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Benitec Biopharma Limited

Board and Management Team

Board of Directors

Mr Peter Francis LLB, Grad Dip (Intellectual Property) (Non-executive Chairman)
Dr John Chiplin PH.D (Non-executive Director)
Mr Iain Ross BSC, CH.D. (Non-executive Director)
Mr Kevin Buchi BA (Chem), MIM (Non-Executive Director) (Appointed on 11 April 2013)

Dr Peter French MBA, PHD (Managing Director) (Stepped down as per announced on 9 December 2015)
Dr Mel Bridges BAppSc FAICD (Non-executive Director) (Resigned on 19 June 2014)

Management Team

Mr Greg West (Interim CEO) (Appointed on 9 December 2015), (CFO) and (Company Secretary)
Mr Carl Stubbings (Chief Business Officer) (Effective from 1 July 2012)
Dr Michael Graham (Founding Scientist & Head of Discovery) (Appointed June 2015)
Dr David Suhy (Chief Scientific Officer) (Appointed June 2015)
Ms Georgina Kilfoil (Chief Clinical Officer) (Appointed February 2015)
Dr Craig Lewis (Chief Medical Adviser) (Appointed on 17 March 2014)
Dr Claudia Kloth (Vice President of Manufacturing) (Appointed on 16 December 2014)
Ms Annabel Murphy (Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications)

Dr Peter French (Managing Director) and CEO (Stepped down as per announced on 9 December 2015)

Chief Investigator Group

Dr Ken Reed BSc MSc PhD FATSE
Dr John J Rossi PhD
Dr York Zhu PhD
Professor Maria Kavallaris BAppSci UTS, PhD UNSW
Professor George Dickson BSc, PhD
Dr Geoff Symonds, PhD

Board of Directors

Mr Peter Francis LLB, Grad Dip (Intellectual Property), Non-Executive Chairman, Appointed 23 February 2006
Mr Peter Francis is a partner at Francis Abourizk Lightowlers (FAL), a firm of commercial and technology lawyers with offices in Melbourne, Australia. He is a legal specialist in the areas of intellectual property and licensing and provides legal advice to a large number of corporations and research bodies.
Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies
None
Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years
Xceed Capital Limited.
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Dr John Chiplin PH.D., Non-Executive Director, Appointed 1 February 2010
Dr John Chiplin has significant international experience in the life science and technology industries, from both an operational and investment perspective. Recent transactions that Dr. Chiplin has been involved in include Medistem (acquired by Intrexon), Arana (acquired by Cephalon), and Domantis (acquired by GSK). Immediately prior to running Arana, Dr. Chiplin was head of the ITI Life Sciences investment fund in the UK. His own investment vehicle, Newstar Ventures Ltd, has funded more than twenty early stage companies in the past ten years.
John's Pharmacy and Doctoral degrees are from the University of Nottingham, UK. He currently serves on several international boards as a director or advisor. These span the public, private, venture capital and banking sectors.
Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies:
Medistem Inc.
Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years:
Arana Therapeutics Ltd., Calzada Ltd., Progen Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Healthlinx Ltd.
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Mr Iain Ross BSC, CH.D., Non-Executive Director, Appointed 1 June 2010
Mr. Ross has served as a director of the Company since June, 2010.
Following a career with multi-national companies including Sandoz, Fisons plc and Hoffman La Roche, Mr. Ross joined the Board of Celltech Group plc in 1991 and was responsible for building Celltech Biologics, the contract manufacturing division which was later sold to Alusuisse Lonza.
For the last 20 years he has undertaken a number of start-ups and development stage companies as a board member on behalf of private equity groups and banks, including Quadrant Healthcare plc, Allergy Therapeutics Ltd, Eden Biodesign Ltd, Phadia AB and Silence Therapeutics plc.
Currently Mr. Ross is Chairman of the Board of Premier Veterinary Group plc, which is traded on the Main List of the London Stock Exchange and Biomer Technology Ltd.
In addition he is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Amarantus Bioscience Inc which is traded on the OTC:QB and Anatara Lifesciences Limited and Tissue Therapies Ltd each of which is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange.
He is a Qualified Chartered Director of the UK Institute of Directors and Vice Chairman of the Council of Royal Holloway, University of London.
Mr. Ross is qualified to serve as director because of his extensive experience working with a mix of small and large pharmaceutical companies.
Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies:
Anatara Lifesciences Limited; Amarantus Bioscience Holding Inc; Premier Veterinary Group plc, Tissue Therapies Limited
Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years:
Coms plc, Novogen Limited, Ark Therapeutics Group plc
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Mr J. Kevin Buchi BA (Chem), MIM, Non-Executive Director, Appointed April 2013
Mr. Buchi served as Chief Executive Officer of Cephalon, Inc. through its $6.8 billion acquisition by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in October 2011. After the acquisition Mr. Buchi served as Corporate Vice President, Global Branded Products of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Buchi joined Cephalon in 1991 and held various positions, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development prior to being appointed CEO.
Mr. Buchi currently serves as President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals. Mr Buchi is also on the Board of Directors of Stemline Therapeutics, Inc., Forward Pharma A/S, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Epirus Biopharmaceuticals.
Mr Buchi originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist for the Eastman Kodak Company graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry. He holds master’s degree in management from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies
Stemline Therapeutics, Inc and Alexza Pharmaceuticals.
Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years
Mesoblast Limited (Australia)
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Management Team

Mr Greg West, (Interim CEO) Appointed on 9 December 2015, (CFO) and (Company Secretary)
Mr West is a Chartered Accountant with experience in the Biotech sector. He is a Director and audit committee Chairman of ITC Limited (a business arm of Wollongong University), IDP Education Pty Ltd and Education Australia Limited. He completed his studies with Price Waterhouse and has worked in senior finance executive roles in investment banking with Bankers Trust, Deutsche Bank, NZI, and other financial institutions.
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Mr Carl Stubbings BSc, Chief Business Officer, Appointed July 2012
Mr Stubbings is a highly qualified senior executive with over thirty years experience in biotechnology and medical diagnostics. His background includes manufacturing, administration, and extensive international sales and marketing expertise in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe.
Prior to joining Benitec Carl was Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Focus Diagnostics a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics (NASDAQ DGX), one of world’s largest pathology provider. Prior to moving back to Australia, Carl and his family had lived and worked in the USA for more than 12 years. In December 2011 Carl was appointed as a non-executive director of Sienna Diagnostics (a public unlisted company).
Carl Stubbings holds a B.Sc. degree from the Queensland University of Technology; he holds dual Australian and US citizenship.
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Dr Michael Graham BSc (Hons), PHD, Founding Scientist & Head of Discovery, Appointed June 2015
Dr Graham’s research interests are in the field of molecular genetics, with a particular focus on the applications of RNAi in biotechnology. He commenced the development of Benitec’s ddRNAi technology while working in plant biotechnology at CSIRO and continued this work at QDPI and Benitec, focusing on medical applications; the core Benitec patent portfolio was developed at this time. Following Benitec’s restructure Dr Graham moved to the University of Queensland where he worked on developing applications of RNAi in plant biotechnology in an industry collaborative program.
In January 2012 Dr Graham re-joined Benitec Biopharma as Chief Scientist and oversees the development of Benitec Biopharma’s scientific programs.
In June 2015, Dr Graham was appointed Founding Scientists & Head of Discovery. He has re-located to the USA, working at Benitec's Bremner Laboratory, where he will focus on new technologies.
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Dr David Suhy, Chief Scientific Officer, Appointed June 2015
David Suhy leads all of Benitec's therapeutic development programs. He was one of the inventors of TT-033 and has directed development of the TT-03x series of compounds which target the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), from the drawing board through to Investigational New Drug (IND) submission to the US FDA for TT-034. Dr Suhy continues to lead the program as TT-034 is expected to enter the clinic in 2014.
Dr Suhy has had significant experience in development of DNA-based constructs. His involvement in the TT-03x program started when he was a senior scientist at Avocel, an RNAi therapeutics company, which he joined in 2003 shortly after its inception. He continued TT-03x development after the company was acquired by Benitec Ltd. in 2004. In 2008 he returned to Tacere Therapeutics as Director of Research & Development after serving as the Associate Director of R&D at Clontech. Dr Suhy has held other distinguished roles with US-based biotechnology companies. He served as Principal Scientist at Antara Biosciences, where he was developing two molecular diagnostics platforms, based on electrochemistry and RFID tags as chip-based nucleic acid detection modalities. He also led the Target Validation Group at PPD Discovery, a company with proprietary technology surrounding the use of genetic suppressor elements to identify ‘druggable’ genomic targets for large pharmaceutical companies.
Dr Suhy holds a BS in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Pittsburgh, earned his PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology at Northwestern University, and conducted his post-doctoral work at Stanford University.
Dr Suhy was appointed to the role of Senior Vice President Resarch & Development in October 2012 and was appointed to Head of Benitec's Bremner Laboratory in the Bay Area of San Francisco, when it opened in 2014.
In June 2015, Dr Suhy was appointed Chief Scientific Officer, based at the Bremner Laboratory.
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Ms Georgina Kilfoil BSc, MBA, PMP, Chief Clinical Officer, Appointed February 2015
Georgina Kilfoil has over twenty-five years of drug development, project management and clinical research experience. Prior to joining Benitec Biopharma, Ms. Kilfoil has been a Senior Drug Development Consultant providing strategic development advice in multiple therapeutic areas and across all phases of drug development and was SVP, Development at Anthera Pharmaceuticals.
Ms. Kilfoil served as Vice-President, Alliances and Project Management at Peninsula Pharmaceuticals where she played a key role in the development and successful NDA filing for Doribax®. Prior to Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, Ms Kilfoil was a project management consultant for Vicuron Pharmaceuticals and played an instrumental role in the development and successful NDA filing of Eraxis®. Ms Kilfoil is a certified Project Management Professional, has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacology from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management, Sydney, Australia.
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Dr Craig Lewis, Chief Medical Adviser, Appointed on 17 March 2014
Dr Lewis is a medical oncologist at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital. His major areas of interest are in clinical trial research in lung and breast cancer, and sarcoma. Another area of interest is cancer pain management.
Dr Lewis is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, a member of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. He holds a conjoint appointment in the School of Medicine at the University of New South Wales at the Associate Professor level.
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Dr Claudia Kloth, Vice President of Manufacturing, Appointed on 16 December 2014
Dr Kloth has more than 14 years of experience in process development and cGMP manufacturing, most recently with gene therapy vectors, including adeno-associated viruses (AAV), which are being used by Benitec in the company's hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) programs.
Dr Kloth previously led Lonza's process development group in the successful development, optimization, and transfer of robust, viral-based (adenovirus, AAV, lentivirus) and cell therapy products to cGMP manufacturing, through newly established scalable processes.
Dr Kloth is based in the United States and will commence her role with Benitec on 5 January 2015.
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Chief Investigator Group

Our Chief Investigators Group (CIG) keeps Benitec Biopharma at the cutting edge of RNAi science and its application to human disease.

These scientists, internationally renowned in the field of RNAi, head Benitec Biopharma's various R&D programs. Their experience and skill ensure that our programs remain at the cutting edge of technology, and their rigour ensures that our progress is sustained. The CIG meets twice a year to review progress of the programs and to provide scientific advice and input into each of the programs, ensuring that Benitec Biopharma's portfolio advances with adherence to best scientific practice.

Our Chief Scientist, Dr Michael Graham, is Chairman of the CIG, whose other members follow.

Dr Ken Reed BSc, MSc, PhD FATSE

Dr Reed was the scientific founder of Benitec, whose gene silencing technology came from research conducted at the Queensland Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (QABC) and CSIRO. Dr Reed was the founding director of QABC and previously a co-founder of Advanced Breeding Technology Pty Ltd, the first company to commercialise the use of PCR. He was Deputy Chair of the inaugural Australian Biotechnology Advisory Council and served for many years on the Australian Government's Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee and the Board of the Australian Genome Research Facility. Dr Reed is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.
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Dr John J Rossi PhD

Dr. Rossi is the Lidow family Professor and Chair of the Division of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, and Dean, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, California. Dr. Rossi received his doctoral training in genetics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and postdoctoral training in molecular genetics at Brown University. His research has focused on RNA biology and clinical applications of small RNAs. His group was the first to demonstrate that hammerhead ribozymes could be used for inhibition of HIV replication. This research program led to two clinical trials in which ribozyme genes have been transduced into hematopoietic stem cells for autologous transplant in HIV infected individuals. He is the recipient of an NIH Merit award for his work on ribozymes and HIV. Work in the laboratory continues to focus upon mechanisms of small RNA mediated inhibition of gene expression and RNA based therapeutics, with recent emphasis on function and applications of RNA interference and expressed short hairpin RNAs for therapeutic treatment of HIV and cancers. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and numerous reviews and commentaries on RNAi based therapeutics.
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Dr York Zhu PhD

Dr York Zhu, the founder of both Biomics and NT Omics Inc., has 20 years R&D and business experience. He started his industrial R&D career at Clontech Labs (1993) as an R&D Manager following several years as an academic in the Memorial Foundation in Nagoya, Japan (1987-1989). During his 6 years at Clontech, he was granted the Achievement Award for his R&D and management which played a significant role in the USD$200 million acquisition by BD. In 2000, Dr Zhu worked as Chief Technology Officer in Genemed R&D headquarters for 4 years, where he was an inventor on several patents and led the R&D team to develop a gene drug discovery technology platform. Then as Vice President and Chief Scientist of Zytogene (a spin-off of Genemed) he managed R&D operations to successfully develop over 200 new products for Zymed, which brought the company to a high market value and was acquired by Invitrogen. In 2005, D, Zhu founded NT Omics, and invented Entire siRNA targets (EsT) library technology which filled a gap in this field of high throughput siRNA screening.. In 2006 D. Zhu established Biomics in Nantong, China, where he now serves as CEO and Chairman. The Company is a leading player in RNAi in China.
Dr. Zhu undertook his Ph.D at the Medical School of Nagoya University (Japan,1989-1993), and his MS in Nantong University (1982-1985). During his career, Dr. Zhu has published more than 30 papers, held 3 patents andhas 6 more patents in the process of application.
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Professor Maria Kavallaris BAppSci UTS, PhD UNSW

Professor Maria Kavallaris is Head of the Pharmacoproteomics Program at the Children's Cancer Institute Australia, and holds a conjoint academic appointment in the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales. Her research contributions are internationally regarded and include identifying the mechanisms of action and resistance to anticancer drugs that target cell division; discovering new cytoskeleton interactions in cancer; and the development of less toxic cancer therapies using nanotechnology. Her program's research contributions include the identification of novel mechanisms of resistance to anticancer agents that target key proteins involved in cell division in childhood cancer.
Professor Kavallaris is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and her research contributions have been recognised by international and national awards and prizes including an International Agency for Research on Cancer Fellowship, an American Association for Cancer Research Women in Cancer Research Award, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Award, a Young Tall Poppy Award, and an Australian Museum Eureka Prize. She is regularly invited to speak and chair at international meetings. Professor has authored over 70 publications and her expertise is reflected in invitations to edit a book, contribute book chapters and review articles, including, Nature Reviews Cancer. She has served on numerous committees including the Program Committee for the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research and on grant review panels. Professor Kavallaris serves on the Board of the Australian Institute for Policy and Science and has played a major role in advocating for medical research through public outreach and served as President of the Australian Society for Medical Research.
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Professor George Dickson BSc, PhD

Professor Dickson is the director of the Institute of Biomedical and Life Science at the Royal Holloway, University of London, UK.
He is working on programs in the field of the molecular genetics and gene therapy of neuromuscular, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. His research program involves development of gene therapeutics (lentiviral, adenoviral, adeno-associated virus, non-viral lipoplex vectors, oligonucleotide-based pharmaceuticals), use of transgenic animals and the understanding of signalling pathways in relation to the pathophysiology and treatment of the muscular dystrophies, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidaemia, and neurodegenerative disease. The work is supported by the European Union, Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, British Heart Foundation, Wyeth Discovery, Gates Foundation, Glaxo-SmithKline, Association Francais contre les Myopathies, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
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Dr Geoff Symonds PhD

Dr Symonds is Chief Scientific Officer of Calimmune Inc and has a Conjoint Professor appointment at the University of New South Wales.
He is working on cell-delivered gene therapy for HIV/AIDS. The approach involves modifying hematopoietic stem cells and CD4+ T lymphocytes with anti-HIV genes and then re-introducing these cells to the individual to impact on CD4+ T cell count and HIV viral load. The anti-HIV genes are introduced with a self-inactivating lentiviral vector. Dr Symonds has an extensive background in this area as well as research on the molecular basis for solid tumours and leukaemia. His HIV gene therapy clinical development work in Australia is supported by Calimmune, and grants from the Australian Research Council and Research Infrastructure Support Services.
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updated 9th December, 2015

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		Mr Peter Francis LLB, Grad Dip (Intellectual Property), Non-Executive Chairman, Appointed 23 February 2006 Mr Peter Francis is a partner at Francis Abourizk Lightowlers (FAL), a firm of commercial and technology lawyers with offices in Melbourne, Australia. He is a legal specialist in the areas of intellectual property and licensing and provides legal advice to a large number of corporations and research bodies. Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies None Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years Xceed Capital Limited. back to top

		Dr John Chiplin PH.D., Non-Executive Director, Appointed 1 February 2010 Dr John Chiplin has significant international experience in the life science and technology industries, from both an operational and investment perspective. Recent transactions that Dr. Chiplin has been involved in include Medistem (acquired by Intrexon), Arana (acquired by Cephalon), and Domantis (acquired by GSK). Immediately prior to running Arana, Dr. Chiplin was head of the ITI Life Sciences investment fund in the UK. His own investment vehicle, Newstar Ventures Ltd, has funded more than twenty early stage companies in the past ten years. John's Pharmacy and Doctoral degrees are from the University of Nottingham, UK. He currently serves on several international boards as a director or advisor. These span the public, private, venture capital and banking sectors. Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies: Medistem Inc. Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years: Arana Therapeutics Ltd., Calzada Ltd., Progen Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Healthlinx Ltd. back to top

		Mr Iain Ross BSC, CH.D., Non-Executive Director, Appointed 1 June 2010 Mr. Ross has served as a director of the Company since June, 2010. Following a career with multi-national companies including Sandoz, Fisons plc and Hoffman La Roche, Mr. Ross joined the Board of Celltech Group plc in 1991 and was responsible for building Celltech Biologics, the contract manufacturing division which was later sold to Alusuisse Lonza. For the last 20 years he has undertaken a number of start-ups and development stage companies as a board member on behalf of private equity groups and banks, including Quadrant Healthcare plc, Allergy Therapeutics Ltd, Eden Biodesign Ltd, Phadia AB and Silence Therapeutics plc. Currently Mr. Ross is Chairman of the Board of Premier Veterinary Group plc, which is traded on the Main List of the London Stock Exchange and Biomer Technology Ltd. In addition he is an Independent Non-Executive Director of Amarantus Bioscience Inc which is traded on the OTC:QB and Anatara Lifesciences Limited and Tissue Therapies Ltd each of which is traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. He is a Qualified Chartered Director of the UK Institute of Directors and Vice Chairman of the Council of Royal Holloway, University of London. Mr. Ross is qualified to serve as director because of his extensive experience working with a mix of small and large pharmaceutical companies. Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies: Anatara Lifesciences Limited; Amarantus Bioscience Holding Inc; Premier Veterinary Group plc, Tissue Therapies Limited Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years: Coms plc, Novogen Limited, Ark Therapeutics Group plc back to top

		Mr J. Kevin Buchi BA (Chem), MIM, Non-Executive Director, Appointed April 2013 Mr. Buchi served as Chief Executive Officer of Cephalon, Inc. through its $6.8 billion acquisition by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in October 2011. After the acquisition Mr. Buchi served as Corporate Vice President, Global Branded Products of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Buchi joined Cephalon in 1991 and held various positions, including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Head of Business Development prior to being appointed CEO. Mr. Buchi currently serves as President and CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals. Mr Buchi is also on the Board of Directors of Stemline Therapeutics, Inc., Forward Pharma A/S, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Epirus Biopharmaceuticals. Mr Buchi originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist for the Eastman Kodak Company graduating from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry. He holds master’s degree in management from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Other Current Directorships of Listed Companies Stemline Therapeutics, Inc and Alexza Pharmaceuticals. Former Directorships of Listed Companies in last three years Mesoblast Limited (Australia) back to top

		Mr Greg West, (Interim CEO) Appointed on 9 December 2015, (CFO) and (Company Secretary) Mr West is a Chartered Accountant with experience in the Biotech sector. He is a Director and audit committee Chairman of ITC Limited (a business arm of Wollongong University), IDP Education Pty Ltd and Education Australia Limited. He completed his studies with Price Waterhouse and has worked in senior finance executive roles in investment banking with Bankers Trust, Deutsche Bank, NZI, and other financial institutions. back to top

		Mr Carl Stubbings BSc, Chief Business Officer, Appointed July 2012 Mr Stubbings is a highly qualified senior executive with over thirty years experience in biotechnology and medical diagnostics. His background includes manufacturing, administration, and extensive international sales and marketing expertise in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe. Prior to joining Benitec Carl was Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Focus Diagnostics a subsidiary of Quest Diagnostics (NASDAQ DGX), one of world’s largest pathology provider. Prior to moving back to Australia, Carl and his family had lived and worked in the USA for more than 12 years. In December 2011 Carl was appointed as a non-executive director of Sienna Diagnostics (a public unlisted company). Carl Stubbings holds a B.Sc. degree from the Queensland University of Technology; he holds dual Australian and US citizenship. back to top

		Dr Michael Graham BSc (Hons), PHD, Founding Scientist & Head of Discovery, Appointed June 2015 Dr Graham’s research interests are in the field of molecular genetics, with a particular focus on the applications of RNAi in biotechnology. He commenced the development of Benitec’s ddRNAi technology while working in plant biotechnology at CSIRO and continued this work at QDPI and Benitec, focusing on medical applications; the core Benitec patent portfolio was developed at this time. Following Benitec’s restructure Dr Graham moved to the University of Queensland where he worked on developing applications of RNAi in plant biotechnology in an industry collaborative program. In January 2012 Dr Graham re-joined Benitec Biopharma as Chief Scientist and oversees the development of Benitec Biopharma’s scientific programs. In June 2015, Dr Graham was appointed Founding Scientists & Head of Discovery. He has re-located to the USA, working at Benitec's Bremner Laboratory, where he will focus on new technologies. back to top

		Dr David Suhy, Chief Scientific Officer, Appointed June 2015 David Suhy leads all of Benitec's therapeutic development programs. He was one of the inventors of TT-033 and has directed development of the TT-03x series of compounds which target the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), from the drawing board through to Investigational New Drug (IND) submission to the US FDA for TT-034. Dr Suhy continues to lead the program as TT-034 is expected to enter the clinic in 2014. Dr Suhy has had significant experience in development of DNA-based constructs. His involvement in the TT-03x program started when he was a senior scientist at Avocel, an RNAi therapeutics company, which he joined in 2003 shortly after its inception. He continued TT-03x development after the company was acquired by Benitec Ltd. in 2004. In 2008 he returned to Tacere Therapeutics as Director of Research & Development after serving as the Associate Director of R&D at Clontech. Dr Suhy has held other distinguished roles with US-based biotechnology companies. He served as Principal Scientist at Antara Biosciences, where he was developing two molecular diagnostics platforms, based on electrochemistry and RFID tags as chip-based nucleic acid detection modalities. He also led the Target Validation Group at PPD Discovery, a company with proprietary technology surrounding the use of genetic suppressor elements to identify ‘druggable’ genomic targets for large pharmaceutical companies. Dr Suhy holds a BS in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of Pittsburgh, earned his PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology at Northwestern University, and conducted his post-doctoral work at Stanford University. Dr Suhy was appointed to the role of Senior Vice President Resarch & Development in October 2012 and was appointed to Head of Benitec's Bremner Laboratory in the Bay Area of San Francisco, when it opened in 2014. In June 2015, Dr Suhy was appointed Chief Scientific Officer, based at the Bremner Laboratory. back to top

		Ms Georgina Kilfoil BSc, MBA, PMP, Chief Clinical Officer, Appointed February 2015 Georgina Kilfoil has over twenty-five years of drug development, project management and clinical research experience. Prior to joining Benitec Biopharma, Ms. Kilfoil has been a Senior Drug Development Consultant providing strategic development advice in multiple therapeutic areas and across all phases of drug development and was SVP, Development at Anthera Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Kilfoil served as Vice-President, Alliances and Project Management at Peninsula Pharmaceuticals where she played a key role in the development and successful NDA filing for Doribax®. Prior to Peninsula Pharmaceuticals, Ms Kilfoil was a project management consultant for Vicuron Pharmaceuticals and played an instrumental role in the development and successful NDA filing of Eraxis®. Ms Kilfoil is a certified Project Management Professional, has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacology from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management, Sydney, Australia. back to top

		Dr Craig Lewis, Chief Medical Adviser, Appointed on 17 March 2014 Dr Lewis is a medical oncologist at Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital. His major areas of interest are in clinical trial research in lung and breast cancer, and sarcoma. Another area of interest is cancer pain management. Dr Lewis is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, a member of the Medical Oncology Group of Australia, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia. He holds a conjoint appointment in the School of Medicine at the University of New South Wales at the Associate Professor level. back to top

		Dr Claudia Kloth, Vice President of Manufacturing, Appointed on 16 December 2014 Dr Kloth has more than 14 years of experience in process development and cGMP manufacturing, most recently with gene therapy vectors, including adeno-associated viruses (AAV), which are being used by Benitec in the company's hepatitis C (HCV), hepatitis B (HBV) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) programs. Dr Kloth previously led Lonza's process development group in the successful development, optimization, and transfer of robust, viral-based (adenovirus, AAV, lentivirus) and cell therapy products to cGMP manufacturing, through newly established scalable processes. Dr Kloth is based in the United States and will commence her role with Benitec on 5 January 2015. back to top

		Dr Ken Reed BSc, MSc, PhD FATSE Dr Reed was the scientific founder of Benitec, whose gene silencing technology came from research conducted at the Queensland Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (QABC) and CSIRO. Dr Reed was the founding director of QABC and previously a co-founder of Advanced Breeding Technology Pty Ltd, the first company to commercialise the use of PCR. He was Deputy Chair of the inaugural Australian Biotechnology Advisory Council and served for many years on the Australian Government's Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee and the Board of the Australian Genome Research Facility. Dr Reed is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. back to top

		Dr John J Rossi PhD Dr. Rossi is the Lidow family Professor and Chair of the Division of Molecular Biology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, and Dean, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, California. Dr. Rossi received his doctoral training in genetics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and postdoctoral training in molecular genetics at Brown University. His research has focused on RNA biology and clinical applications of small RNAs. His group was the first to demonstrate that hammerhead ribozymes could be used for inhibition of HIV replication. This research program led to two clinical trials in which ribozyme genes have been transduced into hematopoietic stem cells for autologous transplant in HIV infected individuals. He is the recipient of an NIH Merit award for his work on ribozymes and HIV. Work in the laboratory continues to focus upon mechanisms of small RNA mediated inhibition of gene expression and RNA based therapeutics, with recent emphasis on function and applications of RNA interference and expressed short hairpin RNAs for therapeutic treatment of HIV and cancers. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles and numerous reviews and commentaries on RNAi based therapeutics. back to top

		Dr York Zhu PhD Dr York Zhu, the founder of both Biomics and NT Omics Inc., has 20 years R&D and business experience. He started his industrial R&D career at Clontech Labs (1993) as an R&D Manager following several years as an academic in the Memorial Foundation in Nagoya, Japan (1987-1989). During his 6 years at Clontech, he was granted the Achievement Award for his R&D and management which played a significant role in the USD$200 million acquisition by BD. In 2000, Dr Zhu worked as Chief Technology Officer in Genemed R&D headquarters for 4 years, where he was an inventor on several patents and led the R&D team to develop a gene drug discovery technology platform. Then as Vice President and Chief Scientist of Zytogene (a spin-off of Genemed) he managed R&D operations to successfully develop over 200 new products for Zymed, which brought the company to a high market value and was acquired by Invitrogen. In 2005, D, Zhu founded NT Omics, and invented Entire siRNA targets (EsT) library technology which filled a gap in this field of high throughput siRNA screening.. In 2006 D. Zhu established Biomics in Nantong, China, where he now serves as CEO and Chairman. The Company is a leading player in RNAi in China. Dr. Zhu undertook his Ph.D at the Medical School of Nagoya University (Japan,1989-1993), and his MS in Nantong University (1982-1985). During his career, Dr. Zhu has published more than 30 papers, held 3 patents andhas 6 more patents in the process of application. back to top

		Professor Maria Kavallaris BAppSci UTS, PhD UNSW Professor Maria Kavallaris is Head of the Pharmacoproteomics Program at the Children's Cancer Institute Australia, and holds a conjoint academic appointment in the Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales. Her research contributions are internationally regarded and include identifying the mechanisms of action and resistance to anticancer drugs that target cell division; discovering new cytoskeleton interactions in cancer; and the development of less toxic cancer therapies using nanotechnology. Her program's research contributions include the identification of novel mechanisms of resistance to anticancer agents that target key proteins involved in cell division in childhood cancer. Professor Kavallaris is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and her research contributions have been recognised by international and national awards and prizes including an International Agency for Research on Cancer Fellowship, an American Association for Cancer Research Women in Cancer Research Award, National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Award, a Young Tall Poppy Award, and an Australian Museum Eureka Prize. She is regularly invited to speak and chair at international meetings. Professor has authored over 70 publications and her expertise is reflected in invitations to edit a book, contribute book chapters and review articles, including, Nature Reviews Cancer. She has served on numerous committees including the Program Committee for the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research and on grant review panels. Professor Kavallaris serves on the Board of the Australian Institute for Policy and Science and has played a major role in advocating for medical research through public outreach and served as President of the Australian Society for Medical Research. back to top

		Professor George Dickson BSc, PhD Professor Dickson is the director of the Institute of Biomedical and Life Science at the Royal Holloway, University of London, UK. He is working on programs in the field of the molecular genetics and gene therapy of neuromuscular, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. His research program involves development of gene therapeutics (lentiviral, adenoviral, adeno-associated virus, non-viral lipoplex vectors, oligonucleotide-based pharmaceuticals), use of transgenic animals and the understanding of signalling pathways in relation to the pathophysiology and treatment of the muscular dystrophies, atherosclerosis and hyperlipidaemia, and neurodegenerative disease. The work is supported by the European Union, Medical Research Council, Wellcome Trust, Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, British Heart Foundation, Wyeth Discovery, Gates Foundation, Glaxo-SmithKline, Association Francais contre les Myopathies, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. back to top

		Dr Geoff Symonds PhD Dr Symonds is Chief Scientific Officer of Calimmune Inc and has a Conjoint Professor appointment at the University of New South Wales. He is working on cell-delivered gene therapy for HIV/AIDS. The approach involves modifying hematopoietic stem cells and CD4+ T lymphocytes with anti-HIV genes and then re-introducing these cells to the individual to impact on CD4+ T cell count and HIV viral load. The anti-HIV genes are introduced with a self-inactivating lentiviral vector. Dr Symonds has an extensive background in this area as well as research on the molecular basis for solid tumours and leukaemia. His HIV gene therapy clinical development work in Australia is supported by Calimmune, and grants from the Australian Research Council and Research Infrastructure Support Services. back to top