Management
Ms Cheryl Maley
B.Sc, DipEd, MBA, GAICD
Cheryl has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including 20 years in leadership roles at well-known and leading organisations, including Novartis and AbbVie/Abbott. Her roles include nine years at Novartis in senior commercial and executive roles and various sales and marketing positions with AbbVie, Servier Laboratories, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Cheryl has had extensive experience in leading pharmaceutical innovation, marketing, commercialisation and delivering business growth across Australia, Asia, and international markets. She has a strong commercial background with a proven record in successful product launches and patient access and reimbursement to innovative medicines.
During her nine-year career at Novartis, Cheryl held a number of senior leadership positions where she had responsibility for new products, commercialisation and strategy, as well as reimbursement matters. Cheryl was Country Head and President of Novartis Philippines, where she was responsible for the Pharmaceutical Division and oversaw the cross-divisional leadership team, including the Oncology, Sandoz and Alcon business units.
In her most recent Novartis role as General Manager, Oncology, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Cheryl led Novartis’ oncology division in the ANZ region, with P&L responsibility and oversight of all business functions, including medical, commercial/sales, finance, operations, legal, market access, and compliance. In this role, Cheryl oversaw the successful launch of Australia’s first CAR T cell therapy, Kymriah®, for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, one of Novartis’ top 20 medicines by sales in 2022.
Cheryl has most recently been serving as the Acting CEO and Strategic Advisor at Biointelect, a firm that specialises in strategic planning and commercialisation for the biopharmaceutical and medical device sector. During this time, she has supported a number of research institutions and biotech companies to achieve their goals of growth, transformation and successful commercialisation.
Mr Justin Cahill
BBus, MPA, CPA
Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Mr Cahill has more than 15 years’ experience in corporate finance and leadership roles in the biopharmaceutical, food, and agricultural sectors for both ASX-listed companies and in private companies. Prior to joining Starpharma, Mr Cahill was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals; and CFO at Diver Foods; and has held senior roles at ASX-listed company Costa Group and at CSL, including 5 years as Divisional CFO of CSL Plasma based in the United States. In these roles, Mr Cahill was responsible for financial performance, financial planning and reporting, compliance, and capital control. Mr Cahill is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and holds a Master of Professional Accounting and a Bachelor of Business from Swinburne University.
Dr Tony Eglezos PhD
BSc (Hons), PhD (Immunology), MBA
Dr Tony Eglezos has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years in Australia, the US and Europe for companies including CSL, Amgen, Abbott Labs, and Abbott Australasia. Most recently, he was Director Commercial Operations, Pharmaceuticals and In-Licensing at bioCSL and, prior to that, Senior Director Business Development and Licensing at CSL. During his 7 years in business development with CSL, Tony’s responsibilities included acquisitions and due-diligence, commercialisation of in-licensed pharmaceutical products and out-licensing of IP for partnered development for the global R&D group. Tony has a PhD in Immunology from the University of Melbourne and an MBA from the University of Technology Sydney.
Dr Jeremy Paull PhD
BSc (Hons), PhD (Pharmacology)
Vice President, Development and Regulatory Affairs
Dr Paull leads Starpharma’s preclinical and clinical development programs, and the Company’s interactions with international regulatory authorities related to these programs. Jeremy previously led Starpharma’s NIH -funded programs, and is responsible for managing successful collaborations with the Company’s many international research and commercial development partners. The development and regulatory team led by Jeremy is responsible for the advancement of the VivaGel® standalone product through late-stage development and commercialisation, the development and commercialisation of the VivaGel® condom product, and the progression of Starpharma’s DEP™ technology, including DEP™ docetaxel, through preclinical and clinical development. Jeremy joined Starpharma in 2001 after working previously at medical technology company, Norwood Abbey, and completing a PhD in pharmacology at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, prior to that.
Ms Miranda Sowden
BA, DipHRM, DipBus
Ms Sowden is an experienced HR Director with responsibility for managing the people and culture function of the Company. She has more than 20 years of experience in HR and professional development across a range of organisations, including Pricewaterhouse Coopers, IBM and The Reach Foundation. In national and Asia-Pacific roles and as part of global teams, Ms Sowden has designed and implemented people and culture programs along with supporting technology, has delivered the full annual cycle of HR programs, and has advised on a wide range of HR, people and culture and Employee Relations issues.
Dr Richard Hufton PhD
BSc (Hons), PhD (Organic Chemistry)
Starpharma’s Discovery Chemistry team is led by Dr Richard Hufton, a highly experienced medicinal and synthetic organic chemist with more than 18 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, gained in Australia and the UK. Richard and the Discovery team have extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical research and development process and have a wealth of experience using dendrimers to improve drug delivery and drug safety. The Discovery Team is focused on the discovery of new DEP® products and commercially driven applications for Starpharma’s dendrimer technology, for both internal and partnered programs. Richard has played a key role in Starpharma’s discovery group since 2016 and has contributed to multiple DEP® programs, both internal and partnered, including with AstraZeneca, Chase Sun and Merck. Richard is an inventor on 8 patents and a co-author of 11 publications in internationally recognised journals. Richard has a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Exeter and a Bachelor of Arts (Natural Sciences) from the University of Oxford.
Dr Brian Kelly PhD
BSc, MSc, PhD (Organic Chemistry)
Dr Brian Kelly has more than 19 years’ experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, including holding senior management roles at Starpharma since 2007. Brian has managed and executed multiple drug development campaigns for Starpharma’s internal and partnered DEP® programs, including scaling up DEP® products for use in clinical studies. Brian has more than 15 years’ experience working with industry partners, including GSK, Lilly, AstraZeneca, Chase Sun and Merck, to develop commercially driven research collaborations and novel drug candidates. Brian is also the manager of Starpharma’s TGA licensed cGMP manufacturing facility. Prior to joining Starpharma, Brian was a Senior Chemist at Iliad Chemicals . Brian is an inventor of 11 patents and the co-author of more than 20 publications in distinguished scientific journals. Brian has a PhD in Organic Chemistry, a Master of Science and Technology, and a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry), from the University of Waikato (New Zealand) and has also completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Adelaide and the Australian National University.
Board of Directors
Mr Rob B Thomas AO
AO, BEc, MSAA, SF Fin, FAICD, FRSN
Independent Non-Executive Director (appointed 4 December 2013)
Chairman from 13 June 2014
Mr Thomas has a strong background in financial services and capital markets, and is a non-executive director of several Australian listed companies. Formerly, Mr Thomas was a Partner of Potter Partners (now UBS) where he was also Head of Research. He is the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of County NatWest Securities, and then became CEO and then Chairman of Citibank Corporate and Investment Bank in Australia. Mr Thomas has also held the position of Chairman at Australian Wealth Management Ltd (ultimately IOOF Ltd), TAL (Australia’s largest life insurance company) and HeartWare® International Inc, the second largest global manufacturer of left ventricular assist heart pumps.
Mr Thomas is currently a non-executive director of ASX-listed Biotron Limited and Clarity Pharmaceuticals Limited. Mr Thomas is also Chair of AusBio Ltd, Grahger Retail Securities, Co-Chair of the State Library of NSW Foundation, and a director of O’Connell Street Associates.
For many years Mr Thomas was regarded as one of Australia’s leading financial analysts and regularly lectured with Financial Services Institute of Australia (FINSIA). He has considerable expertise in Mergers & Acquisition (M&A) and capital markets including advising on the floats of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Qantas, and vast experience in Audit and Risk Management.
Mr Thomas is also approved under the NSW prequalification scheme for Audit and Risk Committee Independent Chairs and Members for government/public sector agencies and has previously served as the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee of Virgin Australia Limited (for 11 years), HeartWare® International Inc, REVA Medical Limited and the State Library of NSW.
Mr Thomas holds a Bachelor of Economics from Monash University, a Diploma of Business (Accounting) from Swinburne and is a fellow of FINSIA. Mr Thomas is also a Master Stockbroker, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.
Specific skills and experience areas
In addition to Mr Thomas’ significant finance and M&A/capital markets experience, Mr Thomas’ non-executive roles with various ASX listed companies have deepened his skills and experience in relation to accounting/corporate finance, audit and risk; governance; licensing and commercialisation of innovation; strategy and risk management; occupational health & safety (“OH&S”); and remuneration. He has also had significant experience with US based companies as they progress from research to commercialisation.
Committee membership: Member of Remuneration & Nomination Committee; Member of Audit & Risk Committee.
Ms Cheryl Maley
B.Sc, DipEd, MBA, GAICD
Cheryl has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including 20 years in leadership roles at well-known and leading organisations, including Novartis and AbbVie/Abbott. Her roles include nine years at Novartis in senior commercial and executive roles and various sales and marketing positions with AbbVie, Servier Laboratories, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Cheryl has had extensive experience in leading pharmaceutical innovation, marketing, commercialisation and delivering business growth across Australia, Asia, and international markets. She has a strong commercial background with a proven record in successful product launches and patient access and reimbursement to innovative medicines.
During her nine-year career at Novartis, Cheryl held a number of senior leadership positions where she had responsibility for new products, commercialisation and strategy, as well as reimbursement matters. Cheryl was Country Head and President of Novartis Philippines, where she was responsible for the Pharmaceutical Division and oversaw the cross-divisional leadership team, including the Oncology, Sandoz and Alcon business units.
In her most recent Novartis role as General Manager, Oncology, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Cheryl led Novartis’ oncology division in the ANZ region, with P&L responsibility and oversight of all business functions, including medical, commercial/sales, finance, operations, legal, market access, and compliance. In this role, Cheryl oversaw the successful launch of Australia’s first CAR T cell therapy, Kymriah®, for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, one of Novartis’ top 20 medicines by sales in 2022.
Cheryl has most recently been serving as the Acting CEO and Strategic Advisor at Biointelect, a firm that specialises in strategic planning and commercialisation for the biopharmaceutical and medical device sector. During this time, she has supported a number of research institutions and biotech companies to achieve their goals of growth, transformation and successful commercialisation.
Mr David McIntyre
B. Econs (Acc), LL.B., MBA, CPA
Independent non - executive director (appointed 1 March 2020) – resides in the United States
Mr McIntyre has more than 20 years of executive experience including 18 years in the life science sector, having held various executive roles including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at HeartWare® International, Inc, and Chief Financial Officer & Head of Technical Operations at Braeburn, Inc.. Mr McIntyre is currently the Chief Financial Officer of AVITA Medical Ltd and is a non-executive director of Redflex Holdings Ltd (ASX: RDF). Mr McIntyre is currently serving as the Chair of Starpharma's Audit & Risk Committee.
Mr McIntyre’s experience includes seven years as a Partner at Apple Tree Partners, a multi-billion-dollar life science venture capital and growth equity fund, giving him a deep knowledge of, and extensive contacts, in the US pharma, medical device and biotech markets. During this time, Mr McIntyre served as a non-executive director of several US life science companies.
Prior to entering life sciences, Mr McIntyre practiced as a senior attorney at Baker & McKenzie and KPMG specialising in corporate law and also held various senior finance roles in both multi-national companies and small growth companies.
Mr McIntyre is based in the US and brings to the table an international lens on licensing and commercialisation, marketing and business and development, and M&A/capital markets. He has significant experience in the areas of accounting/corporate finance, audit and risk, strategy and risk management.
Mr McIntyre holds a Bachelor of Economics (Accounting) from the University of Sydney, Australia, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Technology, Sydney and an MBA from Duke Fuqua School of Business (Fuqua Scholar) from Durham, North Carolina, in the United States. Mr McIntyre is a CPA and is also admitted as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and of the High Court of Australia.
Specific skills and experience areas
With more than 20 years of executive experience including 18 years in the life science sector, Mr McIntyre’s experience covers all key areas described in Starpharma’s Board skills matrix. In particular, Mr McIntyre has substantial expertise in accounting/corporate finance, audit and risk; M&A/capital markets; governance; licensing and commercialisation of innovation; strategy and risk management, having held executive roles including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. He has also had significant experience with US based companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector.
Dr Jeff Davies PhD
BSc (Hons), PhD (Biochemistry)
Appointed 1 April 2022
Dr Davies is a former CSL executive, with over 35 years of biopharmaceutical experience. Dr Davies held senior executive roles at CSL, including Executive Vice President & General Manager at CSL for the Asia-Pacific region, and Global Head of Plasma Product Research and Development at CSL-Behring, Switzerland.
As Executive Vice President & General Manager at CSL for the Asia-Pacific region, Dr Davies had overall P&L responsibility for the commercial and operational aspects of the business and oversaw the pharmaceutical, plasma, vaccine, and diagnostic businesses in Australia, New Zealand, China, and the broader Asia-Pacific region.
As the Global Head of CSL-Behring’s Plasma Product Research and Development portfolios, Dr Davies oversaw and played an important role in the development of leading products, including the multi-billion-dollar Privigen® immunoglobulin product. Dr Davies was part of CSL’s due diligence teams, which led to the acquisitions of the Plasma Fractionation businesses of Swiss Red Cross (2000) and Aventis Behring (2003) - which transformed CSL into a global company.
Dr Davies is a partner and founding director of the pharmaceutical consulting firm, Centre for Biopharmaceutical Excellence. Dr Davies has held a number of senior industry board and advisory roles, including representation on the Pharmaceutical Industry Council, the Australian Red Cross Advisory Board and Medicines Australia.
Dr Davies holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Monash University and is a Graduate of the London Business School’s Senior Executive Program.
Specific skills and experience areas
With over 35 years of experience within the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr Davies is an accomplished executive skilled in R&D, Product Development and commercialisation strategy; business development, manufacturing and clinical & regulatory affairs. Dr Davies has significant leadership skills and experience in commercialising scientific research for healthcare products.
Committee membership: Member of Remuneration & Nomination Committee.
Ms Lynda Cheng
B.Com, LL.B. (Hons), GAICD
Appointed 1 August 2021
Ms Cheng has a strong background in finance with more than 25 years of experience as a finance executive including more than 15 years at Visy Industries/Pratt Holdings and 10 years in investment banking. She has significant commercial and international corporate expertise including experience in financial services, manufacturing, export finance, infrastructure, education as well as market entry, growth, and technology. Ms Cheng is currently the Chair of Starpharma's Remuneration & Nominaiton Committee; and is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.
Ms Cheng is currently Director of Corporate Development and Mergers & Acquisitions at Visy Industries / Pratt Holdings and has held various other roles in the group including CFO. Ms Cheng’s earlier roles include as a lawyer at Blake Dawson, before moving into investment banking with J.P. Morgan in their Melbourne, Sydney, San Francisco, and New York offices.
Ms Cheng is currently a non-executive director of Export Finance Australia. In March 2022, Lynda also became an independent, non-executive member of the board of directors JRJJ Capital, the parent co of Merricks Capital, in an observer/advisory capacity. Ms Cheng previously served as a member of the Australian Government's International Development Policy Expert Panel, Deputy Chair and Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee of South East Water and as a member of the Wesley College Council.
Ms Cheng holds Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce degrees, majoring in actuarial studies and economics, from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Russell Basser
B.M, B.S., M.D., FRACP.
Appointed 20 February 2023
Dr Basser has substantial expertise in international drug and vaccine development, having held multiple senior executive roles whilst at CSL, including Senior Vice President (SVP) of Research and Development at CSL Seqirus; Chief Medical Officer at CSL Limited / CSL Behring; and SVP of Global Clinical Research and Development at CSL Behring / CSL Limited.
As SVP of Global Clinical Research and Development at CSL Behring, Dr Basser was responsible for globalising CSL’s Clinical Research and Development group, and for conception and execution of CSL’s clinical trial strategies across a broad range of therapeutic areas from Phase 1 through to commercialisation.
Dr Basser was a founding member of CSL Seqirus’ executive leadership team in 2015 as SVP of Research and Development until his retirement in April 2022.
Dr Basser holds a Bachelor of Medicine (B.Med) and Bachelor of Surgery and a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians and an author of more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and book chapters.
Dr Basser has previously served on the Board of the ANZ Breast Cancer Trials Group and advised on its Scientific Advisory Board; and the Breast, Bowel and Lung Cancer Advisory Committees of the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria.
Specific skills and experience areas
Dr Basser has extensive experience in the medical and biopharmaceutical industry, with expert knowledge of R&D, drug and vaccine development, clinical and regulatory affairs, business development, strategy and risk management, and licensing and commercialisation.
Committee membership: Member of Remuneration & Nomination Committee.
