irasia.com - Mesoblast Limited

Mesoblast Limited

Board and Management Team

Board of Directors

Brian Jamieson FCA (Non-Executive Chairman)
Donal O'Dwyer, BE, MBA (Non-Executive Deputy Chairman)
Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR (CEO, Managing Director)
Michael Spooner, BCom, ACA, MAICD (Non-Executive Director)
J. Kevin Buchi (Non-Executive Director)

Byron McAllister, B.Sc, M.Ag (Non-Executive Director) (Resigned on 29 November 2010)

Management and Key Consultants

Paul Rennie, BSc, MBM, MS (Chief Operating Officer)
Suzanne Lipe BSc (Hons) PhD, LLB (Vice President, Operations)
Jenni Pilcher CA, BBS (Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary) (Appointed as Company Secretary on 1 January 2012)
Dr Donna L. Skerrett, MD, MS (Clinical and Regulatory Affairs)
Professor Peter Ghosh, BSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRACI, FRSC, CSc. (Vice President for Cartilage Regenerative Programs)
Julie Meldrum (Corporate Communications Director)

Kevin Hollingsworth, FCPA, FCMA (Company Secretary) (Resigned on 1 January 2012)

Scientific Advisory Board

Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR (Chairman)
Professor Richard E Gilbert, MBBS, PhD, FRACP (Member)
Professor Robert M Graham, FAA, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FACP, FAHA (Member)
Professor Stephen Graves, MBBS, D. Phil FRACS, FA, Orth A (Member)
Professor Henry Krum, MBBS, PhD, FRACP (Member)
Professor Joseph Lane, AB,MD (Member)

Board of Directors

Non-Executive Chairman
Brian Jamieson FCA
Brian Jamieson was Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne and a partner of the Minter Ellison Revenue Group from 2002-2005. He retired as Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne on 31 December 2005. Prior to joining Minter Ellison, Mr Jamieson was Executive Officer at KPMG from 1998-2000, Managing Partner of KPMG Melbourne and Southern Regions from 1993-1998 and Chairman of KPMG Melbourne from 2001-2002. He was also a KPMG Board Member in Australia , and a member of the USA Management Committee. Mr Jamieson is a Non-Executive Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited, Oxiana Limited and HBOS Australia Pty Ltd. He is also a Director and Treasurer of Care Australia and the Bionic Ear Institute, and a Director of Veski, The Sir Robert Menzies Foundation, the Australian Council - Major Performing Arts Board and the Tattersall's George Adams Foundation. Mr Jamieson has over 30 years of experience in providing advice and audit services to a diverse range of public and large private companies. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia .
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Non-Executive Deputy Chairman
Donal O'Dwyer, BE, MBA
Mr O'Dwyer has almost 20 years experience as a senior executive in the global cardiovascular and medical devices industries. From 2000 to 2003, he was worldwide president of Cordis Cardiology, the cardiology division of Johnson & Johnson's Cordis Corporation. Cordis is the world's largest manufacturer of innovative products for interventional medicine, minimally invasive computer-based imaging, and electrophysiology. In this role, Mr O'Dwyer led Cordis through the launch of the revolutionary Cypher drug eluting coronary stent technology, and saw the company take over number one market share of coronary stents worldwide. He directly supervised an increase in sales from $US500 million in 2000 to $US2 billion in 2003. Prior to joining Cordis in 1996, Mr O'Dwyer worked for 12 years with Baxter Healthcare, rising from plant manager in Ireland to president of the Cardiovascular Group, Europe , now Edwards Lifesciences. Mr O'Dwyer is a non-executive Director of Cochlear Limited and Sunshine Heart.
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CEO, Managing Director
Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR
Professor Itescu is the Founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York 's Columbia University Medical Center , Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the United States President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups.
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Non-Executive Director
Michael Spooner, BCom, ACA, MAICD
Mr Spooner has an extensive network of relationships with investment firms and business communities across the globe, having spent the majority of the past 25 years living and working internationally. He has an outstanding track record in the rapid international commercialisation of high growth companies including within the medical application and commercial technology sectors. Most recently, Mr Spooner was Managing Director & CEO of Ventracor Limited where he led the transformation of a small Australian listed life sciences company into the second highest performing stock on the S&P/ASX 200 index in 2003. He was a Principal Partner and Director of Consulting Services with PriceWaterhouse Coopers (Coopers & Lybrand) in Hong Kong for seven years. Mr Spooner advises a number of high growth corporations and is a non-executive Director of Peplin Limited.
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Non-Executive Director
J. Kevin Buchi
J. Kevin Buchi was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of global biopharmaceutical company, Cephalon, in 2010, after serving the company in other capacities for almost 20 years. Most recently, Mr Buchi served as Chief Operating Officer and managed the company's global sales and marketing functions, as well as product manufacturing, business development and investor relations. From 1996 to 2009, he served as Chief Financial Officer and, from 2004, head of business development for the company. Mr Buchi has played an instrumental role in the global growth of Cephalon through acquisitions and sound financial management. At various times in his career since joining Cephalon in 1991 as controller, Mr Buchi has had oversight of corporate finance, accounting, information systems, facilities, human resources and administration. Mr Buchi graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry. He was a synthetic organic chemist for the Eastman Kodak Company before going on to obtain a master's degree in management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He worked for a large public accounting firm before beginning his career in the pharmaceutical industry with E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company in 1983. Mr Buchi is a certified public accountant, and he serves on the board of directors of Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. located in Princeton, New Jersey.
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Management and Key Consultants

Chief Operating Officer
Paul Rennie, BSc, MBM, MS
Mr. Rennie has over 25 years experience in marketing and business development within the Australian biomedical and pharmaceutical industry. He was formerly Director of Business Development for Soltec, a wholly owned subsidiary of F H Faulding & Co., Ltd, with focus on developing improved pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. Previously, as Business Development Manager for the Biosciences Division of Bonlac, he led the commercialisation strategies and licensing negotiations between Bonlac and multinational global oral care and health care/nutritional companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and SmithKlineBeecham, and successfully concluded licensing of Bonlac's CPP-ACP technology to Warner Lambert. Between 1990-1994 he held various positions with the global pharmaceutical company Merck Ltd, where as National Sales and Marketing Manager he was responsible for Australia-wide sales of pharmaceuticals, analytical reagents, environmental monitoring products, and scientific research products. In this capacity, Mr. Rennie implemented a new strategic plan which contributed to transforming Merck Australia from having a loss in 1993 to record sales and profits in 1996.
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Vice President, Operations
Suzanne Lipe BSc (Hons), PhD, LLB
Dr Lipe has strong development and commercial experience gained over almost 20 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. She has negotiated with centres, set up and managed preclinical and clinical trial programs, including IND multi-centre studies, and had regulatory affairs responsibility for several multinational companies. Through a strong commercial focus, she developed the strategy and managed the launch of new products on to the market, particularly through her senior roles with the former ICI (now AstraZeneca), Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Aventis) and CSL. Dr Lipe has been a Managing Director, CEO and Board member of three biotechnology start-up companies and for four years prior to joining Mesoblast, she was Chief Operating Officer at Norwood Immunology. She is a member of the Pharmaceuticals Partnerships Program Committee of the Innovation Board (AusIndustry).
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Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary
Jenni Pilcher CA, BBS
Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, Mrs Pilcher has worked in corporate and business financial roles for high profile international companies in pharmaceuticals, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and services. Before joining Mesoblast as Financial Controller in 2007, she spent six years with ASX 200 Company, Spotless Group, progressing through a variety of financial roles. Previously Mrs Pilcher worked in the finance teams at Cadbury Schweppes plc and international pharmaceutical group Medeva plc, both based in the United Kingdom. She was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Mesoblast in November 2007 and Company Secretary in January 2012.
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Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
Dr Donna L. Skerrett, MD, MS
Dr Skerrett has been involved in stem cell procurement, manipulation and transplantation for more than 10 years. She has most recently been Director of the Stem Cell Facilities at Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York, and previously served as Associate Director of Transfusion Medicine at Columbia University's New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Skerrett oversees clinical development of the antibody-based stem cell selection technology and in vitro culture processes, as well as the human clinical trial programs, while liaising closely with the FDA. She is an advisor to the New York State Department of Health on the progenitor cell committee and the governor's Council on Blood and Transfusion Services. Dr Skerrett has also been an adviser and committee member with the National Marrow Donor Program and the American Society of Hematology.
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Vice President for Cartilage Regenerative Programs
Professor Peter Ghosh, BSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRACI, FRSC, CSc.
Associate Professor Peter Ghosh is recognised as an international authority on osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc disease and has authored more than 400 books, papers and book chapters in these fields. In 1999, Professor Ghosh was elected President and Director of the Institute of Bone and Joint Research of the University of Sydney at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. For ten years he was a Board member of the US-based Osteoarthritis Research Society International and remains a member of the journal's Editorial Board and is on the editorial boards of the APLAR Journal of Rheumatology and Current Rheumatology Reviews. He is past president of the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society and the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand and was elected a Life Member of the International Hyaluronan Research Society. Professor Ghosh is presently a board member and director of four Australian biotechnology companies and a consultant for several international pharmaceutical companies.
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Corporate Communications Director
Julie Meldrum
Winner of the League of American Communication Professionals Gold Magellan Award, Ms Meldrum has 30 years experience as a corporate communications and investor relations strategist, European foreign correspondent, political and business reporter and television and radio producer. She also served as a senior diplomat for 14 years promoting Australian policies and industries in the key markets of Japan , Hong Kong and Indonesia and has advised Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and business leaders. Ms Meldrum previously worked in a similar role for Australian heart company, Ventracor Limited, where she devised and led the pivotal corporate communications and investor relations functions aimed at gaining access to international markets. She was appointed Corporate Communications Director of Mesoblast in September 2004.
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Scientific Advisory Board

Chairman
Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR
Professor Itescu is the founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York's Columbia University Medical Center, Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu recently pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the US President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups.
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Member
Professor Richard E Gilbert, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Professor Gilbert is Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne where he directs a large research program exploring new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular and kidney disease. Professor Gilbert is an international authority on the complications of diabetes, particularly vascular, eye and kidney diseases. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Eric Susman Medal from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for outstanding contributions in diabetes research. Professor Gilbert consults to many global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on drug discovery, preclinical testing and clinical trials.
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Member
Professor Robert M Graham, FAA, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FACP, FAHA
Professor Graham is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine, University of NSW; Executive Director, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney; and Professor (adjunct) of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA. His research has focused on molecular cardiology, with emphasis on circulatory control mechanisms, receptor signalling and cardiac hypertrophy. Professor Graham is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a member of the American Association for Clinical Research, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Heart Association, and the National Heart Foundation of Australia (NSW Division). He has been a consultant to many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Currently, he is Chairman, Scientific Committee, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand; Member NSW Ministerial Advisory council on Medical and Health Research and Board Member, EngenelC Ltd, MirACL Therapeutics Pty Ltd and the Lowy Medical Foundation.
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Member
Professor Stephen Graves, MBBS, D. Phil FRACS, FA, Orth A
Professor Graves was the inaugural Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Melbourne and Director of Orthopaedics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains Director of Orthopaedic Research. He is currently Director of Musculoskeletal Research at Epworth Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre; Director of the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry; Chairman of the Australian Orthopaedic Association Bone and Tissue Banking Committee and member of the Commonwealth Health Department Hip and Knee Prostheses Clinical Advisory Groups. He is a member of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Medical Device Evaluation Committee (MDEC), Expert Advisory Group on Cell & Tissue Based Therapies and subcommittee on Device Tracking.
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Member
Professor Henry Krum, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Professor Krum is Chair of Medical Therapeutics at Monash University, Melbourne, and is an Adjunct Faculty member of Columbia University, New York. He is also Director of the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Therapeutics at Monash University. Professor Krum is currently a member of the Pzizer Global Heart Failure Advisory Boards, has previously served on Glaxo Smith Kline and Roche Global Advisory Boards, and is Chairman of the Working Group on Heart Failure of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Krum has been Principal Investigator, Chairman and Advisory Board Member for numerous international and national trials in cardiovascular therapeutics, and has consulted for many pharmaceutical companies, investment banks, and venture capital firms.
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Member
Professor Joseph Lane, AB,MD
Professor Joseph Lane is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Assistant Dean at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. Professor Lane's clinical expertise includes spine and hip trauma, spinal surgery, osteoporosis-related fractures, and non-union fractures. At the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, he is Medical Director of the Osteoporosis Center, Chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service, and Associate Director of the Trauma Service. Professor Lane has served as Chairman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Oversight Panel on Women's Health, and was also a member of the AAOS Council on Research. He was President of the Orthopaedic Research Society and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. He serves as a reviewer of several journals including Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and Spine. Professor Lane has published over 300 articles and chapters and served as member and chairman of several of the United States National Health Institute (NIH) study sections.
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updated 9th February, 2012

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		Non-Executive Chairman Brian Jamieson FCA Brian Jamieson was Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne and a partner of the Minter Ellison Revenue Group from 2002-2005. He retired as Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne on 31 December 2005. Prior to joining Minter Ellison, Mr Jamieson was Executive Officer at KPMG from 1998-2000, Managing Partner of KPMG Melbourne and Southern Regions from 1993-1998 and Chairman of KPMG Melbourne from 2001-2002. He was also a KPMG Board Member in Australia , and a member of the USA Management Committee. Mr Jamieson is a Non-Executive Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited, Oxiana Limited and HBOS Australia Pty Ltd. He is also a Director and Treasurer of Care Australia and the Bionic Ear Institute, and a Director of Veski, The Sir Robert Menzies Foundation, the Australian Council - Major Performing Arts Board and the Tattersall's George Adams Foundation. Mr Jamieson has over 30 years of experience in providing advice and audit services to a diverse range of public and large private companies. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia . back to top

		Non-Executive Deputy Chairman Donal O'Dwyer, BE, MBA Mr O'Dwyer has almost 20 years experience as a senior executive in the global cardiovascular and medical devices industries. From 2000 to 2003, he was worldwide president of Cordis Cardiology, the cardiology division of Johnson & Johnson's Cordis Corporation. Cordis is the world's largest manufacturer of innovative products for interventional medicine, minimally invasive computer-based imaging, and electrophysiology. In this role, Mr O'Dwyer led Cordis through the launch of the revolutionary Cypher drug eluting coronary stent technology, and saw the company take over number one market share of coronary stents worldwide. He directly supervised an increase in sales from $US500 million in 2000 to $US2 billion in 2003. Prior to joining Cordis in 1996, Mr O'Dwyer worked for 12 years with Baxter Healthcare, rising from plant manager in Ireland to president of the Cardiovascular Group, Europe , now Edwards Lifesciences. Mr O'Dwyer is a non-executive Director of Cochlear Limited and Sunshine Heart. back to top

		CEO, Managing Director Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR Professor Itescu is the Founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York 's Columbia University Medical Center , Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the United States President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups. back to top

		Non-Executive Director Michael Spooner, BCom, ACA, MAICD Mr Spooner has an extensive network of relationships with investment firms and business communities across the globe, having spent the majority of the past 25 years living and working internationally. He has an outstanding track record in the rapid international commercialisation of high growth companies including within the medical application and commercial technology sectors. Most recently, Mr Spooner was Managing Director & CEO of Ventracor Limited where he led the transformation of a small Australian listed life sciences company into the second highest performing stock on the S&P/ASX 200 index in 2003. He was a Principal Partner and Director of Consulting Services with PriceWaterhouse Coopers (Coopers & Lybrand) in Hong Kong for seven years. Mr Spooner advises a number of high growth corporations and is a non-executive Director of Peplin Limited. back to top

		Non-Executive Director J. Kevin Buchi J. Kevin Buchi was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of global biopharmaceutical company, Cephalon, in 2010, after serving the company in other capacities for almost 20 years. Most recently, Mr Buchi served as Chief Operating Officer and managed the company's global sales and marketing functions, as well as product manufacturing, business development and investor relations. From 1996 to 2009, he served as Chief Financial Officer and, from 2004, head of business development for the company. Mr Buchi has played an instrumental role in the global growth of Cephalon through acquisitions and sound financial management. At various times in his career since joining Cephalon in 1991 as controller, Mr Buchi has had oversight of corporate finance, accounting, information systems, facilities, human resources and administration. Mr Buchi graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry. He was a synthetic organic chemist for the Eastman Kodak Company before going on to obtain a master's degree in management from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He worked for a large public accounting firm before beginning his career in the pharmaceutical industry with E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company in 1983. Mr Buchi is a certified public accountant, and he serves on the board of directors of Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc. located in Princeton, New Jersey. back to top

Chief Operating Officer Paul Rennie, BSc, MBM, MS Mr. Rennie has over 25 years experience in marketing and business development within the Australian biomedical and pharmaceutical industry. He was formerly Director of Business Development for Soltec, a wholly owned subsidiary of F H Faulding & Co., Ltd, with focus on developing improved pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. Previously, as Business Development Manager for the Biosciences Division of Bonlac, he led the commercialisation strategies and licensing negotiations between Bonlac and multinational global oral care and health care/nutritional companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and SmithKlineBeecham, and successfully concluded licensing of Bonlac's CPP-ACP technology to Warner Lambert. Between 1990-1994 he held various positions with the global pharmaceutical company Merck Ltd, where as National Sales and Marketing Manager he was responsible for Australia-wide sales of pharmaceuticals, analytical reagents, environmental monitoring products, and scientific research products. In this capacity, Mr. Rennie implemented a new strategic plan which contributed to transforming Merck Australia from having a loss in 1993 to record sales and profits in 1996. back to top

Vice President, Operations Suzanne Lipe BSc (Hons), PhD, LLB Dr Lipe has strong development and commercial experience gained over almost 20 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. She has negotiated with centres, set up and managed preclinical and clinical trial programs, including IND multi-centre studies, and had regulatory affairs responsibility for several multinational companies. Through a strong commercial focus, she developed the strategy and managed the launch of new products on to the market, particularly through her senior roles with the former ICI (now AstraZeneca), Rhone-Poulenc Rorer (now Aventis) and CSL. Dr Lipe has been a Managing Director, CEO and Board member of three biotechnology start-up companies and for four years prior to joining Mesoblast, she was Chief Operating Officer at Norwood Immunology. She is a member of the Pharmaceuticals Partnerships Program Committee of the Innovation Board (AusIndustry). back to top

Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary Jenni Pilcher CA, BBS Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, Mrs Pilcher has worked in corporate and business financial roles for high profile international companies in pharmaceuticals, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and services. Before joining Mesoblast as Financial Controller in 2007, she spent six years with ASX 200 Company, Spotless Group, progressing through a variety of financial roles. Previously Mrs Pilcher worked in the finance teams at Cadbury Schweppes plc and international pharmaceutical group Medeva plc, both based in the United Kingdom. She was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Mesoblast in November 2007 and Company Secretary in January 2012. back to top

Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Dr Donna L. Skerrett, MD, MS Dr Skerrett has been involved in stem cell procurement, manipulation and transplantation for more than 10 years. She has most recently been Director of the Stem Cell Facilities at Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York, and previously served as Associate Director of Transfusion Medicine at Columbia University's New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Skerrett oversees clinical development of the antibody-based stem cell selection technology and in vitro culture processes, as well as the human clinical trial programs, while liaising closely with the FDA. She is an advisor to the New York State Department of Health on the progenitor cell committee and the governor's Council on Blood and Transfusion Services. Dr Skerrett has also been an adviser and committee member with the National Marrow Donor Program and the American Society of Hematology. back to top

Vice President for Cartilage Regenerative Programs Professor Peter Ghosh, BSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRACI, FRSC, CSc. Associate Professor Peter Ghosh is recognised as an international authority on osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc disease and has authored more than 400 books, papers and book chapters in these fields. In 1999, Professor Ghosh was elected President and Director of the Institute of Bone and Joint Research of the University of Sydney at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. For ten years he was a Board member of the US-based Osteoarthritis Research Society International and remains a member of the journal's Editorial Board and is on the editorial boards of the APLAR Journal of Rheumatology and Current Rheumatology Reviews. He is past president of the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society and the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand and was elected a Life Member of the International Hyaluronan Research Society. Professor Ghosh is presently a board member and director of four Australian biotechnology companies and a consultant for several international pharmaceutical companies. back to top

Corporate Communications Director Julie Meldrum Winner of the League of American Communication Professionals Gold Magellan Award, Ms Meldrum has 30 years experience as a corporate communications and investor relations strategist, European foreign correspondent, political and business reporter and television and radio producer. She also served as a senior diplomat for 14 years promoting Australian policies and industries in the key markets of Japan , Hong Kong and Indonesia and has advised Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and business leaders. Ms Meldrum previously worked in a similar role for Australian heart company, Ventracor Limited, where she devised and led the pivotal corporate communications and investor relations functions aimed at gaining access to international markets. She was appointed Corporate Communications Director of Mesoblast in September 2004. back to top

Chairman Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR Professor Itescu is the founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York's Columbia University Medical Center, Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu recently pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the US President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups. back to top

Member Professor Richard E Gilbert, MBBS, PhD, FRACP Professor Gilbert is Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne where he directs a large research program exploring new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular and kidney disease. Professor Gilbert is an international authority on the complications of diabetes, particularly vascular, eye and kidney diseases. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Eric Susman Medal from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for outstanding contributions in diabetes research. Professor Gilbert consults to many global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on drug discovery, preclinical testing and clinical trials. back to top

Member Professor Robert M Graham, FAA, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FACP, FAHA Professor Graham is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine, University of NSW; Executive Director, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney; and Professor (adjunct) of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA. His research has focused on molecular cardiology, with emphasis on circulatory control mechanisms, receptor signalling and cardiac hypertrophy. Professor Graham is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a member of the American Association for Clinical Research, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Heart Association, and the National Heart Foundation of Australia (NSW Division). He has been a consultant to many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Currently, he is Chairman, Scientific Committee, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand; Member NSW Ministerial Advisory council on Medical and Health Research and Board Member, EngenelC Ltd, MirACL Therapeutics Pty Ltd and the Lowy Medical Foundation. back to top

Member Professor Stephen Graves, MBBS, D. Phil FRACS, FA, Orth A Professor Graves was the inaugural Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Melbourne and Director of Orthopaedics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains Director of Orthopaedic Research. He is currently Director of Musculoskeletal Research at Epworth Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre; Director of the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry; Chairman of the Australian Orthopaedic Association Bone and Tissue Banking Committee and member of the Commonwealth Health Department Hip and Knee Prostheses Clinical Advisory Groups. He is a member of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Medical Device Evaluation Committee (MDEC), Expert Advisory Group on Cell & Tissue Based Therapies and subcommittee on Device Tracking. back to top

Member Professor Henry Krum, MBBS, PhD, FRACP Professor Krum is Chair of Medical Therapeutics at Monash University, Melbourne, and is an Adjunct Faculty member of Columbia University, New York. He is also Director of the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Therapeutics at Monash University. Professor Krum is currently a member of the Pzizer Global Heart Failure Advisory Boards, has previously served on Glaxo Smith Kline and Roche Global Advisory Boards, and is Chairman of the Working Group on Heart Failure of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Krum has been Principal Investigator, Chairman and Advisory Board Member for numerous international and national trials in cardiovascular therapeutics, and has consulted for many pharmaceutical companies, investment banks, and venture capital firms. back to top

Member Professor Joseph Lane, AB,MD Professor Joseph Lane is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Assistant Dean at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. Professor Lane's clinical expertise includes spine and hip trauma, spinal surgery, osteoporosis-related fractures, and non-union fractures. At the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, he is Medical Director of the Osteoporosis Center, Chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service, and Associate Director of the Trauma Service. Professor Lane has served as Chairman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Oversight Panel on Women's Health, and was also a member of the AAOS Council on Research. He was President of the Orthopaedic Research Society and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. He serves as a reviewer of several journals including Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and Spine. Professor Lane has published over 300 articles and chapters and served as member and chairman of several of the United States National Health Institute (NIH) study sections. back to top