Seminar: the open innovation approach to drug development and your career

Yvonne Lungershausen: CEO, Avance Clinical

As CEO of Avance Clinical, Yvonne Lungershausen has rapidly built the company into Australia’s leading contract research organisation (CRO) for biotechs, attracting innovative biotech clients from the USA, EU and Asia and winning awards for quality and service. Her research career began working with the University of Adelaide, then moved into clinical research at a dedicated Phase 1 clinical trial unit, where she helped shape what is now a strong Phase 1 sector. Her leadership roles have ranged from Clinical Development Manager to senior CRO roles in the biotech sector. She was a founding member of CPR Pharma Services, and led business operations as a key member of its senior management team.

Thomas Mitchell: CEO, BiomeBank

Thomas Mitchell is CEO of BiomeBank – a clinical stage biotech company developing microbial therapies to solve unmet disease and infection challenges globally. Mr Mitchell is a biotech executive with significant experience in discovery and development of microbiome drug products. He has held positions in leading microbiome biotech companies, and has managed a portfolio of assets in IBD, oncology, infectious disease, and neurodevelopment. Mr Mitchell has led an IBD biomarker discovery program valued at $534m, and managed some of the first drug development programs for live biotherapeutic products with milestone positive results.

Dr Lee Farrand: CEO, Yuhan ANZ

Dr Lee Farrand is the CEO of Yuhan ANZ - the Australia and New Zealand investment and partnership office for Yuhan Corporation, one of South Korea's largest pharmaceutical companies. Yuhan Corporation has full spectrum drug development capabilities, with around 30 drugs under development. Yuhan ANZ is focused on building relationships with research institutions and biotech companies to invest in and co-develop early therapeutic ideas in cancer, metabolic diseases and central nervous system disorders.