Abingworth

Bali Muralidhar has more than 20 years of healthcare experience spanning venture investing, R&D, clinical practice, and teaching. At Abingworth he leads the transatlantic venture and clinical co-development investment teams and chairs the firm's investment committees. He previously was a senior partner at MVM Partners in London and a member of Bain Capital's healthcare deal team. He holds a degree in clinical medicine from the University of Oxford, practiced general surgery, and earned a PhD in translational cancer research from the University of Cambridge.

Genghis Lloyd-Harris is a Senior Advisor to Abingworth and formerly a Partner, where his work centered on exiting venture investments through M&A and IPOs. He joined Abingworth in 2004 from Credit Suisse First Boston, where he was a Managing Director in the European Equity Research Group in London covering the biotechnology industry, having earlier worked in CSFB's Health Care investment banking group in New York. He previously practiced as a paediatrician in Melbourne and holds a Medical Degree from the University of Liverpool, a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology from the University of Melbourne, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Jayson Punwani joined Abingworth's Menlo Park office in November 2021 and serves as Head of Venture, with over 20 years in life sciences venture investing, startup leadership, technology transfer, and academic research. He was previously a Senior Partner at Takeda Ventures focused on early-stage biotech and a Senior Principal at Pappas Ventures, and began his career as a research scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Utah, and a B.S. in biology from the College of New Jersey.

Kurt von Emster joined Abingworth in January 2015 and has over 30 years of experience investing in private and public life science companies. He previously worked as a biotechnology and healthcare analyst and portfolio manager at Franklin Templeton, was a General Partner at MPM Capital, and in 2009 co-founded the US healthcare investment firm venBio, where he was most recently a Partner. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Economics.

Robert DeBenedetto joined Abingworth in August 2024 with over 30 years of experience in the life science industry. He previously founded and led SFJ Pharmaceuticals as President and CEO, worked as a Senior Advisor to Blackstone Life Sciences, and held earlier roles at Quintiles (now IQVIA), Boston Scientific, and EY. He holds a Master's degree from Bentley University.

Tim Haines has over 40 years of international management experience in life sciences across public and private companies. He joined Abingworth in 2005 as a Partner and later served as Chairman and Managing Partner; before that he was the founding CEO of Abingworth portfolio company Astex Therapeutics, which was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals. Earlier roles include CEO of two divisions of Datascope Corp, CEO of Thackray Inc, and General Manager of Baxter UK. He holds a BSc from Exeter University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Travis Wilson joined Abingworth/Carlyle in November 2025 with over 20 years of life sciences investing and executive experience. At Abingworth he works with the Clinical Co-Development team, and within Carlyle's US Buyout business he focuses on healthcare private equity transactions, particularly in pharma products and services. He previously served as a Growth Partner at Flagship Pioneering, Managing Partner of Gurnet Point Capital, CEO of Stealth BioTherapeutics, and a member of Morningside's venture capital team; he holds Chemical Engineering and Law degrees from the University of Wisconsin.

Vincent Miles is an Executive Director at Abingworth, which he joined in 2007, where he helps identify and evaluate new business opportunities and supports portfolio companies. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Business Development at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and held VP roles at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and earlier led the technology transfer office at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and held positions at RiboGene, Pharmacia, and Amersham International. He holds a BSc in Biochemistry and a PhD in Biochemical Embryology from University College London.

Diya Malhotra joined Abingworth in June 2021, having previously worked as a Consultant in L.E.K. Consulting's Life Sciences practice, where she advised pharmaceutical, biotech, and buyside clients on corporate strategy and clinical and commercial opportunity assessments. At Abingworth she works with the transatlantic investment team, particularly the Clinical Co-Development team, evaluating new opportunities and supporting existing investments. She holds a PhD in Clinical Neuropharmacology from Imperial College London and a degree in Pharmacology from University College London.

Graham Mills joined Abingworth's London office in January 2022, working with the transatlantic team to evaluate new investment opportunities and support existing portfolio companies with a therapeutic area-agnostic focus. He previously worked with JJDC, the corporate investment arm of Johnson & Johnson, and with pan-European VC Seroba Life Sciences, and was Founder and Managing Director of healthcare technology startup Techspert. He holds a PhD in Medical Biology from the University of Cambridge and a BA in Genetics from Trinity College Dublin.

Ron Hsu joined Abingworth in July 2026 as part of the Clinical Co-Development team, where he evaluates new investment opportunities and supports existing investments. Before Abingworth, he spent a year at portfolio company Launch Therapeutics assessing clinical co-development opportunities, and earlier led public and private biopharma investments at the Qatar Investment Authority and worked as a research analyst covering public biopharmaceutical companies at Millennium Management and Artisan Partners. He holds an MD from New York Medical College and a BA in Biochemistry from Harvard College.

Carlos Paya was previously CEO of Immune Design Corp., an immunotherapy company acquired by Merck & Co. in 2019, and earlier served as President of Elan Pharmaceuticals. He held discovery research and clinical development leadership roles at Eli Lilly, including Global Leader of the diabetes and endocrine franchise, and spent nearly a decade at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester) as Professor of Medicine, Immunology and Pathology and Vice Dean of the clinical investigation program. He began his career as a research scientist at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and holds an MD and PhD from Madrid Medical School (Complutense).

Natalie Mount joined Abingworth as a Venture Partner in August 2022. She previously served as CEO of Adaptate Biotherapeutics and CSO of GammaDelta Therapeutics, both Abingworth-founded companies, and was a founding team member and Chief Clinical Officer at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. Earlier she spent 16 years at Pfizer leading development activities including cell-based therapies in its Regenerative Medicine Unit. She holds a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a Ph.D. from University College London.

Scott Brun has over twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He previously served as AbbVie's VP of Scientific Affairs and Head of AbbVie Ventures, where the ventures group grew to include more than 20 active companies, and earlier held roles as VP and Head of Pharmaceutical Development at AbbVie and drug development positions at Abbott Laboratories. He holds an MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and completed a residency in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.

Alex Asquith provides legal and compliance support at Abingworth, working alongside the firm's General Counsel and CFO. She joined the firm in 2005 after serving on the UK legal team at The BOC Group, and earlier spent six years advising on corporate finance and commercial transactions at Slaughter and May. She holds an MA in Literae Humaniores from the University of Oxford and completed the Common Professional Examination and Law Society Finals at the City of London Polytechnic.

Ankur Shah joined Abingworth in October 2024, working with the transatlantic investment team with a focus on Clinical Co-Development, evaluating new opportunities and supporting existing investments. He previously served as a Senior Associate at NovaQuest Capital Management, Manager of Corporate Development at Boston Pharmaceuticals, and a Senior Associate at Artisan Healthcare Consulting. He holds a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

Anna Slezak joined Abingworth's Menlo Park office in January 2026, working with the firm's transatlantic team to source and support investments. She was previously a Venture Associate at Portal Innovations, focusing on early-stage biotechnology companies across deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio support, and earlier interned with ARCH Venture Partners. She holds a PhD in Molecular Engineering from the University of Chicago, where her doctoral research addressed drug delivery for oncology and autoimmune disease, and a BS in Chemistry from Duke University.

Dayle Hogg joined Abingworth in March 2023 to support the operational capabilities of portfolio companies. He was previously COO of GammaDelta Therapeutics until its 2022 acquisition by Takeda, cofounder of Adaptate Biotherapeutics, COO of Kesios Therapeutics, and an investment manager at Touchstone Innovations, and he cofounded Lectus Therapeutics. He holds a degree in Pharmacology from the University of Leeds and a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Oxford.

Helen Liu joined Abingworth in April 2025 and works with the firm's transatlantic investment team, focusing on Clinical Co-Development, evaluating new opportunities and supporting existing investments. She previously was a Senior Associate at Sagard Healthcare investing in biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical devices via royalty monetization and private credit, and earlier held roles at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and MaRS Innovation. She holds an Honors B.Sc. in Life Science and a Masters of Health Science from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charterholder.

James Abell served as Abingworth's CFO for over 20 years, overseeing finance, compliance, administration and investment matters with a focus on start-up companies, before retiring in 2019. He was previously CFO of biotech start-up Prolifix, trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, and holds a degree in Biology with Chemistry from the University of Southampton. He now works as a Senior Adviser on clinical co-development deals.

Min Joo Kim joined Abingworth's Menlo Park office in December 2025, working with the transatlantic team to source new investment opportunities and support existing portfolio companies. She earned a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from UCSF, an MS in Prevention Medicine from Stanford University, and a BA in Molecular Biology from Pomona College, with research centered on neuroimmunology and lipid biology in Alzheimer's disease. Before Abingworth, she held venture fellowships at Novo Holdings and Insight Partners and served as a business development consultant for Mirum Pharmaceuticals.

Peter Goodfellow previously served as Senior Vice President for Discovery Research at GlaxoSmithKline and held the Balfour chair in genetics at Cambridge University, along with research positions at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund. He chaired the boards of GammaDelta Therapeutics and Adaptate Biotherapeutics, both Abingworth portfolio companies. He holds doctorates from Oxford and Bristol Universities and is a Fellow of EMBO, the Academy of Medical Sciences, and the Royal Society.

Samit Hirawat, M.D., joined Abingworth in June 2026 as Medical Advisor, bringing background in drug development. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Drug Development at Bristol Myers Squibb, overseeing product development across therapeutic areas, and earlier held senior roles at Novartis (EVP and Head of Oncology Development), PTC Therapeutics, and Pfizer. He earned his MBBS at Sawai Man Singh Medical College in India and completed internal medicine residency and medical oncology training at North Shore University Hospital in New York.