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 United Kingdom based Managing Director operating in the Biotechnology space. If you think a Managing Director 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.
Andrew Shepherd
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Omega Diagnostics
Andrew Shepherd is the Founder and Managing Director of Omega Diagnostics Limited. He is responsible for corporate strategy, general management, sales and marketing and technical direction. He has been involved in the medical diagnostics industry for the last 35 years. He started his career in 1974 by holding technical positions at G.D. Searle Limited and then attended university, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. He then moved into a sales and marketing position at Cambridge Life Sciences plc in 1981, before establishing his first diagnostics company, Cambridge Biomedical Limited in 1982. In 1986 he moved to Scotland to join Bioscot Limited and shortly afterwards, established Omega. Shepherd used his technical experience and knowledge of exporting to oversee the growth of the export of Omega products to exceed £2 million per annum. Omega now exports to over 100 countries around the world, and he travels regularly to many of the countries in which Omega customers are based. Shepherd is an active member of a number of relevant trade associations and was a member of the Scottish Exports Forum, a body which reported to the Scottish Parliament to oversee and guide the export activity of Scottish Development International. Mr Shepherd was also a member of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s (BMGF) Global Health Diagnostics Forum, which provides direct guidance to BMGF in advising on future investments in worldwide diagnostics programmes for developing countries.
Follow Andrew Shepherd:
About Global DX Ltd, Omega Diagnostics: Omega Diagnostics provides IVD products for use in hospitals, blood banks, clinics, and laboratories.
_______
Ed McDermott
Co-Founder and Managing Director, UK of EMMAC Life Sciences
Ed McDermott is the co-founder and managing director at EMMAC Life Sciences.
Follow Ed McDermott:
About EMMAC Life Sciences: EMMAC is a medical cannabis company that works to join together the latest science and research with cutting-edge cultivation.
Jonathan Tobin
Managing Director of Arix Bioscience
Jonathan specialises in therapeutics and diagnostics investments and has a background in medical research and drug discovery. Prior to joining Imperial Innovations he worked at MRC Technology, sourcing and evaluating new opportunities for small molecule and antibody drug discovery worldwide. He has a PhD in molecular medicine from UCL, and undertook post-doctoral research at the Cancer Research UK LRI. He has published in journals including New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, and PNAS. Jonathan has a First Class degree in Biological Science from Oxford University and an MBA with Distinction from Imperial College.
Follow Jonathan Tobin:
About Arix Bioscience: Arix Bioscience is a healthcare and life science company.
Robert Perin
Managing Director of Protak Scientific
Prior to his current role as CEO & partner at Protak Scientific in the biotechnology industry the last 5 years, Robert Perin worked at Blackberry as Senior Commercial Director, Europe for just under a decade.
After his time in telecommunications, he worked as an investor and advisor for several start-ups including launching Oscobo, Becovi Media and CST Automotive amongst others. Since becoming CEO and partner in one of the most exciting and ground changing Biotech companies to date, Robert has been instrumental in bringing major pharma companies onboard such as Pfizer, Bayer, Novo Nordisk, and AstraZeneca.
Protak Scientific provides rapid validation solutions to large isolator manufacturers, global pharmaceutical companies, and scientific universities with established and recognised ground-breaking technology that assists pharmaceutical companies to validate their decontamination in aseptic production.
He has been key to both setting the corporate strategy and gaining international recognition and acceptance, as the innovative way of approaching validation, with the regulators and international scientific community.
He has also been a key part in the expansion of the company globally into countries such as the US, India, and China, trebling revenue in recent years. Although relatively new to the pharmaceutical industry, his belief in the technology, passion for the industry, and commercial acumen have enabled Protack Scientific to become a growing UK success story within the international pharmaceutical industry.
Follow Robert Perin:
About Protak Scientific: PS is a biotechnology firm that manufacturers enzyme indicators.
Himanshu Kataria
Founder, CEO and Managing Director of CLYZ Labs
Himanshu is an experienced NHS Academic Clinician with emergency medicine background (>10 years clinical experience). Himanshu has substantial experience in setup and delivery of clinical research trials, as a specialty lead within Clinical Research Network for the whole of North West Coast of England delivering research in >23 NHS Partner organisations. Himanshu is an MBBS, MBBS, MRCSed (A&E), MRCEM, FRCEM, ALS Instructor. With a number of years in both clinical and research experience, Himanshu has held various consultancy posts in notable hospitals/medical facilities such as Whiston Hospital in Merseyside. He also held the Special Group Lead position within the Clinical Research Network – North West Coast: Research Delivery arm of the NIHR (National Institute of Health Research). In addition to his qualifications as a Medical Doctor, Himanshu has held a number of entrepreneurial roles over the past few years in bio-medical companies such as Indu Stem Cell Technology Plc, and Transgenex Inc in the USA. Dr Kataria is familiar with financial management of the business owing to his experience in Clinical Finance Limited which advised for fundraising for Indu Stem Cell Technology PLC. He continues to serve as a director for Indu Stem Cell Technology PLC.
Follow Himanshu Kataria:
About CLYZ Labs: CLYZ Labs are developing a testing service to select the best drug therapy for personalised cancer treatment.
Adam George
UK Managing Director of GW Pharmaceuticals
Adam George has served as our Managing Director – UK since March 2017. Mr. George also acts as our Company Secretary. Prior to taking on his current role, Mr. George served as our Chief Financial Officer since 2012 and Financial Controller since 2007. Mr. George has previously occupied several senior finance roles within both public and privately-owned companies, most recently as Finance Director from 2004 to 2007 and as Group Financial Controller from 2001 to 2004 of Believe It Group Limited (now 4Com plc), a telecommunications service provider. Mr. George holds an BSc. in Biology from Bristol University and is qualified as a chartered accountant.
Follow Adam George:
About GW Pharmaceuticals: GW Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel therapeutics.
Jonathan Hollick
Managing Director of Breakpoint Therapeutics
Follow Jonathan Hollick:
About Breakpoint Therapeutics: Breakpoint Therapeutics is a company that discover and develop new anti-cancer drugs.
Brian Miller
Managing Director & Co-Founder of uFraction8
Dr Brian Miller is one of the original inventors of uFraction8’s technology. Following the successful PhD where the technology was developed, he undertook a Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship to learn the skills required for commercialisation of the technology. Furthermore, he has a background as a professional engineer and was involved in delivering high value projects in gas turbine control systems in industry.
Follow Brian Miller:
About uFraction8: uFraction8 develops microfluidics-based filtration systems to help bio-manufacturers to harvest biomass sustainably and more efficiently.
Banafshe Larijani
Co-founder, Joint Managing Director and CSO of Fastbase Solutions
Banafshe Larijani holds a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Amherst College, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. Head of Cell Biophysics Laboratory since 2002 at Cancer Research UK, she was appointed Senior Scientist in 2012 and in 2014 was awarded the Ikerbasque Research Professorship. She holds adjunct professorships with University of Bath (UK), Stony Brooks University NY and University of Massachusetts, Amherst MA, (USA). Her laboratory is a cutting-edge cross-disciplinary platform, which draws upon the physical sciences to develop novel avenues for investigation of biological processes in signalling. The outcomes of her fundamental research involving the application of quantitative imaging (FRET-FLIM) for investigating molecular mechanisms of various oncoproteins have resulted in their application to clinical objectives. Cell Biophysics is now at the Biophysics Institute Insituto Biofisika) and Research Centre for Experimental Marine Biology and Biotechnology (PiE) in Bilbao, Spain.
Follow Banafshe Larijani:
About Fastbase Solutions: Fastbase Solutions is a cancer diagnostics platform.
Jasbir Singh
Managing Director of HEL LTD
Follow Jasbir Singh:
About HEL LTD: HEL Ltd is a provider of automated and manual tools to clients in the pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.
Apostolos Papadopoulos
Managing Director of Crop Intellect
Dr. Apostolos Papadopoulos founded Crop Intellect in November 2011, since which he has been serving as its managing director.
Follow Apostolos Papadopoulos:
About Crop Intellect: Crop Intellect operates a research and development company that develops agricultural technologies that improves crop productivity.
Kat Bruce
Co-founder and Managing Director of Nature Metrics
Kat Bruce is the Co-founder and Director of NatureMetrics.
Follow Kat Bruce:
About Nature Metrics: Nature Metrics is an award-winning technology start-up using cutting-edge genetic techniques to monitor biodiversity.
Maxim Rossmann
Managing Director of Cambridge Oncometrix
Follow Maxim Rossmann:
About Cambridge Oncometrix, University of Cambridge: Cambridge Oncometrix aims to save lives by enabling the early detection of prostate cancer.
Ian Fotheringham
Managing Director of Ingenza
Ian Fotheringham received a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Glasgow, UK, in 1986. He joined the NutraSweet division of Monsanto in Chicago, USA, constructing microbes to produce the Aspartame® sweetener. From 1993, he continued developing large-scale bioprocesses with NSC Technologies and Great Lakes Fine Chemicals. Ian co-founded Ingenza in 2003, has published 35 papers and articles, and holds eight current patents.
Follow Ian Fotheringham:
About Ingenza: Ingenza is an industrial biotechnology company.
Paul Wright
Managing Director, Co-Founder of Multibox
Follow Paul Wright:
About Multibox: Multibox is committed to becoming the world’s lowest cost producer of insects from vegetable crop and vegetable manufacturing waste.
Marpin Kho
Managing Director of Advanced Retention Therapeutics & Research Ltd
Follow Marpin Kho:
About Advanced Retention Therapeutics & Research Ltd: At ART Research, we are revolutionising the way medicines are delivered to patients in the fight to defeat medicine non-adherence.
Jan Berghe
Managing Director & Co-Founder of Novalis Biotechnology Incubation
Follow Jan Berghe:
About Novalis Biotechnology Incubation: Novalis Biotech Incubation is an early-stage vc fund that invests in biotechnology and life sciences related companies.
Douglas Martin
Managing Director of MiAlgae
Follow Douglas Martin:
About MiAlgae: MiAlgae is a new-age microalgal production company .
