Nigel Brown, MBA, PhD
Dr. Nigel Brown has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and contract research sectors, with particular expertise in pharmaceutical R&D. Trained as an analytical chemist, Dr. Brown joined what is now Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE) to develop analytical methods in support of clinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies. Following a move to what is now GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE: GSK) he was among the vanguard of scientists that introduced LC/MS/MS technology for quantitative drug bioanalysis, a move that revolutionized the field. Dr. Brown later went on to manage the non-clinical research divisions of Phoenix International Life Sciences (NASDAQ: PHXI) and then MDS, Inc. (TSE: MDS), leading more than 1,000 staff experts in drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, bioanalysis, genetic modeling, toxicology and manufacturing support. Ten years ago, Nigel shifted his focus to deal-making in the pharmaceutical R&D sector, and has executed more than 20 deals spanning acquisition, divestiture, and strategic partnerships with combined transaction value in excess of $2.5 billion. He served as Corporate Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Covance, Inc. (NYSE: CVD) based in Princeton where he executed 19 transactions, including the CRO industry’s largest strategic pharma partnership with Sanofi-Aventis valued at $2.2 Billion and the strategic sale of Covance to LabCorp for $6.2 Billion. Currently, Dr. Brown is a Partner at Trevi Health Capital. Nigel holds an MA and PhD from the University of Oxford, UK, and an MBA from the Open University Business School, UK, and held the Nestlé post-doctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is extensively published in scientific and business literature, has advised the government on policy formulation related to pharmaceutical R&D, and has served on the boards of a number of biotech companies, including his role as Chairman of the Board of BioAxone Therapeutic (Canada).
Catherine Angell Sohn, Pharm.D.
Dr. Sohn has deep industry knowledge with thirty years of U.S. and global experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and a reputation as a strategic thinker with the ability to drive collaboration and a strong interface between research and development and marketing. She was named ‘Woman of the Year’ by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in 2003, ‘Distinguished Alumnus’ by University of California San Francisco (2000) and has received the Licensing Executive Society’s ‘Frank Barnes Mentoring Award’ (2009) and the HBA Euro-Excellence Award (2012). From 1998 to 2010, Dr. Sohn was Senior Vice President for Worldwide Business Development for GlaxoSmithKline’s $6 billion Consumer Healthcare division where she served on the Global Executive Committee and led numerous US, global, European and Japanese transactions and integrations. She currently serves as an independent Director on the board of directors of Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (JAZZ) and Landec Corporation (LNDC), both publicly-traded life science companies, as well as Rubius Therapeutics and BioEclipse Therapeutics, both privately held biotech companies. She holds the position of Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco where she received the Doctor of Pharmacy Degree and completed a clinical residency.