Shane Kelly, Chairman
Shane has particular expertise advising on corporate strategy and transactions (financings, partnering, M&A). He is currently CEO at F2G, a biotech company focused on developing new anti-fungal agents. He has extensive experience building, financing, and managing early and mid size growth companies. During the past 10 years he has arranged sources and terms for over $100 million in equity (and subordinated debt) funds, as well as over $50 million in senior debt transactions. In addition, he has been responsible for designing, implementing and managing financial accounting and management systems for two rapidly growing venture financed companies. Shane has extensive educational experience in accounting, finance, law and business management. He has participated on a senior level with rapidly growing biotechnology and other life science businesses in financing strategy, growth strategy and mergers and acquisitions. Shane was previously the founding Chief Executive of two venture-backed firms in the United States. His strong commercial sense was key in growing his past venture from loss making to an annual turnover of $65m in less than 2.5 years.
Raman Minhas, CEO
Raman has advised on healthcare business development and financing transactions totalling over $65 million. He founded ATPBio in 2002, and has built a substantial network with CEO/ CFO level in biotech and healthcare companies and with senior members of the investment community. Operational roles include Head of Corporate Development at a UK biotech, F2G Ltd. Previously he was a senior biotech analyst at a London investment bank, where he identified several successful healthcare private equity investment opportunities. Raman qualified as a medical doctor from the Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, UK. He practiced clinical medicine for six years in A&E and general medicine. Raman also writes a blog on trends in biotech business, "ATPblog". This is read by over 1000 senior level life science professionals including CEOs, CFOs, VCs, directors and entrepreneurs.
Edward (Ted) Agne, Principal
Ted has more than 30 years of business experience including 10 years as an officer at Burson-Marsteller, a global communications and lobbying firm. His life sciences expertise includes biotechnology, medical technology and medical devices. He is experienced in mergers & acquisitions, crisis management and international development. Ted specializes in working with UK and EU companies to establish a US presence. Currently, Mr. Agne is working with the Golden Triangle Partnership, a collaboration of the UK’s Oxford, London and Cambridge biotech/medtech clusters, in creating partnering and other business development opportunities with US companies. Earlier, he advised on the expansion and introduction of Oxxon Therapeutics, Domantis and Speedel to the US. In 1987, Ted established The Communications Strategy Group (CSG), a consulting firm to help new and early stage companies manage their corporate/financial positioning and business development. Prior to forming CSG, he was Vice President, Corporate Relations at Avondale Industries, a $1.2 billion industrial conglomerate, and its subsequent company, Connell Limited Partnership, Boston.
Jeff Bamman, Principal
Jeff has considerable expertise in financial and operational management, including 11 years at Partner /Director level. He is a founder and Managing Partner of Kelly, Bamman & Partners, Ltd., a boutique investment bank. He has participated in raising over $30 million in private equity and played a key role in the licensing of several drug programs from a U.S. biotech in order to structure a spin-out. He also has been involved in M&A analyses and evaluation, and implementation of operational systems for finance, accounting, personnel and IT. Previously, he was the Vice President of Global Support Services for F5 Networks where he grew the Services Organization from 30 to a team of 125 professionals and quadrupled service revenue. Previously, he has held positions as Director of Contract Consulting Services with Excell Data Corporation, and a variety of senior positions at Digital Equipment Corporation. Jeff earned his MBA in Finance with the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, and is a former CPA.
David Cavalla, Principal
David Cavalla has 24 years experience in various senior scientific and commercial roles within the pharmaceutical industry. He is
currently involved with a number of biotech companies at Board level, principally Numedicus Limited and Switch Pharma Group plc. He
is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Peakdale Molecular Ltd. Previously he was founder and CEO of Arachnova Ltd, a
company focused on therapeutic switching, from which he exited as a result of a trade sale; previous affiliations included Glaxo
Group Research Ltd and Napp Research Centre. He has advocated the virtual strategy of pharmaceutical R&D and drug repurposing
(secondary uses for existing drugs) to improve R&D efficiency. He is on the editorial board of Drug Discovery Today. He was Chairman
of the Society for Medicines Research. He trained at Cambridge University and the NIMH, Washington, DC. He is author/inventor of
over 70 published papers and patents."
David Grainger, Principal
David graduated with a first class degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University in 1989
before completing his PhD in Biochemistry at Cambridge in 1992. He is currently a British Heart
Foundation Senior Research Fellow directing an internationally recognized group of researchers in
the Department of Medicine at Cambridge University in the field of inflammation, with a particular
interest in cardiovascular disease. His research has been published in a range of leading
peer-reviewed journals including Science, Nature and Nature Medicine, with over 75 scientific
publications. David is also an inventor on more than 120 patents and patent applications in the life
sciences, ranging from diagnostics to therapeutics. David has run a successful consultancy business,
TCP Innovations, and founded more than half a dozen biotechnology companies. He is currently Chief
Scientific Officer of Funxional Therapeutics Ltd and sits on the Board of Prolinex Ltd and Protexa
Therapeutics Ltd and is a Senior Partner at Total Medical Ventures, a boutique investment group
specializing in seed and early stage finance of life sciences companies.
Bill Mullen, Principal
Bill has spent most of the last 25 years in diagnostics during which time he
has founded six companies. He was head of R&D at Cambridge Life Sciences
before joining Abbott Diagnostics' Technology Acquisition Group in 1993. In
1996 he became CEO of Rowett Research Institute, increasing revenues from
£800,000 to £2.1m in 3 years through licensing and research funding. In 1999
he joined ANGLE Technology to head up life science venture activities, where
he founded three companies, Nutrition Enhancement Ltd (now Provexis plc),
NeuroTargets and the rapid microbiology diagnostics company, Acolyte
Biomedica. He left ANGLE to become CEO of Acolyte in 2002, raising £7m in
venture capital and launching the BacLite Rapid MRSA product in 2005. In 2007
Acolyte was bought by 3M Healthcare. In 2008 Bill founded Momentum
Bioscience, a microbiology diagnostics business focused on early detection of
infections in blood and other body sites, of which he is CEO. He also runs
his own consultancy, Barford Biosciences Ltd.
Barnaby Perks, Principal
Barnaby is a product commercialisation specialist. Following a first degree in mechanical engineering and masters in biomedical engineering, he spent ten years developing and commercialising innovative assistive technology products. Notable developments include the Smart Wheelchair (winner of the 1998 Gold Award for Innovation in Educational Computing and Technology), the Cameleon 3 communication aid (Millennium Product) and the Bobcat DX elevating powered wheelchair. Following a trade sale in 2000, he exited the two Cambridge-based businesses that he managed and joined GE. He then spent seven years in global strategic marketing roles at GE’s geographical information software business, supporting the telecom and oil and gas industries. In January 2008, Barnaby joined ERBI, the Cambridge-based membership organisation for international life science and healthcare companies. As Medtech Director, he works with ERBI’s member companies, helping them to enhance their global competitiveness.