Catherine Pickering PhD, MBA is the CEO of iOnctura, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company combating neglected and hard-to-treat cancers.

Catherine is an accomplished leader with over 25 years of experience in senior corporate positions within the pharma and biotech sector. Prior to founding iOnctura she was SVP, Global Head of Oncology Business Development where she led several multi-billion-dollar licensing and M&A transactions. Previously, she held management level positions in publicly listed biotechs and a leading UK cancer research institution where she was responsible for creating several biotech spinouts.

She holds a BSc Honours in Chemistry from a leading UK University, a PhD in cancer therapeutics from The Institute of Cancer Research, London and an MBA from Henley Management College UK.

Lars holds a PhD in chemistry. He is a medicinal chemist with over 20 years of experience in biopharma R&D and delivered multiple clinical candidates and lead compounds for different therapeutic areas including oncology.

Prior to founding iOnctura he has held various positions in project management and project leadership spanning early discovery up to commercial products and dealing with both biologics and small molecules. Lars has previously worked at Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Organon, Boehringer-Ingelheim and Merck.

Michael joined iOnctura as Chief Medical Officer in 2019 after 20 years of industry experience at Eli Lilly and Company, AstraZeneca and Incyte Corporation.

In his career Michael contributed to the development of several new molecular entities, such as small molecule inhibitors (including the ALK5 inhibitor galunisertib and the registration of osimertinib in NSCLC), large molecules, antisense oligonucleotides and vaccines. Michael is passionate about developing novel therapies in cancer and mentoring colleagues in clinical drug development.

David joined iOnctura as VP Finance in 2021 and has extensive experience in publicly-listed growth-oriented biotech and medtech companies.

Before taking charge of global finance operations at iOnctura, he served as VP Head of Finance Europe at NASDAQ listed bluebird bio, and held senior financial positions at Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, InterMune Corporation and Stryker Corporation.

Paul has over 25 years of experience in the biopharmaceuticals industry, including Bayer, Shire and Blueprint Medicines. Paul has launched products in various therapeutic areas, including oncology and rare diseases, globally and nationally. Having led the European build-out for a biotech and driving the development of global product life-cycle strategies for complex portfolios, Paul has expertise in cross-functional leadership and commercialisation.

At iOnctura, Paul is responsible for Operations and New Product Planning.

Kiran holds a PhD in viral-induced oncogenesis and has 15 years experience in life-sciences commercialisation, business development, strategy, consulting and project and team management.

In her career Kiran has led teams within a number of organisations to get new products to market. At iOnctura she leads on commercial efforts including strategic planning, commercial forecasting, launch strategies and market research.

Giusy holds a PhD in endocrinological cancers. She joined iOnctura as Head of Research in 2022 with over 12 years of experience in onco-immunology and tumor-stroma interactions.

During her career, Giusy has furthered understanding of the molecular and biological interactions that occur within the tumor microenvironment, has uncovered novel preclinical targets, and published over 30 research articles. She is passionate about developing promising cancer therapies that aim to have direct impacts on patients’ lives.