Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Edinburgh based CEO’ operating in the Biotechnology space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Mark Simmers
CEO of Celtic Renewables
Mark is an entrepreneur and commercialisation specialist with over 20 years of international experience in sales, marketing and business development. In 2011 Mark graduated from the highly prestigious Saltire Foundation Global Entrepreneurial Fellowship Programme, which included a fast-track MBA programme at Babson College, Boston USA. Mark helped to co-found Celtic Renewables in late 2011, and has been the company’s CEO since its inception leading the rapid growth of the company, which has seen its technology proven at pilot commercial scale leading to establishing it at industrial scale by 2017. Mark has won numerous investment pitching and business presentation awards on behalf of Celtic Renewables, and has built a strong and dynamic team at the company. Mark graduated from Bristol University in Economics and Accounting and started out his career with the International Management Group in London working with a team commercialising and managing the global golf assets of IMG. Mark founded and managed his own events and promotions company in Scotland from 2001-07. Mark is married with three children, and is a keen sportsman in his spare time.
Follow Mark Simmers:
About Celtic Renewables: Celtic Renewables is a biofuel startup focused on the renewable energy and whisky sector.
Alan Wise
Chief Executive Officer of Duke Street Bio
Follow Alan Wise:
About Duke Street Bio: Duke Street Bio develops medical drugs intended to provide improved treatment to cancer patients.
Adam Christie
CEO of Calcivis
Adam has a broad background in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He is a business developer and marketer with direct experience of drug and device development and the capital markets. Previously, as Chief Business Officer at PowderMed, he led business development and commercial strategy which culminated in the successful sale of the company to Pfizer in late 2006, two and a half years after a series ‘A’ venture funding round. Adam is also a Director at MGB Biopharma, another Archangels backed company in Scotland, focused on a new class of antibacterial drugs. His earlier career included roles in business development, marketing and R&D at PPL Therapeutics, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Laboratories and Schering AG, and as a City analyst at ABN Amro Hoare Govett. His educational background includes a BSc in Pharmacology from Southampton University and an MBA from Warwick Business School.
Follow Adam Christie:
About Calcivis, MGB Biopharma Limited: Calcivis is a biotech company that focuses on unmet needs in dentistry.
Janet Downie
CEO of Roslin Cells
Janet Downie is the CEO of RoslinCT. Janet has over 25 years’ experience in biologics manufacturing and testing and was previously the COO for Roslin Cells Ltd and part of the original team that established the business. She then went on to set up the contract manufacturing division prior to the establishment of RoslinCT. Janet has held various senior roles in operations and quality within Inveresk Research, PPL Therapeutics and Charles River Laboratories. She has always had a passion for business growth through delivering a quality service and a focus on patient safety. Janet holds a BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences and is a member of UK Task force for ATMP Manufacturing and the BIA Cell Therapy and Manufacturing Committees. Janet has a love for animals and has a house full of dogs and cats. She would have more if she could. She also enjoys spending time in the countryside and has recently developed a passion for fishing.
Follow Janet Downie:
About Roslin Cells, RoslinCT: Roslin Cells is focussed on creating large numbers of stem cell lines from various cohorts of the population.
