17th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference
Thursday 9th October 2025
The Kings Fund, London
Discover the Event
The Kings Fund, London
Discover the Event
Join Optimum Strategic Communications on Thursday, 9th October 2025 for our Annual Investor Healthcare Conference.
Now in its 17th year, the conference is firmly established as a major thought leadership event in Europe, bringing together the top executives and visionaries from the healthcare industry and investment community to discuss and debate the trends set to reshape the industry far into the future.
We look forward to meeting you again this autumn, at the The Kings Fund, London.
Reviews from our past speakers on what makes Optimum’s Healthcare Investor Conference unique.
Leading speakers from the healthcare and investment communities providing insights on the latest trends and impacts on the industry.
Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary has a 25-year successful track record in providing strategic corporate and financial communications to both early- and late-stage healthcare companies and has worked with over 300 biotech and healthcare clients across Europe and the US. She has developed several high-profile investor focused campaigns and has been instrumental in strategic positioning ahead of fundraising rounds of private financings, IPOs and follow-on public financings.
She founded Optimum in 2013 with the mission to provide the best strategic communications advice and implement effective communications programmes to achieve high impact results. Prior to this, Mary built and led healthcare businesses at several international PR&IR agencies. She started her career at BTG plc where she was involved in the Company’s IPO and the start-up of several new tech and biotech companies.
Hevolution Foundation
Dr. Mehmood Khan's was formerly Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Research and Development at PepsiCo, and President of Global R&D at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Before moving into the private sector, Dr. Khan was a faculty member in endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic and Medical School, where he served as Director of the Diabetes, Endocrine and Nutritional Trials Unit. He also led programs in diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, and nutrition in Minneapolis.
Dr. Khan is a member of the Board of Directors of Reckitt Benckiser and of the Saudi Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA), Executive Chairman of Life Biosciences, a member of the Saudi National Biotechnology Strategy Steering Committee, and Chairman of the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology of the United States' National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Novo Holdings, Growth Investments
Daniel joined Novo Holdings in 2024 as a Senior Partner in Growth Investments.
Daniel has 25+ years of global healthcare investment experience covering biotechnology, medical technology and healthcare services. In 2007, he co-founded the healthcare business unit at Polar Capital in London, growing it to over $4 billion in assets under management. Daniel was formerly a Senior Research Analyst at Morgan Stanley in London, an Analyst at ING Barings Furman Selz in New York, and completed his postdoctoral work at DNAX Research Institute in Palo Alto. He currently chairs the UK BioIndustry Association, is a Non-Executive Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, and was in 2022 appointed as the UK Government's Life Sciences Envoy.
Daniel received his PhD in Development Biology from the University of Cambridge and his BA in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford.
Johnson & Johnson Innovation
Nerida Scott is the Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation EMEA, based at the Innovation Center (IC) in London, UK.
In this role, Nerida oversees the EMEA IC portfolio of co-investments and collaborations to construct, prioritize and advance the early external innovation portfolio of Johnson & Johnson. She identifies and accelerates science and technology outside the company in areas of strategic value to consumer health, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, exploring new models to support external R&D collaboration and grow early stage innovation networks.
Nerida has been an integral part of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation team since 2015. She was Vice President New Ventures & Transactions, and she led a senior team to identify, develop and execute early-stage transactions with diverse partners in the life sciences ecosystem, including academia, venture capital, entrepreneurs, NGOs and governmental organizations.
Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Nerida was Director for Business Development & Licensing and Executive Team member at Vernalis PLC, a UK biotech company with US commercial activities, responsible for transactions from evaluation through negotiation to closing. Before that, Nerida worked in business development at RiboTargets, a biotech building on Nobel Prize-winning science from the lab of Venki Ramakrishnan. Her experience also includes The Boston Consulting Group in London, where she was a project leader providing strategic counsel to clients on M&A opportunities, R&D, manufacturing and business strategies.
Nerida has a broad background in operational and commercial activities with over 20 years of diverse business and transaction experience, including acquisitions and divestments in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
Nerida received her BSc from Sydney University, Australia, and her PhD in Biochemistry as the Prince of Wales' scholar, Trinity College, Cambridge University, UK. Nerida is a member of the UK Biolndustry Association Board, as well as having a Board position with several Johnson & Johnson entities.
iOnctura
Catherine holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and an MBA. During her career she has held various licensing and business development positions in pharma and biotech.
Before founding and building iOnctura, she led the global oncology and immuno-oncology licensing and business development function at Merck. During her time at Merck she was also an integral member of the oncology franchise leadership team, a cross functional team responsible for creating the strategy and managing the oncology business.
Optimum Strategic Communications
Nick has over 30 years of experience advising companies and individuals from over 35 different markets on a wide range of multi-market, multi-stakeholder communications. Nick specialises in helping clients build powerful narratives around corporate reputation, employer brand and investor and capital market objectives.
Nick has strong transaction experience and has helped clients raise over €30bn through IPOs and has advised on M&A transactions with a combined deal value in excess of €150bn.
Jefferies International
Dr. Gil Bar-Nahum is a Managing Director in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Jefferies and focuses on the Life Sciences universe in Europe, Israel and Asia. Dr. Bar-Nahum has over 14 years of investment banking experience and was most recently an Executive Director in UBS Investment Bank's Global Healthcare Group since 2002. Prior to that, Dr. Bar-Nahum worked as a Biotechnology Research Analyst for UBS where he served as an Associate Director covering companies in the Life Science Tools space.
Dr. Bar-Nahum has executed and advised on over 90 transactions across the globe in the life sciences space, with particular expertise in Biotechnology. Dr. Bar-Nahum received his PhD in Basic Medical Sciences with a focus in Biochemistry from the Sackler Institute at the New York University School of Medicine. The subject of Dr. Bar-Nahum's doctorate work was published twice in the journal Cell. Dr. Bar-Nahum also received an MS from New York University’s School of Medicine in cell and molecular biology and a BS from the University of Illinois in microbiology.
ICG
Allan joined ICG in January 2021 and is Managing Director, and Head of Life Sciences, responsible for the Life Science Fund strategy and team at ICG.
Prior to ICG, Allan was Founder and Managing Partner of Bridge Valley Ventures, a successful life science investor, and prior to this was a Partner and Founder of Apposite Capital. Before this Allan was at Abingworth.
Formerly a PhD medicinal chemist at Pfizer, he later founded and was CEO of his own life sciences company before it was successfully acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 2000 where he became SVP Technology. On his return to the UK in 2003 Allan joined Abingworth to begin his investment career.
Medicxi
Francesco is a co-founder and Partner at Medicxi. Prior to Medicxi, Francesco was a Partner at Index Ventures for 19 years, having joined the firm in 1997 to launch its life sciences practice. Under his leadership, the asset-centric approach to life sciences investing was conceived and implemented. Francesco currently serves on the boards of a number of portfolio companies, including Centessa Pharmaceuticals, Rivus Pharmaceuticals, Levicept, Alys Pharmaceuticals, TOAD Oncology and Kaerus Biosciences.
Francesco's prior investments include CellZome (acquired by GlaxoSmithKline), GenMab (Copenhagen: GEN.CO), GenSight Biologics (Euronext: SIGHT), Micromet (acquired by Amgen), Vaxcyte (NASDAQ:PCVX), Molecular Partners (SIX:MOLN), PanGenetics (acquired by Abbott), Parallele Biosciences (acquired by Affymetrix), Profibrix (acquired by The Medicines Company) and Versartis (NASDAQ:VSAR).
Francesco received a BA in Genetics and Microbiology from the University of Pavia and a PhD Molecular Biology from the University of Geneva. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute at MIT and is a CFA Charterholder.
The Financial Times
Clive Cookson has worked in science journalism for the whole of his professional life. He left Oxford University with a First-Class Honours degree in chemistry and, after training on the Luton Evening Post, joined Times Higher Education - first as science correspondent in London and then as American Editor in Washington.
Clive returned to London as technology correspondent of the Times and then moved to BBC Radio as science and medical correspondent. He went back to print journalism as technology editor of the Financial Times. In 1991 he became science editor at the FT, leading a writing team covering science and health, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Since October 2023 Clive has been the FT’s senior science writer. He has won numerous science journalism awards, including British Science Writer of the Year 2022.
Cooley
Simon is a partner in Cooley’s life sciences practice advising on mergers & acquisitions (public and private), initial public offerings and other capital-raising transactions, and venture and growth capital investments. Simon has extensive experience in advising companies at all stages of their development, as well as counseling investors and investment banks. He has represented a wide range of clients in the life sciences, technology and sustainable technology industries.
Calliditas Therapeutics
Renée Aguiar-Lucander has over 30 years of experience in company management, strategic and financial development of US and European private and public companies with core sector expertise in healthcare and technology. Renée joined Calliditas in 2017 as CEO and has taken the Company from its initial listing on the Swedish stock exchange in 2018 - in what was one of the largest European IPOs that year - to a successful listing on US NASDAQ in June 2020 raising $90 million and subsequently building a commercial biopharma company focused on rare disease. Calliditas was the first company globally to successfully complete a Phase 3 study in the rare autoimmune disease of IgA Nephropathy, and to bring the first ever approved drug to market.
Before joining Calliditas, Renée Aguiar-Lucander was a Partner and COO of Omega Fund Management, an international venture capital company focused on investments within the life science sector. Before that, she served as a Partner in the venture capital group 3i Group plc in London, where she managed the publicly quoted assets and was co-head of the global healthcare and technology portfolio. Prior to this, Renée Aguiar-Lucander was a European Group Head and Managing Director at a global investment bank and has more than 12 years' experience in corporate finance. Prior to her career in investment banking, she was the Head of European Sales and Marketing in a company focused on the sale of analytical software for financial services.
EQT
Geraldine O'Keeffe joined EQT in 2008, as Partner within the EQT Life Sciences team. Her association with LSP began the same year and continued until 2022, culminating in the integration of LSP with EQT, subsequently rebranded as EQT Life Sciences.
Before affiliating with LSP, Geraldine served as a Senior Equity Research Analyst at Fortis Bank in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Prior to Fortis, she held the position of Head of Infectious Disease at Biotrin, a medical diagnostic company based in Dublin, Ireland, which has since become an integral part of Diasorin.
Geraldine holds a BSc Hons in Microbiology and Biochemistry from University College Cork, an MSc in Biotechnology from University College Galway, and a Graduate Diploma in Business Studies from the Dublin School of Business.
Gamma Biosciences & SPT Labtech
Kieran was most recently President and Chief Executive Officer of the $19B Healthcare division of General Electric. Prior to overseeing GE Healthcare, he was president and CEO of GE Healthcare Life Sciences, a global leader in life sciences tools and diagnostics providing a broad range of technologies and services for biopharmaceutical research, development and manufacturing. Under Kieran’s’s leadership, GE Healthcare Life Sciences emerged as a market leader in the bioprocessing industry. Prior to joining GE, Kieran served as CEO of Whatman plc, a global supplier of filters and membranes for life sciences applications.
M Ventures
Hakan Goker, PhD, is Managing Director of M Ventures and heads the Biotechnology Investments covering Healthcare and Life Sciences Tools and Technologies. Hakan joined M Ventures in 2013 and has been investing in the sector for 18 years. Previously, Hakan was a partner at Aescap Venture investing in European opportunities. Hakan started his investment career at Atlas Venture focusing on global investment opportunities in healthcare and medical technologies across US, Europe and Asia. He was instrumental in the creation and financing, business and R&D strategies of multiple companies in their formation years including Bicycle, Nimbus Discovery, and f-Star while at Aescap and Atlas. Hakan continues his active investing role and represents M Ventures on multiple portfolio companies.
He comes from an academic background receiving his Ph.D. in oncology from the Institute of Cancer Research/ University of London, UK and continuing his scientific career with post doctoral work at the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Centre/Royal Marsden Hospital. He gained his B.Sc. Hons, from University College London. Hakan is based in Amsterdam at the M Ventures head office.
Optimum Strategic Communications
Eva has 20 years' experience in fund management and company analysis across the global healthcare sector. She lived in New York for 7 years covering the US. She was recently at Schroder Investment management where she was responsible for the analysis and valuation of publicly listed & about-to-be-listed healthcare companies in medical devices & supplies, diagnostics, biotechnology, pharma, life sciences tools, healthcare distribution, pharmacy benefit management, hospitals & health insurance. Eva has a PhD in Biochemistry from Bristol University. She is also a fluent German speaker.
PRP Advisory
Premal is a Senior Adviser to Optimum and is the founder and principal of PRP Advisory, a specialist independent healthcare consultancy firm. Premal previously worked as the Global Healthcare Specialist for J.P. Morgan Asset Management in London for 8 years.
Prior to this, Premal was a Healthcare Portfolio Manager with at First State Investments. From 2000 to 2007, Premal was a Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities and Eden Financial. From 1991 to 2000, Premal worked as a Research Analyst covering Pharma at various banks and brokers in NYC. Premal holds an M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati and a B.Com. from University of Bombay, India.
Gilmartin Group
Lynn spent the first half of her career as a Wall Street equity research analyst and investor focused on evaluating innovative companies within the medical device and healthcare sector. She pivoted in 2008 to strategic consulting with emphasis on investor relations, capital markets advisory and support in forecasting financial and operational milestones. Having created and executed investor relations programs and strategies for over 100 companies (public and private) at various stages of development, Lynn has a proven track record of success. She is actively involved with her clients, enabling companies to effectively communicate their business strategy, operational goals, and financial profile to Wall Street constituents. Lynn and the team at Gilmartin work with many of the most successful IPOs in the medical technology sector, advising initially on capital markets and IPO readiness, and continuing on, partnering on IR strategy and long term shareholder engagement.
Prior to founding Gilmartin Group, Lynn was a Managing Director at Westwicke Partners offering strategic counsel to public and private entities, with specific emphasis on medical technology, diagnostics, and life sciences. Lynn was previously a Founder and Portfolio Manager at Aphelion Capital, a healthcare fund focused on public and private investments and prior to that, was a Partner at Thomas Weisel Partners (now Stifel Nicholas) and a Sr. Vice President at Adams & Harkness & Hill (now Canaccord Genuity) in equity research.
Lynn holds the CFA designation, has a MS in Finance from Boston College Carroll School of Management and a BA in Environmental Science and Mathematics from University of Vermont. When not working, Lynn spends time with her family (and dog) outside as much as possible. She serves on the board of directors of Slide Ranch, a non profit committed to environmental stewardship and education.
Optimum Strategic Communications
Hollie specialising in providing financial and corporate communications support to a wealth of private and public healthcare companies both in the UK and in Europe.
With over 10 years experience, Hollie has managed and implemented successful IR and PR programmes for her clients, providing support on everything from financial calendar work, investor roadshows and analyst briefings, perception studies and event management to support on major strategic deals and transactions including fundraisings, M&A and IPOs. She also provides media relations expertise to her clients, working across print, online and broadcast media.
Norges Bank Investment Management
Gemma Game is a Senior Portfolio Manager responsible for Healthcare at Norges Bank Investment Management. She has over 20 years’ experience investing in the global healthcare sector. Gemma joined NBIM in 2014 from AXA Investment Managers, where she was head of the healthcare team. Previously, Gemma was a fund manager at BlackRock responsible for healthcare investments on the Global Equity team. Gemma studied pharmacology at Cambridge University.
Citi
Niccolò Cominacini currently runs the Depositary Receipt Sales team for UK & Europe. He has extensive client experience both in sales and account management, he previously had direct responsibilities for clients in the Life Sciences sector such as Adaptimmune, Immunocore or Orchard Therapeutics. Niccolò earned his MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona. He also holds an MSc degree in Economics and Finance from Bocconi University, Milan. Prior to Citi, he worked for Accenture in Spain and the USA.
Nasdaq
Isabella Schidrich, Senior Managing Director, has been responsible for business development of Nasdaq in Europe since 2001. Isabella has worked with hundreds of European companies, supporting a Nasdaq listing and managing the relationship with the Capital Markets community (investment banks, PE / VC firms, IR/PR firms, legal / accounting firms) and Nasdaq-listed companies in Europe. Prior to that, Isabella gained extensive business development experience within the telecommunications industry, heading business units at BT Group and at Deutsche Telekom AG, and within the Services Industry. Isabella holds a Master in Business Administration from Munich University (Germany).
Nasdaq
Asaf Homossany is a Senior Managing Director at Nasdaq responsible for the Nasdaq listing business in EMEA. He has over 25 years of experience in global capital markets and during his tenure with Nasdaq has supported over 250 companies from the EMEA region (including Israel, UK, France, the Nordics, Middle East and South Africa, as they listed on Nasdaq.
In his role, Asaf is responsible for Nasdaq’s listing strategy in EMEA, including supporting pre-IPO companies, VCs, PE funds and advisers in the region with capital raising in the US or on any of Nasdaq’s European exchanges. An expert on IPOs, capital raising and capital markets, Asaf is familiar with the unique challenges that SMEs and growth companies face when navigating this space. He works closely with management teams of private companies as they prepare for their IPOs on Nasdaq and their transition into the public markets but also oversees the on going relationships between such companies and Nasdaq post IPO to help them maximise the benefits of being a listed company in the US.
A selection of some of our brilliant panellists from previous years.
UK Government
AXA Investment Managers
Genomics England
Novo Holdings
NHS England
NED Various
Sofinnova Partners
SR One
Bayer
UK Vaccine Taskforce, SV Health Investors
The London School of Hygience and Tropical Medicine
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
BioNTech
Norgine Group
Decision Resources Group, part of Clarivate
Syncona
BeiGene
Ipsen
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
KKR
Altor Private Equity
Evotec
JP Morgan Asset Management
Genmab
Sofinnova Partners
Syncona
Bellevue Asset Management
Inkef Capital
Polar Capital
JP Morgan Asset Management
Government adviser on Life Sciences
HBM Partners
Mole Valley Asset Management
Centreview Partners
Imperial College London
Vantage
Sofinnova
Unit DX
Nomura Asset Management
Lazard
Arix Bioscience
Novo Holdings
M Ventures
Pictet Asset Management
F2G
Mission Therapeutics
Bloomberg Intelligence
NICE
NED Various
Fresenius Medical Care
Oxford Biomedica
Redx Pharma
Endpoints News
Arctic Asset Management
Sofinnova Partners
Novo Holdings
BioCentury
Optimum Strategic Communications
Optimum Strategic Communications is an international healthcare communications firm which specialises in strategic investor relations, corporate and financial communications. Our senior healthcare specialists, based in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Zurich, and New York, are experienced and trusted advisors to some of the world’s most exciting public and private companies, both large and small, across healthcare, life sciences and industrial biotechnology.
Over the last 20 years we have worked with over 300 healthcare companies, advising them on financial communications and investor relations, including major corporate activities such as fundraising, IPOs, and M&A, as well as corporate reputation and crisis scenarios.
We have an exceptional network of contacts across the international investment community in Europe and the US; contacts we have built and maintained over the last three decades. Our team includes ex-fund managers and analysts, scientists, as well as financial and corporate communications specialists.
For more information, please visit www.optimumcomms.com.
2025 Agenda |
10-12:00 |
Registration |
| 11:00 |
How to have a successful IPO on Nasdaq
Chair: Nick Bastin, Managing Director, Optimum Strategic Communications
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| Networking lunch sponsored by:
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12-12:50 |
Networking lunch sponsored by Citi & Nasdaq |
| 13:00 |
Welcome from Mary Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Optimum Strategic Communications |
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| 13:05 |
What’s happening in the markets? M&A, IPO, Private FinancingWith the global life sciences market roaring back to life after a flat few years, join our panel of experts from across the market to discover what it hot and what is not as investors look to put their capital to work. Chair: Catherine Pickering, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, iOnctura
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| 14:00 |
Fireside chat with Dr Daniel Mahony and Nerida Scott, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, EMEAJoin Dr Daniel Mahony of Novo Holdings, Growth Investments, as he talks to Nerida Scott, the Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation EMEA, about her career and her approach identifying and accelerating science and technology across consumer health, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. Chair: Dr Daniel Mahony, Senior partner, Novo Holdings, Growth Investments
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| Tea break and networking sponsored by:
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14:50 |
Tea break and networking sponsored by Babraham Research Campus |
| 15:20 |
Introduction by Mary Clark, CEO of Optimum Strategic Communications |
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| 15:25 |
Fireside chat with Clive Cookson and Dr Mehmood Khan, Hevolution FoundationThe Hevolution Foundation is the revolutionary new sovereign wealth fund from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which is looking to transform our quality of life by investing at scale in extending our “healthspan” – the period of time we live healthy lives. With significant pools of capital to put to work, hear from Dr Khan on the vision for the fund and the investments the Foundation is looking to make. Clive Cookson, Senior Science Writer, Financial Times
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| 16:15 |
Scaling up: How to build European championsWhile America is often seen as dominating the life sciences landscape, European champions can succeed and flourish in this competitive environment. Join our highly experienced panel and hear how they have achieved success in building highly innovative businesses. Chair: Simon Amies, Partner, Cooley
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| 17:15 |
Featured charity Muscular Dystrophy UK introduced by Hollie Vile, Managing Director, Optimum Strategic Communications |
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| 17:25 |
Thank you and closing from Optimum |
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| 17:30 |
Networking reception drinks sponsored by Cooley & ICG |
| Networking reception drinks sponsored by:
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19:30 |
Ends |
We look forward to welcoming you to our conference.
Optimum’s 16th Healthcare Investor Conference
The Kings Fund, London
Looking for a place to stay?
We have special group rates at two nearby hotels – The Treehouse & The Marylebone Hotel.
Email us for more information at irconference@optimumcomms.com.
Register your interest for Optimum Strategic Communications’ 17th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference on Thursday 9th October 2025 at The Kings Fund, Cavendish Square, London W1G 0AN