Executives

Kees Lucas, PhD, Executive Chairman

Kees is a senior executive with proven track record in business development, operational management as well as strategic advising in biotech and pharma industry. He has a strong science and management background, experience in branding and marketing and in clinical studies.

After five years at Biogen Idec where he was senior director international corporate development. Kees is currently an independent consultant for the biotech industry. He has been involved in several high profile deals and a large number of alliances. He is an associate of the Lyon based Parteurop and Munich based Van Rooijen en Partners. Kees served a large number of biotech and pharma companies, mainly in deal making.

Kees currently serves on the board of two other biotech companies (HLAG and CMP Therapeutics) and is a Venture Partner with Inventages Venture Capital.

From 1998 till 2004 Kees held a part-time professorship in Neuro-immunology at the Amsterdam University. For the Dutch government he was member of the prestigious Health Council. Kees was also closely involved in worldwide activities around children vaccines (CVI, later GAVI). During this time Kees Lucas was also regarded as a key opinion leader on Multiple Sclerosis.

Kees Lucas holds a PhD in medicine and has completed management training at IMD, Lausanne.

Virginie Clément-Schatlo, PhD, Scientific Collaborator: Chief Scientific Officer, Co-Founder

Virginie is the Chief Scientific Officer of Stemergie and is a recognized scientist in the field of CIC. She has developed her skills and competences in brain tumor biology and developmental pathway as a post-doc at the University of Geneva.

In March 2007, Virginie launched together with Ivan Radovanovic, MD PhD, an independent research group at the University Hospital of Geneva. At the same time, she was promoted as a Maitre-Assistante. As a scientist working in translational research, she has always been confronted with the reality of patients and with the biological aspects of diseases, which in turn has helped her to develop her skills in cancer and in therapeutic strategies.

After two years, she succeeded in developing a novel strategy and method for identifying, enriching and characterizing cancer-initiating cells essentially, but not exclusively, in brain tumors (Clément et al, Nature Methods). Virginie holds a PhD in biology from the University of Geneva on DNA repair and apoptosis. Her PhD was awarded by the price of the best thesis in 2005.

Board of Directors

Christof Angst, PhD

Christof Angst brings to Stemergie more than three decades Drug Discovery, Strategic and Partnering experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, Christof Angst served on AstraZeneca’s CNS & Pain Innovative Medicines Leadership Team where he held the role of VP Strategy from 2010 through 2011, VP Portfolio Enhancement from 2006 to 2010 and Local Head of Drug Discovery at AstraZeneca’s R&D site in Wilmington, DE from 2000 to 2006. In these roles, Christof had responsibilities for a number of areas, including Business-, Portfolio- and Therapeutic Area Strategies, Drug Discovery Research and external collaborations. Christof joined Astra in 1997 as Discovery Head in Rochester, NY and Worcester, MA where he was instrumental in establishing and expanding a neuroscience presence for the company in the US. Prior to joining Astra, Christof worked for 15 years in various scientific and managerial roles at Ciba in Basel, Switzerland, including Head of the Central Nervous System Research Area

Igor Fisch, PhD

Igor Fisch is a co-founder of Selexis SA, a biotech company based in Switzerland. He grew the company from inception to profits in less than 5 years with up to > 5MCHF in revenues with a net margin > 20%. He has a proven track-record for achieving major licensing deals in the Biotech and Pharmaceutical industry in USA, Europe, Asia and Australia. Igor Fisch has a very strong network among decision makers and entrepreneurs worldwide in the Pharmceutical and Biotech.

He is currently and since 2011 President fo the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Selexis SA, where he was a Co-founder in charge of raising the capital to create a successful biotech company. Igor Fisch is Member of the Board of Directors of Viroblock SA and a Member of the Strategy Council of the Venture Kick Initiative.

Virginie Clément-Schatlo, PhD, CSO

Kees Lucas, PhD, Chairman of the Board