Leadership

Larry Edwards is a US Business Executive with >20 years of experience in the US and Global Biotech and Pharmaceutical Industry. He was recently CEO of La Jolla Pharmaceuticals (LJPC), where he strategically made the company profitable which led to its acquisition by Innoviva for an 84% premium. Before that, he was the CEO of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals where he led the US and Global launch of XERAVA, before being acquired by LJPC.

Prior to this, he led the global commercialization strategies for the Launch of ZERBAXA for Cubist, before it was acquired by MSD. Larry started his Pharmaceutical career at MSD where he served in a range of US and Global commercial leadership roles.

Mandates:

• Independent Director for Clarametyx Biosciences
• Independent Director for Utility Therapeutics

Sabrina joined the Executive Board of AiCuris in September 2022. She is responsible for finance, HR, communications and investor relations.   

With >10 years of experience in the biotech industry, Sabrina held several R&D and business leadership positions in cancer immunotherapy. In her latest role as Vice President, Business Planning and Portfolio Strategy at Immatics N.V., she was responsible for developing the company’s strategic plan, oversaw its implementation and communication to the board of directors, investors and analysts. Prior to that, she was Head of Business Planning and Capital Markets and Risk Management Officer. In this role she served as transaction lead for the SPAC merger between Immatics & Arya and the associated PIPE financing resulting into >245$ proceeds and the company´s listing on NASDAQ.

Earlier in her career, Sabrina re-located to the US and served as development lead for the company´s lead asset and supported establishing the US subsidiary. To this day she is benefiting from her international, intercultural and multidisciplinary experience in R&D execution during this time.

Sabrina is a biochemist by training and obtained her Ph.D. in Immunology from Eberhard-Karl-University in Tübingen, Germany.

Cynthia Wat joins AiCuris in 2024 from her most recent position as a Pharmaceutical Consultant and Director at ID Pharma Consultancy Ltd. With more than 25 years of extensive global drug development experience, she has held leadership and managerial roles for licensed products Fuzeon®, Pegasys®, and Tamiflu® at Roche. As a recognized expert in infectious diseases and hepatitis, Dr. Wat has a proven track record for creating and successfully implementing novel clinical trial designs and clinical development strategies for chronic Hepatitis B, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses. Dr. Wat is experienced in a broad range of modalities, small molecules, biologics, RNA therapeutics including antisense oligonucleotides and predictive biomarker research. Additionally, she is a strong collaborator with health authorities, and has provided recommendations to NICE and other regulators in her role at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. Dr. Wat holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from St. Mary\\\'s Hospital Medical School, Imperial College, London, a Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM) and is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP). 

Stefan Oschmann is a German business executive, who had served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck from April 2016 to April 2021. Before taking office as Chairman of the Executive board of Merck at the end of April 2016, he served as Vice Chairman and Deputy CEO.

Stefan Oschmann joined Merck in 2011 as a member of the Executive Board and was responsible for the Healthcare business sector until the end of 2014. He drove the transformation of the Biopharma business by optimizing its cost structures and improving the efficiency of its research & development model, which included a clear portfolio prioritization.

Before joining Merck, Stefan Oschmann worked for the U.S. pharma company MSD, where he served in a range of senior executive positions. He started his career at an agency of the United Nations, and worked for the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).

Mandates:
UCB, Chairman
Josef Schörghuber Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees
National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), Vice President
Springer Nature AG & Co. KGaA (not publicly listed company), Member of the Supervisory Board

Mr. Jeggle is the Chief Executive Officer of Salvia GmbH (since 2014), where he is acting as a Business Angel and Venture Capital Investor. Helmut Jeggle served as General Partner at ATHOS KG, the Struengmann Family Office, from 2015 until April 2021. From 2007 until 2015, Mr. Jeggle served as Head of Direct Investments of ATHOS Service GmbH. From 2002 until 2007, Mr. Jeggle held various positions with Hexal AG, including Head of Business Planning & Analyses. Mr. Jeggle is Chairman of the BioNTech SE Supervisory Board and member of numerous supervisory boards, including 4SC AG. Mr. Jeggle has a degree in business administration from the University of Applied Sciences Neu-Ulm and earned his Master of Business Administration from the Stuttgart Institute of Management and Technology.

Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff founded AiCuris in 2006 as a spin-off from the infectious disease unit of Bayer HealthCare, which she had been leading since 1994. After building and running AiCuris as CEO until  March 2015, she took over the chair of AiCuris\\\' Scientific Advisory Board. Before her time at Bayer, she was the scientific and executive director of the Chemotherapeutical Research Institute Georg-Speyer-Haus in Frankfurt. A chemist by training, Prof Rübsamen-Schaeff was awarded the venia legendi from the University of Frankfurt and has been professor of biochemistry since 1988. Prof. Rübsamen-Schaeff has served on numerous committees, such as, the Senate of the Fraunhofer Society, the University Council of the University of Vienna and the Jury for the Innovation Prize of the German President of State or the Scientific Panel for Health under the Horizon 2020 program of the EU. Presently, she is a member of the board of partners of E. Merck KG and the chair of its research council, a member of the supervisory board of Merck KGaA. She also is a member of the National Academy of Science, Leopoldina. She has been awarded numerous scientific and management prizes.

Sean Marett joined BioNTech SE in 2012 as Chief Business and Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to joining BioNTech, he worked in global strategic and regional marketing and sales roles at GlaxoSmithKline in the United States and Pfizer in Europe before taking business development executive roles at Evotec and Lorantis (sold to Celldex Therapeutics, Inc). Amongst his duties at BioNTech, Mr Marett has been responsible for licensing transactions, acquisitions and fundraising resulting in capital inflows into BioNTech of $1.5 billion. Whilst at BioNTech, Mr Marett has been Chairman of PHMR Ltd, a company specializing in market access and pharmaceutical reimbursement (sold to UDG Healthcare) and was non-executive director of KWS BioTest Ltd (sold to Charles River). He holds a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from Kings College London and an MBA from Manchester Business School.