Conference Speakers
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Philippe Beaupere SubstipharmPhilippe BeauperePhilippe Beaupere
Chief Corporate Development Officer at Substipharm
Bio
Philippe Beaupere joined Substipharm in 2016, bringing with him expertise in Business Development and M&A transactions. At Substipharm, he has helped transform the company from a pure B2B player into a fully-fledged Pharmaceutical Company, opening subsidiaries in the UK, Italy, Switzerland and Thailand, while also diversifying its portfolio and entering the vaccine arena with the setup of its Biologics division. Before that, Philippe was Vice-President Corporate Development at Biocodex from 2013 to 2016. From 2007 to 2013, he served in various Business Development positions in the UK working for Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Goldshield and Mercury Pharmaceuticals, before it’s merger to become AMCo.
Philippe is an avid paraglider and holds a PhD in Pharmacy from Paris University, alongside a business degree from HEC school of management in Paris. -
Frédéric Lévy Debiopharm International SAFrédéric LévyFrédéric Lévy
Chief Scientific Officer at Debiopharm International SA
Bio
Dr Lévy obtained his doctorate at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and spent several years at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He moved then to Lausanne to take a leadership position in translational biology at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and a Professorship at the University of Lausanne. He joined Debiopharm in 2008. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer, Head of External & Internal Innovation.
External innovation is a key component of Debiopharm’s business model and is reflected by a yearly deal flow of more than 300 assets in oncology that are sourced from biotech and academic centers globally. Deal structures of selected assets are adapted to reach win-win outcomes between Debiopharm and its partners. Dr Lévy also oversees internal innovation, primarily based on Debiopharm’s proprietary linker-payload technology to produce antibody-drug conjugates. -
Peter Louwagie Genmab A/SPeter LouwagiePeter Louwagie
SVP Corporate & Business Development at Genmab A/S
Bio
Peter has more than twenty years of experience in inbound and outbound transactions in the biopharma sector. He has acquired a deep understanding of the transaction environment in our industry. He is currently Senior Vice President Corporate & Business Development at Genmab, responsible for all the transactions that encompass discovery, clinical and commercial stage. Under his leadership, Genmab transacted its first M&A in its history in 2024. Prior to joining Genmab, Peter worked for more than a decade at Novartis in Basel, Switzerland as Head Transactions Immunology, Global Head BD&L Neuroscience, Deputy Head Global M&A, and BD&L Finance executing multiple transactions such as Novartis first RLT and gene-therapy acquisitions). He started his career in the biopharma sector in the M&A department of UCB SA in Brussels, Belgium.
He began his career at PwC (former Coopers & Lybrand) as Certified Public Auditor and Tax Consultant. Peter holds an engineering degree in Applied Economics with majors in Accountancy and Tax from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. -
Melanie Senior Commentator on the biopharma industryMelanie SeniorMelanie Senior
Biopharma writer for Nature Biotechnology, Evaluate Pharma, IN VIVO
Bio
Melanie Senior is a renowned commentator on the biopharma industry, recognised internationally for her insights. She covers biopharma R&D, strategy and investment for the Nature portfolio, Evaluate Pharma and Citeline. Melanie also supports life sciences companies and associations with white papers and market positioning.
After starting her reporting career at the London Financial Times, Melanie became Bureau Chief, Europe, for Elsevier Business Intelligence (subsequently Informa). She worked on US reimbursement and pricing with Real Endpoints and was part of EY Life Sciences’ thought leadership team (2014-2017).
Melanie’s holds a First Class degree in Natural Sciences (biochemistry) from Cambridge University and post-graduate qualifications in Sports Physiology & Nutrition (St Mary’s University) and International Health Technology Assessment (University of Sheffield). She is a keen runner, cyclist and swimmer. -
Marianne Späne Siegfried Holding AGMarianne SpäneMarianne Späne
CBO EVP Member of the Executive Committee at Siegfried
Bio
In leading positions of the industry for more than 20 years, with a global network in the pharmaceutical and chemical environment as well as a profound understanding and extensive knowledge of the chemical and pharmaceutical market along the whole value chain.
Joined the Siegfried Group in 2004 responsible for the Pharmaceutical Business Unit between 2004 and 2008. Headed the Siegfried Pharmaceutical Division form 2008 and 2010 and appointed as Chief Business Officer as well as Member of the Global Strategy and Executive Committee in March 2010, led the execution of the transactions and implementation of Irvine sterile company (today 150 FTEs) in California.
She has a degree in finance, business administration, Marketing, Statistics, Business Analytics and Leadership., Member of the EFCG (European Chemicals Group) 2013 – 2019, Advisory Committee Member DCAT (Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association, Inc.) 2014 – 2016, Elected in 2019 as one of the Top 10 influence leader in the CDMO industry
In November 2023 graduated from International Board Certificate Program, IMP of the University of St. Gallen and HEC Lausanne, about International governance. -
Kelvin Stott Amporin Pharmaceuticals AGKelvin StottKelvin Stott
Founder & CEO at Amporin Pharmaceuticals AG
Bio
Kelvin Stott is a seasoned pharma R&D portfolio strategy executive, biotech CEO, and entrepreneur with over 20 years of diverse leadership experience in drug discovery, development, and portfolio management. Renowned for his visionary systems thinking and entrepreneurial drive, Kelvin has successfully established and led biotech ventures, including Amporin Pharmaceuticals AG, focused on innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Previously, he spearheaded portfolio management functions at CSL Behring, Novartis and Merck Serono, designing advanced tools and processes that transformed strategic decision-making and resource allocation for multibillion-dollar R&D portfolios. A PhD graduate from the University of Cambridge and former McKinsey consultant, Kelvin combines deep scientific expertise with a strategic, collaborative approach. Passionate about innovation and R&D productivity, he inspires teams to challenge conventions and deliver impactful results in dynamic, fast-changing environments. -
Sian Tanner IQVIASian TannerSian Tanner
Principal, Value and Payer Evidence Consulting at IQVIA
Bio
As Advisory Lead for IQVIA’s EU HTA Solutions team, Sian brings her 9 years of experience in global market access strategic consulting to this new and dynamic topic. Her current role focuses on leading tailored engagements with pharma clients preparing for EU HTA, from organisational readiness through to asset-specific JSC/JCA strategy planning and dossier development. IQVIA has worked extensively with industry, trade associations, and the HTA stakeholders involved in crafting the EU HTA regulation and is at the forefront of thought leadership in the space - with multiple publications, whitepapers and conference posters in recent years.
After her degree in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge and PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Leeds, Sian worked in regulatory at Procter & Gamble on the OTC medicines portfolio prior to joining IQVIA in 2016. -
David Veitch Basilea PharmaceuticaDavid VeitchDavid Veitch
CEO at Basilea Pharmaceutica
Bio
David Veitch joined Basilea in 2014 as Chief Commercial Officer. Before that, from 2012 to 2013, he served as the president of European operations at Savient Pharmaceuticals. From 2007 to 2011, he served as senior vice president of European marketing & brand commercialization at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals. From 2004 to 2007, he was vice president & general manager UK at Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals. Prior to this Mr. Veitch held various general management and commercial roles in Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals and prior to that commercial roles with SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals.
David holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Bristol. -
Karen Wagner Managing Partner at Ysios CapitalKaren WagnerKaren Wagner
Managing Partner at Ysios Capital
Bio
Karen Wagner is a senior executive and entrepreneur with 25 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Karen is Managing Partner at Ysios Capital and has a leading role in the investment team and the portfolio. Prior to joining Ysios in 2008, she was a Global Alliance Director for F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel, Switzerland. She joined Roche from GLYCART, a biotech company in the antibody engineering space, which was acquired by Roche in 2005. Previously she was a Consultant with McKinsey & Company’s Global Healthcare Practice. She serves on the Boards of Cytoki Pharma, Vivet Therapeutics, AELIX Therapeutics, Minoryx Therapeutics, Synendos and SparingVision and holds an observer seat at Xeltis. Formerly, she was Board Member at Xeltis, Cardoz, Kala Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:KALA), and Galecto (NASDQ:GLTO). She holds a master’s degree in Molecular Biology and a PhD in Cell Biology.