OCULIS - Key Persons
Anat Loewenstein, M.D., MHA, is Professor of Ophthalmology, Chairman of the Division of Ophthalmology at the Tel Aviv Medical Center, Sidney Fox Chair of Ophthalmology at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, President of the Israeli Ophthalmological Society, and the General Secretary of the EURETINA board. She is a renowned retina specialist, expert in retinal toxicity, and has a strong research interest in the early detection of macular degeneration, among others. She currently serves as the Editor in Chief of the Journal Case Reports in Ophthalmology, is an associate editor of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science Journal, European Journal of Ophthalmology and of Ophthalmologica. Pr. Loewenstein published more than 450 papers in peer reviewed journals and contributed multiple chapters to ophthalmology textbooks. She is also actively involved as a leader in mentorship of young retina specialists including the mentorship educational programs of ARVO and EURETINA.
Job Titles:
- CHAIRMAN
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Anthony Rosenberg has served as Chairman of the board of directors of Oculis since April 2018. Since April 2015, Mr. Rosenberg has served as the Chief Executive Officer of TR Advisory Services GmbH. Additionally, from April 2015 to April 2020, Mr. Rosenberg served as a Managing Director of MPM Capital. Prior to that, from 2005 to 2012, Mr. Rosenberg held a series of business development and licensing positions of increasing seniority at Novartis, and most recently, from 2012 to 2015, Mr. Rosenberg served as the Corporate Head of M&A and Licensing at Novartis International AG. Mr. Rosenberg currently serves on the boards of directors of Argenx BV and Cullinan Oncology. Mr. Rosenberg previously served on the boards of directors of TriNetX and Radius Health, Inc. Mr. Rosenberg holds a B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Leicester and a M.Sc. in Physiology from the University of London.
Arshad M. Khanani, M.D., M.A., FASRS founded the clinical research section at Sierra Eye Associates, and currently serves as its Managing Partner, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Fellowship. He has been a principal investigator for more than 120 clinical trials and has authored over 100 scientific publications. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Dr. Khanani is an elected member of the Retina Society, Macula Society and has received numerous awards of distinction. He has received the Senior Honor Award from the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) and was also awarded the prestigious ASRS Presidents' Young Investigator Award in 2021.
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
Bastian Dehmel, M.D., has served as Chief Development Officer of Oculis since January 2022. Previously, from October 2017 to December 2021, Dr. Dehmel served as the Chief Medical Officer of OxThera AB. Before that, from 2006 to July 2017, Dr. Dehmel held roles of increasing responsibility at Amgen, including as Senior Medical Manager, as International Medical Director, as Clinical Research Medical Director, and most recently, from December 2013 to July 2017, Dr. Dehmel served as Global Development Executive Medical Director of Amgen. Prior to that, from 2005 to 2006, Dr. Dehmel served as International Medical Advisor of NovoNordisk. Before that, from 2003 to 2005, Dr. Dehmel served as Medical Advisor Diabetes of GlaxoSmithKline Germany. Dr. Dehmel holds a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from Free University Berlin Medical School and received his clinical training in Internal Medicine at Charité University in Berlin, Germany.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
- DIRECTOR
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of Audit Committee / Chairperson of Remuneration Committee
Christina Ackermann served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel & President Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals at Bausch + Lomb from January 2022 to May 2023. Ms. Ackermann joined Bausch Health as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, in August 2016. Effective June 2020 she was also responsible for running Commercial Operations at Bausch Health. Prior to Bausch Health, Ms. Ackermann was part of the Novartis group of companies for 14 years, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, General Counsel for Alcon, where she was responsible for the legal, intellectual property and compliance functions, in addition to Trade Compliance Function, Enterprise Risk Management, and Diversity & Inclusion. Previously, she served as Global Head, Legal and General Counsel at Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis, from 2007 to 2012. She joined Novartis Pharma in 2002 as Head, Legal Technical Operations and Ophthalmics, and assumed the role of Head Legal General Medicine in July 2005. Before Novartis, Ms. Ackermann served in Associate General Counsel roles with Bristol Myers Squibb and DuPont Pharmaceuticals, as well as in private practice, where she focused on securities, and mergers & acquisitions. From August 2021 to March 2023, Ms. Ackermann served on the board of directors of Graybug Vision, where she was Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Effective September 2023, Ms Ackermann joined the board of Verona Pharma PLC, where she is a member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Ackermann holds a LL.B in law from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and a post graduate degree in EU competition law from King's College in London, England. We believe that Ms. Ackermann's experience in business, commercial operations, legal affairs, compliance, global security, and enterprise risk management makes her well qualified to serve as a director.
Job Titles:
- Member of
- Professor of Ophthalmology
Christophe Baudouin, M.D. Ph.D., is professor of Ophthalmology since 1995 and the Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology in Quinze-Vingts National Ophthalmology Hospital, Paris, as well as the President of the Medical Council since 2016. Pr. Baudouin is also the Director of an INSERM-labelled research group, and a member of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO)'s board. He is currently the President of the European Dry Eye Society, Editor-in-Chief of the French Journal of Ophthalmology, Vice-President of the French Glaucoma Society, and an active member of several international societies, including the prestigious American Ophthalmological Society and Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis. With a Gold Medal Thesis Prize, Pr. Baudouin achieved his M.D. in Nice in 1989 and obtained his Ph.D. in Paris in 1992.
David S. Boyer, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in the treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous. He is a Partner at Retina Vitreous Associates Medical Group with offices in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, North Hollywood, Torrance, Pasadena and Tarzana, CA. Dr Boyer is an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology with the University of Southern California/Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, CA. He has an extensive research background and is currently an investigator for various clinical trials. He is one of the leading retinal clinical researchers in the US for new treatments in macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. Dr Boyer is a published author and avid lecturer. He lectures nationally and internationally on retinal research and the innovative approach to the treatment of retinal diseases.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR
- Member of Nomination and Governance Committee
- Member of the Audit Committee
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Member of Audit Committee Member of Nomination and Governance Committee
Geraldine O'Keeffe joined LSP in 2008. She became a Partner of the firm in 2010. Ms. O'Keeffe's prime focus and responsibility within LSP is to invest in listed securities. Prior to joining LSP, she held the position of Senior Healthcare Analyst at Fortis Investment Banking. In that position, she researched a wide range of innovative life sciences companies, both in Europe and the US. Ms. O'Keeffe brings strong analytical and investment skills to the LSP team. Before joining the financial community, she worked within the life sciences industry for a number of years, gaining first-hand product development experience in a commercial setting. Prior to working in the industry, she lectured in Biomedical Sciences for several years at the Dublin Institute of Technology. Ms. O'Keeffe has a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Microbiology from University College Cork and a Master's degree in Biotechnology from University College Galway. She also conducted post-graduate research, inter alia at the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany. In addition, Ms. O'Keeffe is also a graduate of The Dublin School of Business. We believe that Ms. O'Keeffe is well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to her extensive experience in healthcare investments and the life sciences industry.
Job Titles:
- Chief of the Glaucoma Division at the Stanford University School of Medicine
- Member of
Kuldev Singh is Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief of the Glaucoma Division at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He received an undergraduate degree in Biology and Economics from McGill University, MD and MPH degrees from the Johns Hopkins University followed by residency training at the Casey Eye Institute. He completed a Dana Foundation Fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute and a Heed Foundation Fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Dr. Singh has published over 250 original peer-reviewed articles and delivered over 350 invited lectures including over 70 named or keynote lectures and visiting professorships, edited three textbooks, and served on the editorial boards of 11 ophthalmic publications. His clinical practice focuses on the medical, laser and surgical management of glaucoma and cataract. Dr. Singh has served as President of the American Glaucoma Society, Executive Vice President of the World Glaucoma Association and Board Chair for the Glaucoma Research Foundation. He serves on an FDA Advisory Committee and on the Executive Committee of the UCSF/Stanford Center for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (CERSI). Dr. Singh has received the World Glaucoma Association Founder's Award, the Lifetime Achievement Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and was inducted into the Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health as a distinguished alumnus.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit Committee
- DIRECTOR
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Chairman of Audit Committee Member of Remuneration Committee
Lionel Carnot has served as a member of the board of directors of Oculis since from December 2017. Since March 2012, Mr. Carnot has served as the Partner of Earlybird Venture Capital. Additionally, since 2005, Mr. Carnot has served as the Managing Director of Bay City Capital LLC. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2005, Mr. Carnot served as an Associate of The Pritzker Organization, LLC. Before that, from 1999 to 2000, Mr. Carnot served as a Principal of Oracle Partners. Prior to that, from 1997 to 1998, Mr. Carnot served as a Senior Associate of Booz Allen and Hamilton. Before that, from 1995 to 1997, Mr. Carnot served as a Product Manager of Eli Lilly & Co. Prior to that, from 1991 to 1994, Mr. Carnot served as a Senior Consultant of Accenture. Before that, from 1989 to 1991, Mr. Carnot served as a sales and marketing professional at Rhone-Poulenc. Mr. Carnot currently serves on the board of directors of iSTAR Medical, iQone Healthcare Group, and Priothera. Mr. Carnot previously served on the board of directors of Atlantic Therapeutics, Merus, Interleukin Genetics, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc., Nabsys, Bioseek, Pathway Diagnostics, and Reliant Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Carnot holds an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD and a M.Sc. in Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva. We believe that Mr. Carnot is qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors due to his extensive experience in venture capital, business strategy and the life sciences industry.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR
- Member of Nomination and Governance Committee
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
Martijn Kleijwegt has been a member and the Chairman of the EBAC Board since EBAC's inception. Mr. Kleijwegt founded LSP in 1998 and is currently a partner at EQT Life Sciences (f/k/a Life Science Partners). Mr. Kleijwegt brings over 30 years of hands-on finance and investment experience to EBAC. Mr. Kleijwegt currently serves on the boards of Vico Therapeutics, A-M Pharma and Oxthera. Mr. Kleijwegt has a master's degree in Economics from Amsterdam University. We believe that Mr. Kleijwegt's experience in healthcare investments makes him well qualified to serve as a director
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Professor at Stanford University
- Member of
Pablo Villoslada, M.D., is an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University. He has been active in neuroscience and brain diseases research for more than 20 years, contributing to the application of systems biology to neurological diseases, development of new therapies or biomarkers for multiple sclerosis and neuro-ophthalmologic diseases, and developing new neuroimaging technologies for monitoring brain diseases. Prior to taking up his position at Stanford, he was Medical Director of Neuroinflammation at Genentech. His experience also includes roles as Adjunct Professor at the Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, and Group Leader of the Neuroimmunology group of the Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona. He received his M.D. at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain in 1990, his speciality in neurology in 1995 at the Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Spain and his PhD in neuroimmunology in 1996 at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Peter K. Kaiser, M.D., is Chaney Family Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology Research and a Professor of Ophthalmology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Pr. Kaiser is actively involved in clinical research and has been principal investigator in over 60 trials evaluating new treatments for AMD, DR, and other retinal disorders. He is Editor-in-Chief of Retinal Physician, Associate Editor of International Ophthalmology Clinics, and serves on the editorial boards of American Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina, Retina Today, and Ocular Surgery News. Pr. Kaiser has been recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Retina Specialists with Achievement and Senior Achievement Awards and has been listed as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world of ophthalmology. Pr. Kaiser graduated magna cum laude with Highest Honors from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR
- Member of the Remuneration Committee
- Chairman of Nomination and Governance Committee Member of Remuneration Committee
Páll Ragnar Jóhannesson, has served as the Chief Business Officer of Oculis since September 2020. Previously, from January 2018 to September 2020, Mr. Jóhannesson served as the Chief Financial Officer of Oculis. Additionally, Mr. Jóhannesson has served as the Managing Director of Oculis Iceland ehf. since May 2015. Prior to that, from February 2012 to April 2015, Mr. Jóhannesson held a series of corporate finance positions of increasing responsibility at Straumur Investment Bank, and most recently, from September 2013 to April 2015, Mr. Jóhannesson served as the Managing Director, Corporate Finance. Before that, from January 2009 to November 2011, Mr. Jóhannesson served as a Director, Corporate Finance at Íslandsbanki and its predecessor Glitnir Bank. Mr. Jóhannesson holds a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iceland, an M.Phil in Management Science from the University of Cambridge, and was certified as securities broker in Iceland.
Ramin Tadayoni, M.D., Ph.D. has been appointed as Chief Scientific Officer of Oculis since March 2024. Dr. Tadayoni is the current President of EURETINA and the Retina Department Chairman at Rothschild Foundation Hospital, including the French Myopia Institute. Prior to joining Oculis, Dr. Tadayoni was a Professor of Ophthalmology at Université Paris Cité since 2012, and Department Chairman at Lariboisière and Saint Louis hospitals in Paris, France, since 2014. In recent years, while being Department Chairman of several hospitals in Paris, he created the French Image Reading Center and the French Institute of Myopia where he is acting as Medical Director. In 2019, Dr. Tadayoni was named Leader of EviRed national program, and, in 2017, he became a member of the French National Academy of Surgery. Prior to these roles, he was Chairman at OphtalmoPôle Paris from 2017 to 2020, and President of the French-speaking Retina Specialists Club and founder of the CFSR Research Foundation from 2014 to 2017. Since the beginning of his career as an ophthalmologist and eye surgeon, he was actively involved in numerous medical societies, with medical journals, acted as Principal Investigator in numerous trials and served as an advisor for companies in the ophthalmology space for over two decades on topics spanning medical, regulatory and market access, including his role as Co-Chair of the Oculis Scientific Advisory Board for the past several years. Dr. Tadayoni received his medical degree and completed his internship at Paris V University. His retina fellowship was completed at Lariboisière University Hospital while simultaneously pursuing his Ph.D. in Science at Paris VII University and the Paris Vision Institute. He received his undergraduate training in medicine at the University of Marseille.
REBECCA WEIL - Chief Commercial Officer
Rebecca Weil, Ph.D., has been appointed as the Chief Commercial Officer of Oculis in September 2023. Before joining Oculis, Ms. Weil served as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Marketing of Idorsia from July 2019 to August 2023. Prior to Idorsia, from February 2018 to March 2019, Ms. Weil served as Group Vice President, Head of Corporate Affairs and from August 2016 to February 2018, as Group Vice President, Global Franchise Head, ophthalmology and neuroscience, at Shire.
Prior to Shire, she worked for several pharmaceutical companies holding roles of increasing responsibilities including as Vice President, Head of Western Europe of Alcon, as Pharma Franchise Head, Europe, Middle East, and Africa of Alcon, as Regional Franchise Head, Asia, Middle East, and Africa at Novartis, and as Global Head of Marketing and Strategy, Pharmaceuticals at Bausch & Lomb.
Ms. Weil started her career at McKinsey where she served as a Consultant and Engagement Manager.
Currently, she also serves as Trustee and Member of the Grants Committee of Scoliosis Association, UK and is a former Board Member of ARCHIVE Global (Architecture for Health in Vulnerable Environments) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, New York Chapter.
Ms. Weil holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- DIRECTOR
Riad Sherif, M.D., has served as the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Oculis since December 2017. Previously, from June 2016 to September 2017, Dr. Sherif served as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Novartis Venture Fund. Before that, Dr. Sherif served as the President of Europe, Middle East and Africa of Alcon, Inc. from March 2014 to May 2016. Prior to that, from January 2002 to April 2014, Dr. Sherif held roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis AG, including as the Global Sales Head in the Transplant and Infectious Disease unit, as the Head for Latin America in transplant and infectious disease, as the President of the Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Division for Latin America and where he co-founded Synergium a leading biotech company, and most recently as the President of Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Canada. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Sherif worked for several pharmaceutical companies, holding positions of increasing seniority, mainly in marketing and general management with international scope. Dr. Sherif currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Revenio Group corporation. Dr. Sherif previously served as the Vice Chairman for the Innovative Medicine Canada Association, as the Chairman of In-Vivo Montreal, and as the Chairman of the Board Ophthalmic Surgery and Vision Care of Eucomed. Dr. Sherif is a Medical Doctor by training, and holds an MBA from IMD Business School and a Specialized Master's Degree in Medical Management from ESCP.
Sylvia Cheung, has served as the Chief Financial Officer of Oculis since September 2020. Prior to that, from October 2005 to August 2020, Ms. Cheung held executive positions at Anika Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly-traded joint preservation company. Most recently, from April 2013 to August 2020, Ms. Cheung served as the Chief Financial Officer of Anika Therapeutics, Inc. Previously, from 2000 to 2005, Ms. Cheung held a series of financial management positions of increasing responsibility at Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc., which was acquired by Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2005. Before that, from 1995 to 2000, Ms. Cheung served as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Cheung holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, an MBA from Boston University, and was certified as Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
Virginia R. Dean, has been appointed as Chief Resources Officer of Oculis since February 2024. Prior to joining Oculis, she was Chief People Officer and Senior Vice President at Axcella Therapeutics from June 2021 to December 2022. Before this role, she founded ClearSight Leadership, Inc., a consulting firm, where she acted as Principal from Jan uary 2016 to June 2021. Prior to this entrepreneurial journey, she served as Vice President of Human Resources for several companies including for Tesaro, Inc., a public, oncology focused, commercial biotech, from Dec ember 2012 to Dec ember 2015, for Acronis, Inc., a privately held global SMB and enterprise businesses technology company, from Sept ember 2011 to Nov ember 2012, and for Ariad Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded, oncology focused company, from June 2007 to Dec ember 2010. Before that, she held roles of increasing human resources responsibilities in various companies from 1995 to 2007 including for The Bridgespan Group, Macromedia, Inc., FleetBoston, and Towers Perrin. Ms. Dean received her M.B.A. from Simmons University and hold a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Vermont.