Advent Life Sciences

Kaasim Mahmood joined Advent in 2005, bringing experience in clinical medicine, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. He earned an MB BS from the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London and previously worked at Cutfield, Freeman and Co, a London corporate finance firm. At Advent he has worked on direct investments and supported the legal and financial aspects of many others.

Raj Parekh joined Advent in 2005, bringing over 20 years of experience across biomedical research, entrepreneurship, and investing. He holds an MA and DPhil from Oxford University, worked in molecular medicine academia, and co-founded Oxford GlycoSciences (which went public on the LSE and NASDAQ and was later sold to UCB-Celltech). He has also served as Chairman of Galapagos nv, on the Supervisory Board of the Novartis Venture Fund, and as a founding Director of Celldex Therapeutics. At Advent, he focuses on founding and supporting portfolio companies developing new medicines.

Satish Jindal joined Advent Life Sciences in January 2022, having previously been CEO of BioMotiv, an operating investment fund. He co-founded and led NeoGenesis (acquired by Schering-Plough), co-founded and served as President of Verastem, and co-founded Elicio Therapeutics, and held Vice President and Site Head roles at Schering-Plough and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He completed postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute at MIT and holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Punjab University in India.

Shahzad Malik joined Advent in 1999 with a background in science, clinical medicine, and international finance. He holds an MA in Physiological Sciences from Oxford University and an MD from Cambridge University, and previously specialised in interventional cardiology while conducting research on heart muscle disorders. At Advent he has worked with over 30 life sciences portfolio companies across Europe and the USA.

Dr Steve Pawsey is a pharmaceutical physician with over 30 years of drug development experience across pharma and biotech. He joined Advent as a Growth Partner in early 2026, having previously served as CMO of two Advent portfolio companies, including KaNDy Therapeutics, where he oversaw development of elinzanetant (Lynkuet) ahead of its acquisition by Bayer. He trained in medicine at the University of London, initially in anaesthesia and critical care, and is a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

Laura A. Lane is Vice President and Europe Head of Lilly Ventures at Eli Lilly and Company, where she focuses on venture investment in life sciences. She has held roles spanning pharmaceutical consulting, business development, and executive leadership, with experience in investment raising, partnerships, diligence, and board management. Lane serves as a Non-Executive Director at the BioIndustry Association.

Alain Huriez has 32 years of experience in life sciences, beginning his career in the mid-1980s in emergency medicine and general practice in France. He later spent 12 years in biotech drug development and regulatory strategy as VP of Quintiles (IQVIA) Biotech in Europe, then became an entrepreneur, serving as Associate Partner at Truffle Capital and CEO of Neovacs and TcLand, and founding five French biotechnology companies. He joined Advent Life Sciences in 2012 and founded AdBio Partners (formerly Advent France Biotechnology) in 2016, managing early-stage life sciences seed funds.

Alan E. Walts joined Advent Life Sciences in 2013 after 27 years at Genzyme Corporation, where his roles spanned corporate venture capital, business development, R&D, and general management. He most recently ran Genzyme's corporate venture fund (Genzyme Ventures, now Sanofi Ventures), and previously served as President of Genzyme Pharmaceuticals and head of chemistry and biopolymer research. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT (1985), completed post-doctoral biochemistry research at MIT, and finished the executive Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School in 1993.

Don Drakeman spent 25 years as an entrepreneur and chief executive in the biotechnology industry, founding and running companies that advanced multiple medical products from research concept through clinical trials to FDA approval, including two treatments recognized in the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He is now a Venture Partner with Advent Life Sciences. In parallel, he built an academic career as a scholar of law, religion, and constitutional interpretation, serving as a Distinguished Research Professor at Notre Dame's Center for Citizenship and Constitutional Government and a Fellow at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. He has authored seven books, including works on constitutional theory and the business of biotechnology, and holds degrees from Dartmouth, Columbia, and Princeton. He also writes about wine, holding the WSET Diploma.

Karen LaRochelle is Senior Vice President of Global Business Development and Strategy at Merz Therapeutics. She serves as a board director and brings over 30 years of experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical transactions and strategy.

Katrine Bosley is a biotech entrepreneur with over 30 years in the industry. She was CEO of Editas Medicine, which she led from its early stages through its IPO and into clinical development of the first in vivo CRISPR-based medicine, and previously served as CEO of Avila Therapeutics through its acquisition by Celgene. Earlier in her career she was Entrepreneur-in-Residence at The Broad Institute, VP of Business Development at Adnexus Therapeutics/Bristol Myers-Squibb, and held roles at Biogen, Highland Capital Partners, and Alkermes; she is a Cornell University graduate.

Roy Lobb joined Advent in 2015 with over 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development. He earned a D.Phil. from Oxford University and was previously an Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, then spent 15 years at Biogen Inc, where he served as Senior Director of Exploratory Research and identified the pathway underlying the development of the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri. Since leaving Biogen, he has cofounded several biotechnology companies.

Andrea Beesley is a Team Assistant at Advent Life Sciences, where she supports the General Partners and the wider team. She previously worked as a coordinator for a healthcare company. She holds a degree in Artificial Intelligence, and in Communications and Marketing, from Birmingham City University and Nottingham Trent University.

Bonita Theara provides executive assistance at Advent Life Sciences, supporting the General Partners and wider team with a focus on AML and compliance. She holds a degree in French, Italian and European Studies from the University of Bath, and previously worked in immigration law and legal recruitment.

Fraser Murray is a drug discovery specialist and entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of experience in early drug development across pharma and biotech. In addition to serving as Head of Scientific Evaluation at Advent Life Sciences, he is CEO of portfolio company Pheno Therapeutics, and previously led Pandeia Therapeutics (acquired in December 2022), Chronos Therapeutics, and Polleo Pharma. He began his career at Merck's Neuroscience Research Centre and held roles at AstraZeneca and Shire; he studied Immunology and Pharmacology at the University of Strathclyde, earned a PhD in Neuropharmacology at the University of London, and completed an executive MBA at Alliance Manchester Business School.

Gail Jermyn joined Advent Life Sciences in 2026 to lead investor relations and fundraising. She previously held investor relations roles at WPC, a private equity independent sponsor, and at Colony Capital, a real estate private equity fund manager, and worked on fundraising at BC Partners, MVision Private Equity Advisers, and Atlantic-Pacific Capital. She holds a BA in French and Spanish from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Ian J. Nicholson joined Advent in 2012 after an international career in life sciences. He currently serves as Chief Business Officer of Eloxx Pharmaceuticals and previously was CEO of F2G Limited, an antifungal company; earlier roles included Senior Vice President of Business Development at Celltech Group plc and senior commercial positions at Chroma Therapeutics, Oxford Asymmetry International, Lonza AG and Amersham International. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons.) from University College London and an MBA from Boston University.

John Rex joined Advent Life Sciences in 2014 and previously led AstraZeneca's antibiotic development group, later moving to full-time consulting after AstraZeneca's development pipeline was sold to Pfizer in 2016. He served a four-year term as the Industry Representative on the US FDA Anti-Infective Drug Advisory Committee and currently is Chief Medical Officer of F2G Ltd. He holds an MD from Baylor College of Medicine, is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, and was previously Professor of Medicine at UT Medical School-Houston.

Jon Moore joined Advent Life Sciences in 2018, bringing over two decades of experience at UK biotech companies, including a role as CSO of Horizon Discovery. His background covers early-stage drug discovery against first-in-class targets, gene editing applied to drug discovery, and therapeutic platform development. Since joining Advent he has focused on new company creation, serving as founding CEO of Pheno Therapeutics and currently as founding CEO of cancer immuno-therapeutics company Epitopea.

Dr Kazmi qualified from the University of Aberdeen in 1991 and has been a consultant in haemato-oncology since 2001 at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, with private work at Leaders in Oncology. He currently serves as Deputy Medical Director and Director of Innovation/Research/Digital & Commercial for Cancer and Surgery at Guy's & St Thomas', and has held roles including Chief of Cancer Services and Clinical Director of Oncology and Haematology. He is a CQC specialist adviser, has supported NICE technology appraisals in myeloma and stem cell transplantation, and has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and clinical guidelines.

Rowena Patel holds a BSc (Hons) in Accounting for Management from Aston University and is ACCA-qualified. After early roles in a general practice and a foreign exchange company, she joined Advent in 2008 and has run its finance function for over a decade, overseeing financial and investor reporting, compliance, and HR. She also serves as the firm's Compliance Officer and Money Laundering Reporting Officer.

Tom Wigmore handles financial management at Advent Life Sciences, including management reporting, portfolio valuations, and investor reporting. He previously held finance roles at EY and Sony Europe and worked in audit within the Business Advisory Group at Saffery Champness. He holds a BSc in Geography with Economics from Loughborough University and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACCA).

Victoria "Vicky" Smith holds a BSc (Hons) in Biology from Newcastle University and began her career at a private accountancy practice in East Yorkshire. She joined Advent Life Sciences as an Accounts Assistant in January 2021 and, after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant through her ACCA exams in 2024, became the firm's Financial Controller.

William Everingham joined Advent Life Sciences in November 2025 as an Accounts Assistant on the Finance Team, handling day-to-day account management and assisting with portfolio valuations and management reporting. He previously held a finance role at Q5 Partners, interned at J.P. Morgan, and worked as an audit analyst at PRGX Global. He holds a BSc in Business with Industrial Experience from the University of Exeter and is training toward his ACCA qualification.