Head of Business Development at Healx
We have the privilege to invite Michale Bouskila-Chubb (Head of Business Development at Healx), Jason Mellad (CEO and Co-Founder at Start Codon), Nicholas Ibery (NHS Innovation Accelerator and Health and Life Sciences VC ), Ghina M. Halabi (Programme Director EnterpriseWomen at Judge Business School). These successful founders, business administrators and enterprise gurus are coming to share practical experiences as it relates to them on the topic "Building a business empire from scratch: The successes, scars, and failures of successful entrepreneurs." Get your free ticket for the event here
Michale joined Healx in 2017 and brings over 10 years of business experience in life sciences. After a career in research in both academia and industry in the field of physiology and human metabolism, Michale completed an MBA specialising in Healthcare. From there, she went on to hold various commercial positions in management consultancy, technology transfer and pharmaceutical business development. Michale has a strong background in commercial strategy, IP exploitation and contract negotiations. She recently received the PLG (Pharmaceutical Licensing Group) Business Development Award for Best Newcomer of the Year (2018) and was recognised in the 50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness report (2019).
Michale holds a Pharmacy doctorate and a Toxicology Master’s degree from Paris V University, a PhD from the University of Dundee and an MBA from the Open University Business School.
CEO and Co-Founder at Start Codon
Jason is a scientist entrepreneur passionate about translating innovative technologies into more effective therapies and better patient outcomes. He founded Start Codon to identify and recruit high-potential and disruptive healthcare startups worldwide, seed fund them, and leverage the exceptional resources of the Cambridge (UK) Cluster with an aim to minimise risk and drive their success. Previously, Jason was CEO of Cambridge Epigenetix which has developed a proprietary epigenetic biomarker discovery platform for the development of new diagnostic assays and the identification of novel drug targets. While at Cambridge Epigenetix, he transformed the research tools company into a leading liquid biopsy player and led two successful fundraises (Series B and C) for a total of $49.8m. Jason was awarded a Marshall Scholarship to obtain his PhD in Medicine from the University of Cambridge with a focus on the molecular mechanisms regulating vascular remodelling within coronary artery bypass grafts. He has a BSc (Summa Cum Laude) in Molecular Biology and Chemistry from Tulane University.
Programme Director EnterpriseWomen at Judge Business School
Dr Ghina M Halabi joined the Education Team at the Entrepreneurship Centre as a consultant to re-design EnterpriseWOMEN, an entrepreneurship programme for women founders and CEOs. She is an astrophysicist and the first person to receive a PhD in astrophysics from a Lebanese institution, the American University of Beirut. She holds a Junior Research Fellowship from Wolfson College, University of Cambridge.
Her astrophysics research has covered various areas of stellar evolution, particularly the structure of stars, their contribution to the chemical enrichment of the galaxy and their interactions with nearby companions. She has published and co-authored numerous research articles, conference papers and a book chapter in these areas.
A perennial seeker of opportunities for social impact, Ghina is the founder of She Speaks Science, a science storytelling platform that makes science accessible and promotes the visibility of women in STEM. The platform was awarded the University of Cambridge Public Engagement Starter Fund in 2018. She strongly advocates gender equality in STEM through policy advisory roles and as a member of the United Nations Space for Women project. She is an invited speaker at international astronomy conferences and global interdisciplinary forums including the United Nations and TEDx. She coaches and consults on science communication and differentiation strategies using storytelling.
Previously, Ghina worked as a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, where she continues to hold a visiting position. Alongside her research, she was a mathematics supervisor at Churchill College and a masters project supervisor at the Institute of Astronomy. She has a long and broad teaching experience and worked as a lecturer at the American University of Beirut before moving to Cambridge.
Ghina brings to the Education Team an understanding of the barriers facing women professionals, and a fresh perspective on ways to address them. Being an astrophysicist, her perspective is inevitably a cosmic one and allows her a broader view of the surrounding entrepreneurial ecosystem and its resources.
NHS Innovation Accelerator, Health and Life Sciences VC
Nicholas is a health and life sciences VC with a background in clinical medicine and corporate law. He started his career as a surgeon and subsequently as a sector specialist has held senior roles in a number of leading European private equity and venture capital firms. As well as corporate advisory, academic and honorary visiting positions, he is a frequent speaker, panellist and lecturer at Cambridge University, Judge Business School, Cass Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. Nicholas has been an expert adviser to the government in several recent high-profile reviews and has worked in the UK healthcare policy and regulation.
Nicholas holds qualifying degrees in medicine and law, a master’s degree from Imperial College London and an MBA from London Business School.
