Biota

Jim Fox joined the Board on 27 February 2009.

Dr Fox is a successful businessman with strong financial and commercial skills.  He has significant experience in commercialising innovative technologies and growing a global business.  

He was formerly CEO of Vision Systems, a Melbourne based technology development company, which he led until its takeover by a large US based company, Danaher. Dr Fox is a Director of Air New Zealand Limited, MS Research Ltd and The Technology Partnership PLC.

Jim is a member of the Remuneration & Nominations Committee.

Peter Cook was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director on 9 December 2005.

Mr Cook has had extensive experience  in restructures, mergers and acquisitions, innovation and innovation commercialisation with technology-based companies and has a strong manufacturing background. Mr Cook has extensive business experience within Australia, and has over 10 years of international commercial experience in Europe, USA and Asia, where he has both lived and worked. Mr Cook holds a Masters Degree in Pharmacy and post graduate qualifications in Management.  He is a Non-Executive Director of Quickstep Holdings Limited.

Prior to joining Biota, he was Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Orbital Corporation Limited, a powertrain engineering company with unique technologies in direct injection of internal combustion engines. Mr Cook previously held the positions of Chief Executive Officer of Faulding Pharmaceuticals, President of Ansell's Protective Products Division, Deputy Managing Director of Invetech and Director of Research and Development for Nicholas Kiwi. 

Paul Bell was appointed a Director on 8 September 2006.

Mr Bell has had an extensive executive career with the international pharmaceutical company Merck & Co Inc.  He is a former member of Merck's Management Committee and was President of their Asia Pacific Human Health Division between 1997 and 2002.

Paul is currently a Director of Cochlear Limited. Mr Bell is also Chairman of Westmead Millennium Institute Advisory Board, a Member of the Pharmaceutical Partnerships Program Committee and a Member of the Business Development Advisory Board of Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

Paul is Chairman of the Remuneration & Nominations Committee.

Jeff Errington was appointed a Director on 1 February 2010. 

Prof Errington is a renowned scientist in the field of microbial cell and molecular biology and is a Fellow of the Royal Society.  Jeff is the Director of the Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences and the Director of the Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology at NewcastleUniversity.  He is a world authority on the biochemical pathways responsible for bacterial replication, an essential pre-requisite to the successful development of novel antibacterial drugs.

Ian Gust was appointed a Director on 27 July 2001.

Prof Gust has had a long and distinguished career in medical research and has received wide international recognition for his contributions to the field of virology.

Ian was the former Director of Research and Development at CSL Limited, a position he held for 10 years (1990-2000). During this period he was closely involved in CSL's successful expansion in Australia and internationally. He is currently a Professorial Fellow, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Melbourne; a consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates' Children's Vaccine Program; and a consultant to UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ian is a member of the Remuneration & Nominations Committee.

Richard Hill was appointed a Director on 28 November 2008.

Mr Hill is currently Chairman of Sirtex Medical Limited and Calliden Group Limited and a Director of Pelorus Property Group Ltd.  He was a founding partner of Hill Young & Associates and formerly held a number of senior executive positions in Hong Kong and New York with Wardley Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation.  He is an Attorney in New York State, USA.

Richard is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee.

Grant Latta joined the Board on 9 February 2006.

Mr Latta is an experienced company director and senior business executive with strong financial management, marketing and strategic skills which he has gained through a depth of successful domestic and international business experience in large and emerging companies.

Grant is Executive Chairman of GCMCorp Pty Ltd and a Chairman of Kailis & France Foods Pty Ltd.  He is a Director of Ricegrowers Limited and Coleambally Irrigation Co-operative Limited and a member of the Australian Competition Tribunal to the Federal Court. He was formerly Chairman of the Grains Research and Development Corporation and TP Health Limited, Deputy Chairman of Food Science Australia, Deputy Chairman of Export Finance and Insurance Corporation and Director of Austrade.

Grant is Chairman of the Audit & Risk Committee.

Damian Lismore was appointed Chief Financial Officer on 26 August 2005.

His commercial background includes 10 years with Price Waterhouse (now PwC) in Australia and 6 years with Deloittes Haskins & Sells in the UK. More recently, he has served as Group Financial Controller and General Manager Buying & Finance for the major Australian pharmaceutical company, Sigma; and as Managing Director of MNT Innovations, the commercial arm of the CRC (Co-operative Research Centre) for MicroTechnology.

Damian has extensive experience at all levels of the healthcare industry, particularly in acquisitions and restructures, commercialisation of new technologies and dealing with the investment community.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accountancy, is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Dr Jane Ryan joined Biota in 1997.

Dr Ryan has many years of international experience in the pharmaceutical/ biotechnology industry including 10 years experience gained overseas.

Dr Ryan has worked at Roche and Columbia University in the USA and with Peptech and Cambridge Antibody Technology in the UK.  Since returning to Australia, she has worked with Peptech before joining Biota Holdings Ltd where she has had roles in managing commercialisation of internal and external programs as well as business development, licensing and alliance management. She is now the Vice President, Product Development.

Jane is a member of the Board of Diabetes Australia Victoria and of the Board of Bio Innovation SA.

Dr Leigh Farrell was appointed Vice President, Business Development on 24 April 2006.

Prior to joining Biota, Dr Farrell spent approximately 4 years as an Associate Director at GBS Ventures Partners Limited, a specialist Life Sciences Venture Capital Fund. Dr Farrell previously held the positions of Research Manager at Johnson & Johnson Research Pty Ltd and Chief Executive Officer of Gene Shears Pty Limited.

Dr Farrell has extensive international experience in corporate finance, business development, licensing, relationship management and intellectual property portfolio management in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. He is currently the Chairman of the Competitive Business Environment Working Group established under the 2007 Biotechnology Strategic Development Plan for Victoria.

Dr Simon Tucker joined Biota in 1997.

Dr Tucker has over 20 years of scientific and commercial experience in research and development. Prior to joining Biota in 1997 he held leadership positions in the U.S. pharmaceutical company, GD Searle and Universities of Alabama (USA) and Glasgow (UK). Dr Tucker has extensive international experience in biotechnology and pharmaceutical research and development, intellectual property management, research and development alliance management, licensing and related areas.

Dr John Lambert joined Biota in 2002 as Head of Chemistry and became Director of Reseach for the U.S. operation, Biota Inc., in 2004. On returning from the U.S., Dr Lambert became Executive Director, Drug Discovery and in 2007 became Principal Director, Product Development Operations.

Prior to joining Biota, John was Senior Lecturer at the University of Melbourne and is a co-founder of the biotechnology startup company Cryptopharma Pty Ltd.

Dr Lambert graduated with a PhD from the University of Melbourne and undertook post-doctoral studies at Harvard University, USA and the Australian National University, where he held a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship. He has been the recipient of many other distinguished awards for his contributions to chemistry including the Royal Australian Chemical Institute's inaugural Cornforth Medal.