Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors has seven members with a broad range of experience including general management, micro-electronics, technology development, technology protection (patents), strategic alliances and company restructuring.
» André-Michel Ballester
» Timothy J. Haines
» Dr. Hans A. Küpper
» Dr. Wolfgang Oster
» Robert J. Rosenthal
» Steffen Suchert
André-Michel Ballester
MEMBER
Mr. Ballester has more than 20 years of experience in the medical field. He is currently a member of the Board and CEO of the Sorin Group, the largest European cardiovascular company and world leader in medical technologies for cardiac surgery. Mr. Ballester has been with the Sorin Group since 2004, previously as President of the Cardiac Rhythm Management Business Unit. Mr. Ballester was, from 2000 to 2004, Corporate Vice President EMEA, Asia and Latin America for Edwards Lifesciences. For over ten years prior to Edwards’ spin-off from Baxter, Mr. Ballester also held several executive positions with Baxter in Europe and in the USA, and was appointed President, CardioVascular Group, Europe in 1997.
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Timothy J. Haines
VICE CHAIRMAN
Timothy J. Haines has more than 23 years of international management experience in the life sciences industry and is in his current function at Abingworth Management he identifies and creates new businesses and provides support for existing companies within the Abingworth portfolio.
Before joining Abingworth Management as a partner in September 2005 he was Chief Executive of the Abingworth portfolio company, Astex Therapeutics. Mr. Haines was with Astex for more than five years and was instrumental in establishing it as one of the leading UK biotechnology companies. During his time at Astex, the company accessed more than £50 million in venture capital and closed over $1b in deal value potential with pharmaceutical companies. Previously, Mr. Haines was Chief Executive of two divisions of the publicly-listed medical technology company, Datascope Corp. Prior to Datascope, he held a number of other senior management positions in the US and Europe.
Mr. Haines has a BSc from Exeter University and an MBA from INSEAD.
Dr. Hans A. Küpper
MEMBER
Dr. Küpper has a total of 29 years experience in biotechnology with 19 years in the life science industry, where he was involved in activities from research and R&D management to technology assessment and acquisition. In February 1999, Dr. Küpper joined as a Managing Director of GLS I's advisory company, based in Munich, Germany. Since that time he has been advising GLS I and managing GLSV II in all aspects of investments. Dr. Küpper is a board member, or attendee, with a number of portfolio companies, one of which is now listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange and one at NASDAQ.
He received his PhD from the University of Heidelberg in 1974 and spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT in Boston with Nobel Laureate Prof. Khorana. After another four years at Heidelberg University he joined Biogen in Geneva, one of the pioneering biotech companies, in 1980. There he held various R&D and management positions with increasing responsibilities and was Assistant Research Director from 1982 to 1985. In 1985, he joined Behringwerke AG to build up and head their Molecular Biology department. Later he became head of R&D and member of the board of their Immunology/Oncology business unit. His major research focus was on gene regulation and vaccines. Since 1991 he has been increasingly involved in deal negotiations and various aspects of company restructuring such as acquisitions, joint ventures and spin-offs, including the spin-offs of their vaccine unit and diagnostics business.
Dr. Küpper, born in 1944, is author of 50 scientific publications and 13 patent applications. He has served as a consultant for the pharmaceutical industry and the European Commission.
Dr. Wolfgang Oster
MEMBER
Dr. Oster has an extensive medical background. He has undergone medical training in Europe and the U.S., is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology, served as full Adjunct Professor at Brown Medical School and qualified as a Professor at the University of Freiburg. Dr. Oster has published more than 100 articles in peer reviewed medical journals and books.
His academic background and visibility as a pioneer in clinical research of biotechnology products led to his transition into the biotech industry. He was appointed by Behringwerke (a former Hoechst subsidiary) to lead the worldwide clinical programs on growth factors and cytokines. Dr. Oster was involved in the approval of the first hematopoietic growth factor in bone marrow transplant indications and he was also involved in the approval of the first biological red blood cell stimulator.
He continued his career at U.S. Bioscience. As the Managing Director for Europe from 1992-96 he brought three new products, all small molecules, through the European-wide regulatory approval processes, and several sNDAs followed these initial approvals in all major worldwide markets. In 1997, as Chief Medical Officer based in Philadelphia, he led the flagship compound of the company, Ethyol, to a major approval for use in oncology. The accomplishments on the drug development side led to a successful trade sale of U.S. Bioscience to MedImmune in 1999.
Thereafter he became COO of NeoRx in Seattle before he joined PolyTechnos Venture Partners as a Managing Partner. He currently serves on the boards of BiPar Sciences, IMI, and Cappella (previous Board Memberships include USB Pharma BV, USB Pharma Ltd, QBiogen, and ADDEX, observer). Since 2007 Dr. Oster is co-founder and General Partner at FiveLakes Venture Partners.
Robert J. Rosenthal
CHAIRMAN
A seasoned life sciences executive, Dr. Rosenthal is chief executive officer, Chairman and member of the board of directors of IMI Intelligent Medical Implants, a pioneer developer of a system to restore vision to people blinded by diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration. Dr. Rosenthal has 20 years of experience fostering product innovation and building value for customers, shareholders, and employees in companies serving the biomedical research and diagnostics industries. Most recently, Dr. Rosenthal was president and previously, Dr. Rosenthal was president and CEO of Boston Life Sciences, an R&D development-phase biopharmaceutical company. Before that, he was president of PerkinElmer's Instruments division, where he managed the acquisition and integration of the Analytical Instruments group from PE Corporation. As president and CEO of Thermo Optek, (now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific) Dr. Rosenthal built a market-leading instrument company, which went public in 1996. Dr. Rosenthal began his management career at Wisconsin-based Nicolet Instrument Corporation, ultimately becoming its president after Thermo Instrument Systems acquired the company.
Dr. Rosenthal serves on the board of directors of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE:SFE), where he chairs the acquisition committee and is a member of the audit committee. A holding company, Safeguard provides growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology enterprises. Dr. Rosenthal is also an emeritus member of the University of Maryland Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Committee of Distinguished Advisors. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland, a master’s in chemistry from State University of New York (Buffalo), and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Emory University. He spent a year in Germany completing a post-doctoral fellowship and as a guest scientist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This was followed by an additional post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA. In addition, Dr. Rosenthal holds an AEA Executive MBA from Stanford University.
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Steffen Suchert
MEMBER
Steffen Suchert was appointed, in 1976, head of the legal and personnel department at FAUN-WERKE AG, Nuremberg, as well as assistant to the executive management of the Company, its subsidiaries and its shareholders. Subsequently, Mr. Suchert founded in 1981 his own law firm and was a member of the Board of Directors at FAUN-WERKE AG and ORENSTEIN & KOPPEL AG, Dortmund. He was a co-founder of Intelligent Implants with Prof. Eckmiller and was also its CEO from its foundation in 1998. He also led IIP-Technologies as CEO from its formation in July 2002 until June 2004.
In 2005, Mr. Suchert was elected as a Trustee of the Foundation Fighting Blindness in the USA.
Steffen Suchert studied economics and law at the University of Munich.
