Epilepsy Society

Board Trustee

LifeArc

Accountable for setting LifeArc’s portfolio strategy in line with charitable objectives and delivering the portfolio through effective project leadership and management. Develop and lead the Translational Challenges as a core element of strategy; these programmes accelerate healthcare innovation by transforming promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients. They consider the entire patient pathway – from diagnosis through to treatment and lifestyle support in complex areas of healthcare need. LifeArc provides translational insight, spanning our core offerings of science, funding and advice and connect these collective strengths and resources with the expertise, capabilities and funding of other life sciences partners to catalyse the translation of innovation.

Chief Project and Portfolio Officer

Accountable for LifeArc’s Translational Challenges to accelerate healthcare innovation by transforming promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients.

Head of Translational Challenges

Accountable for ensuring effective governance, processes, systems and resource are applied across the entire company including our scientific research programmes, IT improvements, strategic and infrastructure, together with those utilising LifeArc’s offerings of advice and funds.
Developing and implementing strategy, translating LifeArc’s strategic ambitions into well-crafted and achievable operational plans, managing the portfolios, ensuring focus on the highest-level company priorities. Leading major change initiatives to support integration of emerging technologies and adapting operating model design for delivery and agility.

Head of Corporate and Portfolio Project Management

Accountable for building and maintaining productive collaborative relationships with major research partners. Managing the Tech Transfer of antibody technology platforms into LifeArc (transgenic mice, B cell sorting and screening, and in silico bioinformatics for candidate selection) ensuring all facilities, equipment and resources in place to optimise use for therapeutic discovery.

Consultant, Alliance Manager

KQ Labs

Accelerator programme run by the Francis Crick Institute, supporting innovative early-stage data-driven health start-ups to validate their ideas and put their exciting companies on the path to receive further investment.

Governance Board Member

PIPMG

The aim of PIPMG is to support development of the Project Management profession in the global pharmaceutical, biotech and associated industries by:
1. Encouraging recognition of the key role of project management in the industry
2. Enabling learning and sharing of best practices in portfolio, programme and project management
3. Providing Training, Coaching and Continual Professional Development
4. Providing a forum for communication and information exchange between members
5. Introduction, participation in and support of initiatives intended to improve the practice of project management internationally

Executive Committee Member

BTG plc

Global Head of Immuno-Oncology 
Accountable for the strategic direction and commercial success of our Immuno-Oncology platform, managing collaborative partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies, leading research institutions and societies. 
Lead a broad portfolio of pre-clinical and clinical research projects investigating the ability of our interventional oncology therapies (selective internal radiation, ablation solutions, embolics) to drive immune responses, both alone and in combination with immunotherapeutics (check point inhibitors, next generation immunotherapies).

VP Immuno-Oncology

Head of Global Project Management organisation  
Managed R&D governance process, annual portfolio review, and business analytics to track and improve performance, prioritising budget and resource on a risk-balanced pipeline of R&D projects that maximise business value.

VP Project Management

Head of Global Project Management organisation 
Line management of a global team (US, EU, APAC), set project management vision and strategy, ensuring effective project management resource, processes and systems applied across the business, with high standards for delivery.

Group Manager of Project Management

Clinical lead of multiple out-sourced clinical trials with small molecules, peptides, biologics and medical devices (spanning Phase I, II, III and IV).

Clinical Development Executive

Merck

Directed exploratory neuroscience research project teams, selecting multiple candidates for clinical development using pre-clinical models.

Research Manager

Directed learning and memory disorder program, heading GABA α5 inverse agonist pre-clinical research project for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Project Director

Headed an exploratory research team of technical personnel running electrophysiological assays for Neuroscience disorders (CHO cell lines, Xenopus oocytes, mouse brain slices) for structure-activity relationship assessment of novel small molecules and drug candidate prioritisation.

Team Leader

Conducted exploratory research, characterising the pharmacology of tachykinin receptors in the brain (nucleus tractus solitarius, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex).

Senior Research Biologist

Karen Skinner is Chief Project & Portfolio Officer at the medical research organisation, LifeArc with accountability for their portfolio of Translational Challenges. These ambitious programmes focus primarily on Rare Disease (including ultra-rare diseases, MND and rare dementias, rare respiratory conditions and childhood cancer), and Global Health. In addition to her role at LifeArc, Karen is a Board Trustee of the Epilepsy Society and member of PIPMG Executive team. 

She has over 30 years of experience within the life sciences industry, having held numerous leadership roles in blue chip big pharma, specialty pharma, biotech and nonprofit organisations. 
She is passionate about biomedical science and technology, applying that knowledge to create innovative products that make a real difference for patients. She believes that collaboration is the key to accelerate the progress of scientific discoveries to create medical breakthroughs that transform the lives of those living with disease. 

Life Sciences | Director | Transformational Leader | Portfolio Management | Keynote Speaker

Karen Skinner

Leading the development, negotiation and implementation of partnerships and collaborations that support LifeArc's strategic aims under the Childhood Cancer Translational Challenge - Better Treatments, Better Trials, Better Decisions for Children with Cancer.

Head of Partnerships, Childhood Cancer 

Principal Business Development Manager

Senior Business Development Manager

Innovation Lab

Executive Director, IP & Market Strategy

Responsible for the protection and commercialization of technologies within the Lab portfolio.

Manager, IP & Licensing

The Innovation Institute is an organization focused on transforming healthcare through the development of innovative new products, services, and ideas. The Institute is an incubator that helps nurture ideas and brings them to market to improve care delivery, eliminate waste, and extend human life. We evaluate inventors’ ideas and determine the long-term potential for each concept. We walk with the inventor to obtain patents, develop prototypes, and navigate the best way to take their idea to market as a new product, license agreement, or even a new company.
The Innovation Institute exists:
- To transform care delivery.
- To help physicians, employees, and clinicians commercialize their ideas.
- To find new revenues sources and advance innovation.
- To collaborate and partner with Health Systems and Industry.
- To advance and find innovative solutions and products that help the underserved.

Innovation Manager

Tekcapital plc

Tekcapital is a global university technology and intellectual property services company founded in Oxford, England. We source technologies from more than 4,000 research institutions in 160 countries, to help our clients profit from university developed intellectual property. Capturing innovation developed by some of the world’s finest minds is the core of Tekcapital’s strategy. We work across technology sectors and are aligned and driven by our client’s need for rapid innovation and intellectual property protection. We are working to assist our customers around the world to find, review and acquire the proprietary technology they need to advance their businesses.

Consultant

Foresight Science & Technology

Responsible for the detailed commercial analysis of new technologies, including the conduct of market research, evaluation of the competitive opening, assessment of regulatory considerations, intellectual property appraisal and the development of commercialization strategies.

Senior Consultant

Cardiff University

Responsible for managing the Technology Transfer Team (currently 7 members of staff) within Cardiff University to achieve the objectives set out within the University's Innovation & Engagement Strategy.  This included management of our reationship with Fusion IP plc, Cardiff University's partners for the creation of high growth spin-out companies.
My duties involved the management of a team of 7 professionals engaged in technology transfer in order to achieve the strategic aims of the University in this field (KPIs - numbers of patents filed, technology licenses completed, licensing income secured, translational research income secured and the number of spin-out companies formed); regular reporting and communication of project activity to senior management; management of intellectual property budget; liaison and planning of potential spinout company opportunities with the University’s venture partner, Fusion IP plc.; being a Director on the Board of Fusion Cardiff Ltd., appraising potential spin-outs in order to make funding recommendations to the Board of Fusion IP plc; being a member of the University Commercial Advisory Panel; negotiation and completion of associated legal contracts.

Technology Transfer Manager

My duties included the identification, appraisal, protection and development of new technologies emanating from the life science research faculties of the University for commercialization;
negotiation of commercial contracts (technology licenses, funding agreements (R&D and venture funding), non-disclosure agreements, assignments, material transfer agreements and company formation documents); representation of the University on the Boards of Directors of spin-out companies; liaison with external partners and stakeholders (e.g. patent attorneys, local government, funding bodies); co-writing applications for development funding (including pre-clinical testing) to governmental and charity funding sources; maintenance of the University intellectual property database (MyIP); presentation of regular seminars on intellectual property and commercialization issues for academic research staff.

Technology Transfer Officer

dkfz - German Cancer Research Center

Research into the mechanisms involved in RNA Polymerase I transcription.

Guest Scientist

I am passionate about the development and commercialization of new and innovative technologies within the life sciences and healthcare spheres. Research, development and commercialization of new therapeutics, diagnostics, devices and digital solutions for patient benefit truly takes a village, and I love playing a small part in the process!

I have experience working with technologies and products at all phases of the commercialization spectrum - from research lab through concept development, proof of concept, IP protection and commercialization and have a wealth of knowledge and an in-depth understanding of all factors involved in successful innovation and commercialization management. I have leading and management experience combined with excellent client relationship skills, meaning I can work with stakeholders at all levels to achieve results. 

I enjoy tackling the challenges involved in bringing new technologies to market and truly value the sense of achievement experienced when a goal has been reached, whether individually or as part of a team.

taplio

The Battle

Karen Skinner

Wendy Jacquemet-Ross

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