and assisted PE clients in due diligence and value creation. Prior to joining A&M, Mr. Peterseim was a PwC Deals Strategy Partner delivering diligence support for PE and corporates.

Dr. Markus Peterseim

Managing Director,
Alvarez & Marsal, Germany

Mr. Adrian Cassidy

Mr. Adrian Cassidy is the Head of Global Evidence Generation at Novartis to advance the use and application of integrated evidence solutions across the lifecycle of pharmaceutical development of innovative medicines including neuroscience, immunology, oncology and cardiorenal metabolic therapy areas. His group drives optimal use of novel data and innovative evidence, advanced analytics including machine learning and artificial intelligence, health data partnerships, implementation science and population health programs to transform clinical practice and deliver outcomes that matter for patients. Adrian is an Epidemiologist with 20 years’ experience of building and leading data/analytics/evidence teams and platforms in academic, public health, and industry settings across major international markets.

Mr. Adrian Cassidy

Head, Global Evidence Generation,
Novartis, Switzerland

Dr. James Peyer

James Peyer is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cambrian Bio. He also holds multiple boards and executive roles across Cambrian’s pipeline. He has spent his entire life dedicated to the mission of finding ways of preventing people from getting diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s instead of waiting for people to get sick. James was previously Founder and Managing Partner at Apollo Ventures, the first global longevity-focused venture capital firm, investing across the U.S. and Europe. Prior to Apollo, James was a biotech R&D specialist at the New York office of McKinsey & Company, serving major pharmaceutical clients. He earned his Ph.D. in stem cell biology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a National Science Foundation Fellow. He received his B.A. with special honors from the University of Chicago.

Dr. James Peyer

CEO and Co-Founder,
Cambrian Bio, USA

Mr. Said Francis

Mr. Said Francis is Senior Vice President, Head of Business Development and Corporate Strategy of Moderna, Inc.
He is responsible for leading the vision and execution of the company’s partnering strategy as well as the corporate strategic initiatives, including defining the framework of engagement with governments around Moderna’s COVID vaccine and successfully negotiating numerous critical collaborations and alliances.
He joined Moderna in 2013 as a Director of Corporate Development focused on establishing an ecosystem around Moderna’s mRNA platform and expanding the company’s technology portfolio by leading collaborations, licensing transactions, and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Moderna, Mr. Francis was a Senior Manager of mergers and acquisitions at Novartis, based in Basel Switzerland, where he drove the successful execution of multiple transactions for various business units (e.g. Novartis Pharma, Sandoz, Novartis Molecular Diagnostics).
He started his career at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Investment Banking group in New York City, where he advised pharma and medical device companies on corporate transactions.
He has deep experience in corporate strategy, growth strategy, business development and corporate governance, and has worked extensively with executive leadership teams both in public and private companies.
Mr. Francis holds an S.B. and M.Eng. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS).

Mr. Said Francis

Senior Vice President,
Head, Business Development & Corporate Strategy,
Moderna, USA

Mr. Jaeyong Ahn

Mr. Ahn is the President & CEO of SK bioscience, involved in the full spectrum of business management including M&A, global investments, mid to long-term growth strategy, as well as HR and corporate culture across several SK Group affiliates. Under his leadership, SK bioscience has expanded globally such as a C(D)MO service for AstraZeneca and Novavax and established a multilateral partnership with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GSK, the University of Washington, and the Korean government for the development of its own COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, SK bioscience successfully developed and supplied Korea’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine and was recognized globally as an innovative partner in the global vaccine and biotech community. Mr. Ahn is recognized as having secured SK bioscience’s future growth drive and heighted its global standing by strengthening the company’s network with international businesses and organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mr. Ahn joined SK in 1998 at SK chemicals and held various senior strategy and management roles in SK chemicals, SK Engineering & Construction, and SK gas. Following his role as Head of Vaccine Business Group at SK chemicals in 2016, Mr. Ahn was appointed as CEO of SK bioscience in July 2018. In 2021, Mr. Ahn was appointed as President & CEO in recognition of his achievement in devising development strategies for numerous SK bioscience vaccines and expanding the company’s business through global partnerships.
Mr. Ahn received an MBA from the University of Chicago in 2005 and a BA in Economics from Yonsei University in 1992.

Mr. Jaeyong Ahn

President & CEO,
SK bioscience

Mr. Justis Taejun Cho

Mr. Cho is the Vice President and Head of R&D Strategy and Planning Office at SK bioscience, responsible for planning and managing the company’s R&D strategy as well as portfolio management and open innovation. Mr. Cho has deep experience in R&D growth strategy, resource management, and mid to long-term infrastructure planning, and has worked extensively with executive leadership teams on both R&D and business operations. Mr. Cho joined SK in 2005 where he worked in the Business Development Department at SK chemicals, before being appointed at his current role at SK bioscience in 2014. Mr. Cho has distinguished experience in the pharmaceuticals industry, with experiences at SAMA Pharm and JEIL Pharm prior to joining SK.
Mr. Cho received an MBA in Healthcare Management from Hanyang University in 2014, a BS in Clinical Pharmacy from Kyunghee University in 1999 and a MS in Pharmacy from Samyook University in 1997. He received his Pharmacist License from the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare in 1997.

Mr. Justis Taejun Cho

Vice President,
Head of R&D Strategy and Planning Office,
SK bioscience

Dr. Madhuri Hegde

Dr. Hegde is the VP and Chief Scientific Officer, Global Laboratory Services,PerkinElmer, USA. She joined PerkinElmer on October 1, 2016. The focus of her clinical work is the development and implementation of high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) strategies for genomic disorders using sequence capture technologies, robotics, clinical exome and genome sequencing, and oligonucleotide array platforms.
Dr. Hegde has over 20 years’ experience in clinical diagnostics which includes laboratory administration, management, extensive business and consulting experience in life science, genomic tools, and molecular diagnostic companies, from start-up to established organizations, and a proven record of driving revenue growth and profitability through growing existing businesses, building new businesses, and developing strategies to enter new markets by effectively influencing others to achieve shared goals.
Dr. Hegde has extensive knowledge of CLIA regulations related to LDTs and NGS and a strong understanding of current reimbursement landscape and new CPT coding guidelines. Most recently Dr. Hegde was with Emory Genetics Laboratory in Atlanta where she was Professor, Human Genetics and Pediatrics and Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of Emory Genetics Laboratory.
She received a B.Sc. and a M.Sc. from the University of Bombay, India, and a Ph.D. from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She completed post-doctoral studies at Baylor College of Medicine and is American Board of Medical Genetics certified in Clinical Molecular Genetics.

Dr. Madhuri Hegde

Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer,
Global Lab Services,
PerkinElmer, USA

Dr. Philip Larsen

Philip J. Larsen is Senior vice president, Global Head of Pharma Research and Early Development at Bayer AG. Prior to taking his current role he has served as Chief Scientific Officer and member of the executive board at Grünenthal GmbH. Before joining Grünenthal he served in various senior executive roles in pharmaceutical R&D organizations within multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and Eli Lilly. Philip is an MD PhD from the University of Copenhagen. After four years of medical practice (internal medicine, neurology) he went from academic medicine to life sciences industry. In addition, Philip holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Copenhagen and a PhD in neuroscience. Philip has 20+ years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience in the field of diabetes and obesity. After few years of work at NovoNordisk and Zealand Pharma, Philip co-founded the Danish biotechnology company Rheoscience in 2001 also concentrating on obesity and diabetes. In 2008, Philip took up a position as chief scientific officer for diabetes research at Eli Lilly, and in 2012, Philip took up the role as Global head of Diabetes Research and Translational Science at Sanofi. In his current role, Philip is overseeing research, translational medicine, and early clinical development in Bayer’s core areas: oncology, cardiovascular medicine, and reproductive endocrinology.

Dr. Philip Larsen

Senior Vice President and Global Head, Pharma Research and Early Development,
BAYER AG, Germany

Dr. Lynda Chin

Dr. Chin is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, a renowned cancer genomic scientist and a leader in application of technologies, AI/ML and big data in medicine. A mother of 3 teenagers, Dr. Chin is also a serial entrepreneur who has founded or co-founded cancer therapeutics and biomarker companies. Presently, Dr. Chin is the President and CEO of Apricity Health, a next-generation precision oncology company she co-founded to bring expert oncology care from cancer centers to patients at home on a learning platform to improve care and accelerate therapeutic development. A dermatologist by training, Dr. Chin conducted research in cancer genomics and cancer biology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, served on the executive subcommittee of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and co-led development of the Firehose pipeline at the Broad Institute. As the founding chair of Department of Genomic Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, she launched initiatives to develop technology-enabled platform capabilities to accelerate translation and democratize evidence-based care. Later, as Chief Innovation Officer of the University of Texas System, Dr. Chin created the Institute for Health Transformation to create technology-enabled ecosystem that can improve access to care for the underserved. Throughout her career, Dr. Chin has been a champion for cross-industry collaboration. She was the scientific director at the Belfer Applied Cancer Institute of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and later at the Institute for Applied Cancer Science of MD Anderson Cancer Center, both built on a novel organizational construct designed to bridge across academia and industry to enable and accelerate science-based drug discovery. Foreseeing the paradigm shift of clinical care and research to real-world settings, Dr. Chin left her academic research career to launch Apricity Health, a digital medicine company that brings together technologies, patient data, science and clinical expertise to change the paradigm of care for all patients living with cancers.

Dr. Lynda Chin

President and CEO,
Apricity Health, USA

Dr. Mohammed Bouziane

Dr. Mohammed Bouziane Ph.D is the Chief Executive Officer of San Diego, California-based Pharma firm Sunomix Therapeutics-Johnson Johnson JLABS.
The firm has proprietary technologies, focuses on drug discovery, Immunotherapies, Therapeutic antibodies, drug delivery platforms, medical diagnostics, vaccines, validating partnerships, and an experienced team with deep expertise in delivery and RNA-based therapeutics.
Much of Sunomix's current success has to do with Dr. Bouziane, who took the helm as CEO in 2011, with more than 25 years of global biopharmaceutical industry experience in executive management, R&D, business development, product development, and portfolio management. Dr. Bouziane is a leader in the development of novel approaches to fight cancer and infectious diseases.
He Previously served in multiple Executive leadership positions for several companies in the biopharmaceutical industry including Becton Dickinson, Pharmingen, Beckman, Johnson Johnson JLABS, Biotoxsciences, City of Hope National Medical Center, Gustave Roussy Institute.
For his many contributions and successes, he received several awards and Grants from NIH, CDC and serves on the boards of several companies. He has a strong publication record in applied research published in high impact factor journals. He launched several new products, services and clinical trials. He is a certified ISO Auditor from GQS in California.
Dr. Bouziane holds two Ph.D's degrees in Molecular Genetics & Virology, from the University of Medicine-Paris V- Rene Descartes and IFSBM Degree from Paris XI. Dr.Bouziane speaks fluent Arabic and English.

Dr. Mohammed Bouziane

CEO,
Sunomix Therapeutics- Johnson Johnson JLABS, USA

Dr. Elio Riboli

Professor Elio Riboli is Chair in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention at Imperial College London. He is also Founding Director of the Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research Unit, jointly established by Imperial College and the Institute for Cancer Research. Before moving to Imperial, he worked at the International Agency for Research on Cancer where he initiated the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) that recruited over half a million participants in 10 European Countries and established the first dedicated large-scale population biobank. Over the past three decades, Professor Riboli has been leading research based on EPIC and other prospective cohort studies in the fields of epidemiology, cancer prevention and the fight against chronic illness. Alongside this work, he was appointed the first Director of the School of Public Health in 2006. By 2008 the School was ranked second-best among UK academic institutions in Epidemiology and Public Health by the UK Government Research Assessment Exercise. He also cemented links between the Imperial College Faculty of Medicine and the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and led ground-breaking partnerships in Singapore and Qatar that developed the first biobanks in the Middle East. In 2018, Professor Riboli was made an Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy in recognition of his work to promote British-Italian relations in science, university teaching and research. In 2021, he received the Imperial College Medal, awarded for meritorious or praiseworthy service to the College or for having otherwise enhanced its reputation, mission and objectives. He has co-authored over 1,000 peer-reviewed publications, of which 700 are based on EPIC. He has contributed to over 100 book chapters and three books and serves on editorial boards of major journals on nutrition, cancer, epidemiology and medicine and also on national and international committees addressing health policy in relation to cancer epidemiology/prevention and nutrition. Professor Riboli holds an M.D. degree (1977, State University of Milan), a Master of Public Health (1980, Milan) and a Master of Science in Epidemiology (1982, Harvard University). Professor Riboli is a Registered Physician (General Medical Council, UK, 2005) and an Honorary Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health of the Royal College of Physicians (2008) and Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences of UK (2009).

Dr. Elio Riboli

Director, Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research
Director, Public Health Research,
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK

Mrs. Bouchra Bensaoud

Ms. Bouchra Bensaoud is President for Middle East, Africa & Turkey at Danaher Corporation. Danaher is ranked 130th on Fortune 500. It is a NYSE listed Global Science and Technology Innovator that designs, manufactures, and markets innovative products and services to professional, medical, industrial, and commercial customers with Market Capitalization of over $200 Bln. Bouchra has over 25 years’ experience in business management, financial management, strategic planning, leadership and people development, corporate governance, and industry best practices. Bouchra has a track record of delivering profitable growth and cost optimization through application of innovative commercial strategies grounded in deep understanding of the business and global markets. Bouchra leads diverse cross functional teams and manages global organisational transformation, navigating different economic and cultural environments with ease and confidence. Motivational leader and exceptional communicator, who builds capacity and bench strength to meet business challenges Bouchra joined Danaher in 2017 as Vice President Finance MEA & Turkey and in 2019 moved to her current role of President MEA & Turkey. Prior to Danaher, Bouchra grew her career with Procter & Gamble as a Senior Finance leader before moving to Emitac in 2015 as group CFO. During her career, Bouchra, has lived and worked in Morocco, France, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates. Bouchra graduated with a bachelor’s in international finance from Paris Business School in Paris. She resides with her family in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and has 3 children.

Mrs. Bouchra Bensaoud

President, Middle-East, Africa and Turkey,
Danaher Corporation, UAE

Mr. Brock Reeve

Brock Reeve is CEO and Co-founder of Eos BioInnovation,USA. an investment company focused on incubating and launching companies in the regenerative medicine field.
From 2006-2022, Brock was the Executive Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, a research center that grew to over 350 faculty spanning the schools of Harvard University and its affiliated hospitals and research institutions. Brock’s prior experience was in the commercial sector in both management consulting and operations for technology-based companies, with a focus on life sciences.
Brock was the former CEO of IVIVA Medical where he is now on the Board of Directors.
He is a co-founder of Elevian, on the Board of Directors of Thrive Bioscience, an advisor to other companies, and on the Board of Trustees for the Pioneer Charter School of Science in Everett, MA.
Brock received a BA and MPhil from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mr. Brock Reeve

CEO and Co-founder,
Eos BioInnovation, USA

Dr. Ahmed Ashour Ahmed

I am a Professor of Gynaecological Oncology at the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health at the University of Oxford and a Consultant Gynaecological Oncology Surgeon at the Oxford Cancer and Haematology Centre and is a Fellow of St Hugh’s College. I lead laboratory-based translational research in Gynaecological Oncology. My main research interest is in the surgical, medical and fundamental research into ovarian cancer. I graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt and completed my PhD and Gynaecological Oncology Surgical training at the University of Cambridge. I received my postdoctoral research training at the University of Cambridge and at the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in the USA. I was appointed as a Clinical Reader in Oxford in 2010 and became a Medical Research Council Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and Professor of Gynaecological Oncology in 2012.

Dr. Ahmed Ashour Ahmed

Professor, Gynaecological Oncology,
Director, Ovarian Cancer Cell Laboratory, University of Oxford,
Founder and Director, Singula Bio Ltd., UK

Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld

Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld is an international manager, investor and entrepreneur. Dr. Kleinfeld is the CEO & Chairman of Constellation, a NYSE listed SPAC. He also founded K2Elevation a company that invests in and develops international enterprises in the technology and biotech segment. Currently his portfolio consists of activities in Germany, Austria and the US. He also advises a number of corporations as well as different organizations. He is a member of the supervisory boards of NEOM, Konux and Ferolabs.
Prior to this he was the first CEO of NEOM. He is a member of the NEOM board and advises the Kingdom in economic development matters. From 2008-2017, he served as Chairman and CEO of Alcoa/Arconic. He stirred the company through one of the worst commodity crises in history while building out high value add aerospace, jet engine and automotive businesses and positioned the company in innovative high-tech sectors finally allowing the company to be split into Alcoa and Arconic.
Previously, Dr. Kleinfeld had a twenty-year career with Siemens. He became CEO of Siemens AG early 2005, and successfully lead the company through a substantial transformation. Prior to this, he was President and CEO responsible for the largest Siemens region, the Siemens US Corporation. In this function he successfully restructured the US operations resulting in a sustainable turnaround. During his tenure with Siemens Kleinfeld held various positions in the Medical, Telecommunication, IT, Automation and Power Generation businesses. Before Siemens he worked as a product manager in the pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland. He started his career in consulting.
Dr. Kleinfeld is an Honorary Senator of the Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting, an Honorary Trustee of the Brookings Institute, a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Metropolitan Opera Board. He was appointed as advisor to several US Presidents in various roles, also was as a member of the Premier of the Chinese Peoples Republic Li’s Global CEO Advisory Council, a member of the Major of Shanghai’s International Business Leaders Advisory Council and served as a member of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of Russia, the Chairman of the US Russian Business Council and the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum. He served on the board of the Center of Disease Control, Turner Construction, Bayer, Citibank, Hewlett Packard and Morgan Stanley. Kleinfeld was born in Bremen, Germany. He holds an MBA from the University of Goettingen and a PhD from the University of Wuerzburg, Germany.

Dr. Klaus Kleinfeld

CEO and Chairman,
Constellation Acquisition Corp., USA

Mr. Walter Klemp

Walter (Wally) Klemp is the Chairman and CEO of Moleculin Biotech, Inc., USA, a Nasdaq-listed (Nasdaq: MBRX) drug development company based in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Klemp is the Founder and Chairman of two current Nasdaq-listed biotech companies (MBRX, SOLY), one in cancer drug development and one in medical devices. With 19 years in the biotechnology industry, he has been responsible for numerous clinical trials, as well as regulatory approvals of both drugs and devices and out-licenses to EU and Asian drug companies. He has raised nearly $1 billion in development stage funding for his companies, including 7 public securities issuances and 4 Nasdaq IPOs. Mr. Klemp’s first company became #1 on the INC 500 List of America’s Fastest Growing Companies, as well as earning the American Marketing Association’s Gold Edison Award. He was invited to serve as an Advisor to the White House Conference on Small Business and has delivered numerous lectures on the development of the biotechnology sectors.
Soliton was listed as the most successful Reg. A+ IPO by the Wall Street Journal in 2019 and recently announced it is being sold to AbbVie at a value of approximately $.5 billion.
Mr. Klemp helped facilitate an initiative similar to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 in the country of Poland. This was called “Vision 2020,” and its objective was to help diversify Poland’s economy by establishing Poland as a hub for new technology, with an emphasis on biotechnology, throughout Eastern Europe. Specifically, Moleculin, which had been developing technologies discovered at MD Anderson Cancer Center (the world’s largest cancer research center), sublicensed cutting edge cancer drug technologies to development companies in Poland (including rights to surrounding territories) in exchange for access to grant funding intended for their Vision 2020. This led directly to the expansion of clinical trial activity in Poland.

Mr. Walter Klemp

Chairman and CEO,
Moleculin Biotech, Inc., USA
Khaled Alsayegh is an Associate Research Scientist at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC) at the National Guard hospital. He received his PhD from the Medical College of Virginia in Virginia Commonwealth University, specializing in Human and Molecular Genetics. He did his postdoctoral training at the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Sciences (ABMES) in Tokyo Women's Medical University. Dr. Alsayegh research interests focus on bridging the gap between Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cells technology and clinical application. He works on bioengineering robust and clinically safe iPS-derived cardiac tissue and on improving hematopoietic differentiation of iPS cells.

Dr. Khaled AlSayegh

VAssociate Director, Biomedical Research, KAIMRC, KSA
Saudi Bank of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Dr. Hani Gabra

Hani Gabra is Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Papyrus Therapeutics, USA (http://papyrustherapeutics.com), an emerging preclinical biotech company.
He is also Emeritus Professor of Medical Oncology at Imperial College London and Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, based at the Hammersmith Campus of Imperial College, and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.
Prior to this he concurrently held positions as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Clinical Development at BerGenBio ASA in Oxford, UK (2019-21), and as Chief Physician Scientist and Vice President / Head of the Clinical Discovery Unit at AstraZeneca PLC in Cambridge UK (2017-19).
Until May 2017 he was Head of the Molecular Therapeutics Unit, Deputy Head of the Division of Cancer and Director of the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Center at Imperial College, and Head of Medical Oncology, Chair of the Cancer Research Committee and Associate Director and Lead of the Cancer Division (Division 1) of the NIHR Clinical Research Network for North West London.
Hani studied Medicine at the University of Glasgow and gained his PhD in Molecular Oncology from the University of Edinburgh. He then completed his specialist training in Cancer Medicine in Edinburgh and was CRUK Clinical Scientist and Consultant Medical Oncologist at the CRUK Edinburgh Medical Oncology Unit from 1998-2003, following which he took up his Chair appointment at Imperial College London in 2003.
His research interests are in the roles of tumour suppressor genes in ovarian cancer, particularly how OPCML regulates networks of receptor tyrosine kinases, and in all aspects of gynaecological cancer.

Dr. Hani Gabra

Founder and Chief Scientific Officer,
Papyrus Therapeutics, UK

Dr. Raed H. AlHazme

Raed H. AlHazme, PhD, is the Executive Director of the IT Department at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA),KSA. and the IDC CIO of the Year 2021.
The scope of the IT department at MNGHA covers 2 medical cities, 3 hospitals and 72 primary healthcare centers distributed across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Dr. AlHazme has been involved in the management of IT departments in different environments for more than 15 years.
Led by Dr. AlHazme, MNGHA’s digital transformation process has progressed to a high-level of digital maturity.
As per the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), MNGHA is the only healthcare organization in the world that has reached quadruple Stage 7 (highest level) on HIMSS’s digital maturity models.
Furthermore, MNGHA King Abdulaziz Medical City has been selected in 2021 as one of the 250 top Smart Hospitals in the World based on the renowned Newsweek ranking.
Academically, is an adjunct assistant professor in the health informatics department at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and in the biomedical informatics department at Nova Southeastern University, FL, USA. Dr. AlHazme’s research activities are focused on digital transformation, health informatics and data science, which involved publishing a number of scientific literatures and registering four patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Dr. Raed H. AlHazme

Executive Director, IT Department,
Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, KSA

Dr. Harald C Ott

Harald C Ott is a Thoracic Surgeon at the Massachusetts General Brigham in Boston, Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Center for Organ Engineering at MGH, and Founder and CEO of IVIVA Medical,USA. Harald is best known for his seminal work in organ engineering and the integration of stem and developmental biology principles in the creation of living, functioning organ constructs. He has authored over 100 research articles and book chapters, has been issued numerous national and international patents on organ engineering and regenerative medicine technology, and has mentored well over 100 students and research fellows in both academia and industry.

Dr. Harald C Ott

Director, Center for Organ Engineering, MGH,
Founder and CEO,
IVIVA Medical, USA

Dr. Majed Al Jeraisy

With a Bachelor degree of Science in pharmacy from King Saud University, Riyadh 1991, a Master of Science degree in Clinical Pharmacy KSU, 1996. Further on completed Doctor of Pharmacy from university of Tennessee, USA 1999. And in 2009, completed Master of Science in medical Education, KSAU-HS, Riyadh.

Currently, I am an Associated Professor, Collage of pharmacy, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for health science as well as pediatric Clinical Pharmacy consultant, King Abdullah Specialized hospital.

I am appointed Director of Clinical Trial Services, in addition to Chairman of Research Office, King Abdullah International Medical research Center. I participated in a number of workshops and courses including American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Master class in Effective Leadership and Anti- Thrombosis Certificate program.

I am a reviewer of some local and international peer reviewed journals, also authored and co-authored numerous and relevant papers in the field of Pediatrics, Pharmacotherapy, General Medicine, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology that were published in reputable Journals

Dr. Majed Al Jeraisy

Chairman, Research Office,
Director, Clinical Trial Services,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Dr. Hicham Fenniri

Dr. Hicham Fenniri received his BSc, MSc, and PhD from the University of Strasbourg, France. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Scripps Research Institute, CA, USA, he moved to Purdue University, IN, USA, where he established the Purdue Laboratory for Chemical Nanotechnology. In 2003, He joined the National Research Council as a founding member of the National Institute for Nanotechnology and as Professor of Chemistry and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alberta (Canada, 2003-2013). In 2013, Dr. Fenniri joined Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA as a Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemistry & Chemical Biology. In 2022 he joined University Mohammed VI Polytechnic where he holds several roles, including Professor, holder of the Chair on Technology Development and Business Transformation, Vice-President for Research and Innovation, and Scientific Director of the Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science Innovation and Research (MAScIR). Dr. Fenniri’s contributions appeared in over 250 publications, 21 patents and patent applications, and over 500 contributed national and international conference papers. Dr. Fenniri has also lectured extensively around the globe and has been an invited professor at several institutes and universities.

Dr. Hicham Fenniri

Vice President for Research,
University Mohammed 6 Polytechnic, Morocco

Ms. Monica Rassai

Monica is a difference maker who is passionate about building high-performing teams, solving complex problems, and translating the voice of customers into innovative solutions. Monica brings more than 33 years of diverse experiences to her current role. 25 of these years are dedicated to leadership roles in the medical device industry and cross-functional team management roles of progressive responsibilities from different medical device companies. She brings along an outstanding career from Radiometer America, Johnson & Johnson & Beckman Coulter. At Beckman and over 20 years, she had hands-on experience in many functions from customer service, tactical marketing, R&D, Strategic Marketing, System Development, Product Management, and Program management, and led the integration of Olympus and Beckman Coulter as Lean Six Sigma Leader. Monica served as a member of the North American leadership team member as VP of Marketing & ignited positive changes, launching game changer products while building a strong marketing team in the Diagnostic platform. Currently, Monica serves as a member of HGM leadership as VP of Marketing and Strategic Initiatives in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Monica holds an MBA in Marketing and recently moved from Southern California to Dubai to be closer to HGM countries.

Ms. Monica Rassai

Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Initiatives, High Growth Market,
Beckman Coulter, UAE

Dr. Neil Domigan

Neil has a Phd from Otago University NZ, MBA Massey University NZ. After Postdoc at Institut Pasteur Paris, studied chemical pathology of inflammatory disease and motor neuron disease. Has run a NZ Government backed venture capital partnership, founding and exiting two companies; served as Director of Craneligh Merchant Bank, and had C-level roles in public and private biotechs and is Vice President Business for Australian vaccine company Vaxmed.

Dr. Neil Domigan

Vice President Business,
VaxMed, Australia

Dr. Mohammad Bosaeed

Infectious Disease Consultant, Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Assistant Professor, college of medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Associate director of clinical trial services, KAIMRC. Mohammad Bosaeed (M.D), a graduate of King Abdulaziz University, School of Medicine, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) in 2009. After graduating, he completed a residency training program in internal medicine at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Afterward, he completed a Fellowship program in adult infectious diseases. He subspecialized in Transplant infectious diseases by having a clinical fellowship from the University of Toronto, Canada.

Dr. Mohammad Bosaeed

Deputy Chief, Medical Eligibility Department,
Infectious Disease Consultant, Department of Medicine,
King Abdulaziz Medical City, KSA

Dr. Manal Alaamery

Dr. Manal Alaamery, is currently the Chairman of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department (IED) and Head of the Developmental Medicine Department (DMD) at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), KSA, at the Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs (MNGHA). She is also the director of the satellite lab for the National Saudi Genome Program at KAIMRC, and a Principal Investigator at the Center of Excellence for Biomedicine (CEBM) at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Brigham Woman’s Hospital (BWH) in association with Harvard Medical School. Formerly, she was an instructor at the Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston. As the chairman of IED, she is responsible for the ongoing Innovation activities at KAIMRC/KSAU-HS and the MNGHA. The IED was established to serve the Kingdom’s vision 2030 and further enhance its resources and economic stability. Dr. Alaamery provides leadership in the identification and KAIMRC-wide adoption of innovation metrics to optimize KAIMRC’s research and innovation portfolio. Some of the IED activities include creating Innovation and entrepreneurship programs specifications, documentation, and materials, registering patents, copyrights, and trademarks at patent offices around the world. Her main focus in the research development stages and played an instrumental role in the advancement of basic research to the biotech industry. As the Head of DMD, Dr. Alaamery’s research investigates the causes of different genetic disorders such as understanding the genetic causes of non-syndromic congenital heart defect in the Saudi population with the goal of identifying novel genes and therapeutic targets for rare disorders. In addition, with the collaborators from BHW and KACST, she and her team are studying the role of sphingolipid metabolism in neurodegeneration to identify candidate targets for therapeutic intervention for different neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Furthermore, during the COVD-19 pandemic and given the lack of knowledge in the genetic basis of SARS-CoV-2 infection pathogenesis in Saudi, Dr. Alaamery got involved in a national/ international project (KAIMRC-KACST) focused on identifying human genetic determinants of SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility, severity and outcome in the Saudi population. Dr. Alaamery received her clinical and postgraduate training at Harvard Medical School Genetics Program. She completed her clinical training at the Laboratory of Molecular Medicine (LMM) at Harvard focused on the areas of Hypertrophic and Dilated Cardiomyopathies, Neurological disorders, Muscular disorders, Hearing loss, Noonan spectrum, Pharmacogenetics. Dr. Alaamery also holds a Doctoral (Ph.D.) degree in Molecular Genetics/Biology from Boston College and a Master of Science degree in Clinical Microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University. During Dr. Alaamery’s work and career, she has established herself as a research leader, and published in prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as patenting a number of novel ideas. Dr. Alaamery also taught several courses, led many initiatives and held several committee positions. In addition, Dr. Alaamery is the recipient of several awards including the Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research Award, Harvard Partners in Excellence Award for team work.

Dr. Manal Alaamery

Head, Developmental Medicine,
Chairman, Innovation and Entrepreneurship,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Dr. Bader Alahmari

Dr. Bader Alahmari obtained MBBS from King Khalid University in 2005 and finished his Residency in Internal Medicine from King Abdulaziz Medical City- Riyadh,KSA, and obtained the Saudi Board in Internal Medicine in 2010. He then carried on to complete his clinical fellowship in Hematology/ Oncology in 2016 as well as the fellowship in Bone Marrow Transplant from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA in 2017. He also obtained Master of Science in Clinical Investigation, Translation Medicine Track from the same institution in 2017. Currently, he is a consultant in Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Division, Department of Oncology, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs-Riyadh. He has multiple publications focused in the development of novel therapeutic targets for graft versus host disease (GVHD) in experemental murine GVHD model. His current research work focuses in the development of cellular theapy for cancer management.

Dr. Bader Alahmari

Director, Hematology Fellowship Program,
Consultant, Adult Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy,
Department of Oncology,
King Abdulaziz Medical City, KSA

Dr. Lamya Alomair

Dr. Lamya is recognized in Saudi Arabia as an influencer and innovator in the field of technology. She has an extensive list of accomplishments, participating in numerous national technological projects, collaborating with different healthcare institutions and professionals globally. These information health system projects have had a positive impact on improving healthcare delivery, assisting healthcare professionals to make more efficient and effective decisions and to embrace trending innovations in the field, enabling successful digital transformations in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Lamya Alomair is currently the Head of AI and Bioinformatics at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), and an affiliated faculty member at George Mason University, USA. Her work was featured in several international media, including first edition by MIT Technology Review, In 2022, with her deep knowledge analytics she was picked as one of the "Top 30 Leading Arab Experts in AI 2022". Dr. Alomair earned her PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology from GMU, USA.
Dr. Alomair has been examining the rapidly evolving field of AI, exploring its current and potential applications in healthcare sectors. She is organizing many symposiums and workshops in the field of AI. She is an active supporter and enabler in the fields of both AI and Big Data. She regularly promotes AI & Bioinformatics as a guest speaker.
Dr. Alomair serves on several national committees to build AI and Bioinformatics national strategy development. She utilizes her excellent communication skills and actively involving in building various strategies for collaboration nationally and internationally. She also offers her expertise to healthcare projects and research consultancy to promote the advancements and implementations.

Dr. Lamya Alomair

Head, AI and Bioinformatics,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Ms. El E. Lee

El E. Lee is a Cofounder and a Partner at Excolo, Singapore based global health consulting firm and the Chief Operation Officer at Excolo Bio. She is responsible for strategic partnership, business development, government relations and company creation projects. El has over 15 years of experience in public and private partnerships, and assessing international collaboration opportunities. Her professional experience spans the globe; she has lived and worked in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Korea and Norway. Prior to joining Excolo, she served the international organization, International Center for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) as the Representative, East Asia and External Relations Coordinator at the International Vaccine Institute. El Lee received an Advanced Diploma in International Development at the University of Cambridge, UK. She did her undergrad at the program of the National University of Milan, Italy, and Columbia University in the city of New York, USA.

Ms. El E. Lee

Cofounder and a Partner,
Chief Operation Officer,
Excolo Bio, Singapore

Dr. Majed Al Ghoribi

Dr. Majed Alghoribi is currently Chairman of the Infectious Diseases Research Department and Associate Research Scientist at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC). Member of COVID-19 National Research Committee in Saudi Arabia; Member of National Public Health Laboratory Committee in Saudi Arabia; Member of Food Safety and Risk Assessment Advisory Committee at Saudi Food and Drug Administration; Member of National Antimicrobial resistance program In Saudi Arabia. He has been involved in postgraduate teaching and training in different national and international universities.
Dr. Alghoribi completed his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia, Master degree in Molecular and Medical Microbiology at the University of Manchester, UK, and PhD in Infection, immunity, inflammation and repair at the school of Medicine at The University of Manchester. In addition, Dr. Alghoribi obtained another master degree in Leadership and Management for Healthcare Practice at the University of Salford, UK. He continued his postdoctoral fellowship at Public Health England, London, UK working at the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infection (AMRHAI) reference unit with Prof. Neil Woodford group. Dr. Alghoribi established the National Guard Health Affairs (NGHA) whole-genome sequencing-based surveillance of clinically important pathogens, including AMR, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. He has a wide range of research activities and publications in peer-reviewed journals in the field of microbial genomics and antimicrobial resistance.

Dr. Majed Al Ghoribi

Chairman, Infectious Diseases Research Department,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Mr. Torben Sandgren

Torben Sandgren has a track record of driving growth and innovation in major global healthcare companies across several medical-device areas, including epilepsy, continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), Parkinson, sleep disorder, ostomy, advanced wound care, urology as well as several specialties within general surgery.
Since 2018 CEO of UNEEG medical and prior to this, Vice President, Global Sales, Marketing and R&D/IPR at ConvaTec Group Plc and Unomedical Inc. Further, Torben held international leadership roles in Coloplast A/S in China and Denmark and BP/Castrol Oil in Denmark and Austria. He holds a B. Com in Marketing Economics from Copenhagen Business School.

Mr. Torben Sandgren

CEO,
UNEEG medical A/S, Denmark

Dr. Beryl Oppenheim

Dr. Beryl Oppenheim undertook her medical training at the University of the Witwatersrand and subsequently trained in Medical Microbiology in South Africa and the United Kingdom. She worked as a Consultant Microbiologist in the National Health Service in England for many years, both as Director of two large Public Health Laboratories and as Director of Infection Prevention and Control for two acute hospitals. Her main research interests have been antimicrobial resistance, infection prevention, and infections in the critically ill and immunocompromised host. She has published widely with more than 100 peer reviewed publications. Dr. Oppenheim took up a post as Senior Director, Medical Affairs at Cepheid in 2017.

Dr. Beryl Oppenheim

Senior Director, Medical Affairs,
Cepheid, UK

Mr. Scott Ripley

Scott Ripley is the General Manager of the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics business for Cytiva, leading the global commercial go-to-market strategy. Scott has over twenty years of experience across research and bioprocess businesses including a recent focus on the mRNA domain.

Mr. Scott Ripley

General Manager, Nucleic Acid Therapeutics,
Cytiva, Sweden

Dr. Dunia Jawdat

Prof. Jawdat is the Chairman of the department of Cellular Therapy Services, which includes the Saudi Stem Cell Donor Registry (SSCDR), Cord Blood Bank, Stem Cell Laboratory and Cellular Therapy Laboratory at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center. She is a Senior Research Scientist and a Consultant Clinical Scientist in the field of Immunology certified by the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology.
Prof. Jawdat is a Professor of Immunology in the College of Medicine, and the Chair of the Department of Basic Sciences at the Female Branch of the College of Sciences and Health Profession at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS).
Prof. Jawdat is an active member of numerous professional societies including the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), the American Society of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI), European Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EMBT), and the Saudi Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (SSBMT). She is serving as the Vice president of the Arabian Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenomics (ARSHI) and a board member of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) and Chair of Supporting Global Development. Furthermore, Dr. Jawdat is a WMDA Quality/ Accreditation Experienced Reviewer, and Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) quality standard reviewer and inspector.

Dr. Dunia Jawdat

Chairman, Department of Cellular Therapy Services,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Dr. Badr Al Muzaini

MSC in medical genetic and PhD in Cell and Molecular Genetic from Karolinska Institute-Sweden, skilled on medical genetic/Genomic including diagnostic and clinical research aspect in both neoplastic and constitutional disorder with high experience in cytogenetic, molecular cytogenetic , molecular genetics and numerous genomic and epigenomic methods including sequencing, Chip-seq, RNA-seq .

Dr. Badr Al Muzaini

Deputy Chairman, Medical Genomic Department,
Research Scientist and Consultant Genetic Lab,
King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, KSA

Dr. Eva Turgonyi

Dr. Eva Turgonyi is currently Medical Director for GCC at AstraZeneca, based in Dubai, UAE. She is a senior medical affairs leader physician, committed to improving health outcomes in multiple therapeutic areas, advancing clinical practice change with science driven and patient focused approaches. She has led end to end medical evidence generation programs including global phase III studies, international disease registries contributing to cardiovascular, renal and metabolic therapeutic area shaping and launch of multiple innovative medicines.
Her current focus is to support pioneering innovative health solutions and to foster collaborations across the healthcare ecosystem stakeholders in GCC.
She holds a Medical Doctorate in General Medicine, a Diploma in Clinical Research and is a GMC United Kingdom registered physician with wealth of experience obtained at global, regional and country level roles in UK, Ireland and Poland at top pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sanofi Aventis.

Dr. Eva Turgonyi

Medical Director GCC,
AstraZeneca, UAE

Dr. Anitaben Tailor

Anitaben Tailor brings over 10 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Anita earned her Master’s in Pharmacology at Kings College, London and then went on to do her Ph.D. in Biochemical Immunopharmacology at the University of London, UK. She was then appointed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Louisiana State University Health followed by faculty positions at Johns Hopkins and National Institutes of Health USA. In 2009, Anita moved into industry as a Field Application Scientist for Mesoscale Diagnostics and Singulex (now MilliporeSigma, a business of Merck KGaA, Damstadt, Germany), supporting immunoassays in diverse research applications for academia and industry. In 2016, Anita was appointed the global role of SMC Technology and Application Lead, where she led multiple teams globally on the utility of Highly sensitive Single Molecule Counting (SMC®) immunoassay technology as a bioanalytical tool within industry prior to joining the Global Biology Technical Marketing group, to continue supporting immunoassays, in high growth research area and therapeutic modalities in Drug Discovery and development for Pharma and CRO

Dr. Anitaben Tailor

Global Technical Marketing Manager, Immunoassay Platform Solutions,
MERCK, USA

Dr. Samantha Nicholson

Samantha Nicholson completed a PhD in biochemistry at the University of Cape Town in 2012 before going on to complete two postdoctoral fellowships one at the University of the Witwatersrand focused on gene therapies for chronic HBV and the second at the University of Pretoria in the application of engineered hematopoietic stem cells to treat HIV. In 2017 Samantha joined Merck as the specialist for Africa for advanced genomics, molecular biology, and cell culture where she focused on protocol and assay development, and skills acquisition for cutting edge technologies including CRISPR-Cas9 and siRNA across Africa and the Middle East. In early 2022, Samantha was promoted to global technical application and process improvement specialist for genome engineering at Merck Life Sciences where she continued her work around the adoption of CRISPR technologies and advanced modelling at a global scale. Recently, Samantha has transitioned into her current role as Global technical marketing manager for cell culture workflows where she focuses on supporting the growth and adoption of advanced modelling and cell culture techniques to create better disease models and develop more precise and effective cell-based therapies.

Dr. Samantha Nicholson

Global Technical Marketing Manager, Cell Culture Workflows,
MERCK, South Africa

Mr. Matthieu Guibourgé

Matthieu Guibourgé, Senior Commercial Director EMEA, Digital Pathology and Workflow, Matthieu joined Leica Biosystems in April 2016 as General Manager France, a position he has held until April 2018. He is now leading the Digital Pathology and Workflow organization, supporting digital transformations, from workflow improvement to WSI management. He has 20 years of experience in Sales, Marketing and Leadership. He began his career at Bell Canada as a Product Manager. Before Danaher, he spent 10 years at Johnson & Johnson, leaving the organization as a Business Unit Director of Ethicon France after committing to multiple sales and leadership positions. He holds a B.A. in Marketing & Strategy from the European Business School group and an MBA from Erasmus Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands.

Mr. Matthieu Guibourgé

Senior Commercial Director EMEA, Workflow and Digital Pathology,
Leica Biosystems, France