PureTech is led by a proven and seasoned management team
Team
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD
Chief Executive Officer, Member of the Board of Directors
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD, is the chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors at PureTech. Dr. Chowrira has been a member of the PureTech management team since March 2017, leading various departments including Operations, Finance and Business Development. Dr. Chowrira plays a key role in the...MORE
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD
Chief Executive Officer, Member of the Board of Directors
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD, is the chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors at PureTech. Dr. Chowrira has been a member of the PureTech management team since March 2017, leading various departments including Operations, Finance and Business Development. Dr. Chowrira plays a key role in the Founded Entity fundraisings and provide strategic guidance as a Board member to many Founded Entities, including co-founding Seaport Therapeutics. Prior to joining PureTech, he held various leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel in multiple biotech companies over the past 30+ years, including Auspex Pharmaceuticals Inc., which was acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals for $3.5 billion and Sirna Therapeutics that was acquired by Merck for $1.1 billion and as a Vice President at Merck & Co. Dr. Chowrira received a JD from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, an MS in molecular biology from Illinois State University and a BS in microbiology from the UAS, Bangalore, India.
Eric Elenko, PhD
Co-founder & President
Eric Elenko, PhD, is the president at PureTech where he has led the development of a number of programs, including three that have received US FDA approvals (EndeavorRx, Plenity and Cobenfy). Dr. Elenko plays a key role in the Founded Entity drug discovery and fundraisings, including co-founding Seaport Therapeutics. Prior...MORE
Eric Elenko, PhD
Co-founder & President
Eric Elenko, PhD, is the president at PureTech where he has led the development of a number of programs, including three that have received US FDA approvals (EndeavorRx, Plenity and Cobenfy). Dr. Elenko plays a key role in the Founded Entity drug discovery and fundraisings, including co-founding Seaport Therapeutics. Prior to joining PureTech, Dr. Elenko was a consultant with McKinsey and Company where he advised senior executives of both Fortune 500 and specialty pharmaceutical companies on a range of issues such as product licensing, mergers and acquisitions, research and development strategy and marketing. Dr. Elenko received his BA in biology from Swarthmore College and his PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of California, San Diego.
Robert Lyne, JD
Chief Portfolio Officer
Robert Lyne is the Chief Portfolio Officer at PureTech. Prior to joining PureTech, Robert was the Chief Executive Officer at Arix Bioscience plc, a transatlantic venture capital company focused on investing in innovative biotechnology companies. He began his career as a lawyer at international law firm Bird & Bird LLP in...MORE
Robert Lyne, JD
Chief Portfolio Officer
Robert Lyne is the Chief Portfolio Officer at PureTech. Prior to joining PureTech, Robert was the Chief Executive Officer at Arix Bioscience plc, a transatlantic venture capital company focused on investing in innovative biotechnology companies. He began his career as a lawyer at international law firm Bird & Bird LLP in London before moving to Touchstone Innovations, a London listed biotech and technology investor, which was acquired in 2017. He has worked on over 80 venture capital financings in Europe and North America as well as multiple trade exits and IPOs. As an experienced UK plc executive, Mr. Lyne has broad experience formulating and implementing corporate strategy. Mr. Lyne has a BA from the University of Oxford and an LLB from Oxford Brookes University.
Charles (Chip) Sherwood, JD
General Counsel
Charles Sherwood is the general counsel at PureTech where he leads the company's legal function, including corporate governance and compliance. Prior to joining PureTech in August 2021, Mr. Sherwood was the Vice President, Corporate Legal Counsel at Anika Therapeutics, a small-cap NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company. During his time at Anika, Charles...MORE
Charles (Chip) Sherwood, JD
General Counsel
Charles Sherwood is the general counsel at PureTech where he leads the company's legal function, including corporate governance and compliance. Prior to joining PureTech in August 2021, Mr. Sherwood was the Vice President, Corporate Legal Counsel at Anika Therapeutics, a small-cap NASDAQ-listed biotechnology company. During his time at Anika, Charles built and led the legal department, where he served as a strategic advisor to management and the Board and developed extensive subject matter expertise including strategic transactions, intellectual property, product and brand marketing, financing and other financial matters, securities compliance and other compliance matters. Mr. Sherwood received a B.A. in economics from Middlebury College and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School. He is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar.
Spencer Ball
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Spencer Ball is the senior vice president of human resources at PureTech where he plays a pivotal role in establishing HR infrastructure, processes that effectively communicate and support PureTech’s mission, values, strategic vision, and goals, and leading talent acquisition, career development, succession planning, retention, and leadership development. Prior to joining...MORE
Spencer Ball
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Spencer Ball is the senior vice president of human resources at PureTech where he plays a pivotal role in establishing HR infrastructure, processes that effectively communicate and support PureTech’s mission, values, strategic vision, and goals, and leading talent acquisition, career development, succession planning, retention, and leadership development. Prior to joining PureTech in 2015, Mr. Ball served as director, talent acquisition/executive search at PAREXEL International, where he partnered with corporate executives and human resource partners to recruit senior-level talent. Before that, he held a leadership role at Ball & Company, Inc., as well as positions at J. Robert Scott/Fidelity Investments, PAR Associates, and The Onstott Group.
Michael Inbar, CPA, MBA
Senior Vice President, Finance
Michael Inbar, CPA, MBA, is the senior vice president of finance at PureTech where he leads all aspects of accounting, compliance, and finance operations. Prior to joining PureTech in 2023, Mr. Inbar was the chief financial officer of Acronis Inc., a private multinational software company, and interim chief financial officer...MORE
Michael Inbar, CPA, MBA
Senior Vice President, Finance
Michael Inbar, CPA, MBA, is the senior vice president of finance at PureTech where he leads all aspects of accounting, compliance, and finance operations. Prior to joining PureTech in 2023, Mr. Inbar was the chief financial officer of Acronis Inc., a private multinational software company, and interim chief financial officer at Wallarm, Inc., a private cyber-security company. He has held several leadership roles in other technology and biotechnology companies, including Solid Biosciences, Inc., Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and GlassHouse Technologies, Inc. Mr. Inbar started his career in public accounting and spent 11 years in the audit and assurance practice, mostly with EY.Mr. Inbar has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance, with expertise in scaling up businesses to support organic growth or acquisitions, debt and equity fundraising, and building high performing finance teams to support companies’ objectives and success.
Frank Salisbury
Senior Vice President, Commercial and Product Strategy
Frank Salisbury is the senior vice president of commercial and product strategy at PureTech where he is responsible for global commercial and product strategy across the portfolio. Mr. Salisbury plays an essential role in new product planning, guiding commercialization efforts, and shaping corporate strategy and business development. Prior to joining...MORE
Frank Salisbury
Senior Vice President, Commercial and Product Strategy
Frank Salisbury is the senior vice president of commercial and product strategy at PureTech where he is responsible for global commercial and product strategy across the portfolio. Mr. Salisbury plays an essential role in new product planning, guiding commercialization efforts, and shaping corporate strategy and business development. Prior to joining PureTech in 2022, Mr. Salisbury held leadership roles spanning marketing, sales, business development, and product strategy at a number of companies, including Acceleron, Sage Therapeutics, Genentech, and Actelion. While at Genentech, Frank oversaw the launch of ESBRIET (pirfenidone) for IPF in the US, serving as Vice President of Marketing and later as National Head of Sales.
Allison Mead Talbot
Head of Communications
Allison Mead Talbot is the head of communications at PureTech where she directs all public relations activities, including corporate, brand, and internal communications, as well as investor and media relations. Prior to joining PureTech in 2016, Ms. Talbot was a leader at two award-winning PR agencies, TogoRun (FleishmanHillard) and Feinstein...MORE
Allison Mead Talbot
Head of Communications
Allison Mead Talbot is the head of communications at PureTech where she directs all public relations activities, including corporate, brand, and internal communications, as well as investor and media relations. Prior to joining PureTech in 2016, Ms. Talbot was a leader at two award-winning PR agencies, TogoRun (FleishmanHillard) and Feinstein Kean Healthcare (Ogilvy), where her work spanned healthcare, tech, policy, and patient advocacy. Ms. Talbot has led regulatory and product communications for several first-in-class drugs and devices and led transaction communications and investor relations for a diverse portfolio of companies, both private and public. Ms. Talbot has also directed corporate branding and disease and patient awareness campaigns for multinational biopharmaceutical companies, earning her recognition by PR News.
Anita Terpstra, PhD, JD
Senior Vice President, Intellectual Property
Anita Terpstra, PhD, JD, is the senior vice president, IP counsel at PureTech where she manages PureTech’s extensive IP portfolio. Dr. Terpstra oversees IP strategy development across the Company’s pipeline, including procuring coverage for its clinical stage candidates, platform technologies and discovery programs. Prior to joining PureTech in 2018, Dr....MORE
Anita Terpstra, PhD, JD
Senior Vice President, Intellectual Property
Anita Terpstra, PhD, JD, is the senior vice president, IP counsel at PureTech where she manages PureTech’s extensive IP portfolio. Dr. Terpstra oversees IP strategy development across the Company’s pipeline, including procuring coverage for its clinical stage candidates, platform technologies and discovery programs. Prior to joining PureTech in 2018, Dr. Terpstra served as Sr. Patent Counsel, and later as Associate General Counsel, at Synlogic, Inc., managing Synlogic’s IP portfolio and performing other corporate legal functions. Before that, Dr. Terpstra was patent counsel at two different Boston-based IP boutique law firms, served as senior patent counsel at Sigma-Aldrich and was an equity partner at McDonnell, Boehnen, Hulbert & Berghoff in Chicago.
Luba Greenwood, JD
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Luba Greenwood, JD, is an entrepreneur-in-residence at PureTech where she plays a key role in PureTech’s oncology program and works with the senior leadership team and board on PureTech’s corporate strategy. Ms. Greenwood currently serves as the Founder and Managing Partner of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Venture Fund, Binney...MORE
Luba Greenwood, JD
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Luba Greenwood, JD, is an entrepreneur-in-residence at PureTech where she plays a key role in PureTech’s oncology program and works with the senior leadership team and board on PureTech’s corporate strategy. Ms. Greenwood currently serves as the Founder and Managing Partner of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute Venture Fund, Binney Street Capital (BSC), which builds and invests in companies across therapeutics, diagnostics, and digital sectors. She also serves on the Board of Directors of several biopharmaceutical companies, including Abcam, BenchSci, Closed Loop Medicines, IN8bio, and Traws Pharma, Inc. In addition, Ms. Greenwood also serves on the Investor Committee for the National Cancer Institute. Prior to joining PureTech, Ms. Greenwood was the CEO and Chair of the Board of Kojin Therapeutics, a leader in ferroptosis. With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare and tech sectors, including extensive global board experience, Ms. Greenwood has a proven track record of building world-class teams of scientists and companies.
Sven Dethlefs, PhD
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Sven Dethlefs, PhD, is an entrepreneur-in-residence at PureTech where he leads the strategy development for PureTech’s IPF and PF-ILD programs and works with the senior leadership team and board on PureTech’s corporate strategy. Prior to joining PureTech, Dr. Dethlefs was the executive vice president and CEO of Teva North America...MORE
Sven Dethlefs, PhD
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Sven Dethlefs, PhD, is an entrepreneur-in-residence at PureTech where he leads the strategy development for PureTech’s IPF and PF-ILD programs and works with the senior leadership team and board on PureTech’s corporate strategy. Prior to joining PureTech, Dr. Dethlefs was the executive vice president and CEO of Teva North America where he led Teva’s businesses in the U.S. and Canada, including full P&L responsibility across pharma, biosimilars, and generics, with $8 billion in revenues. Dr. Dethlefs is a pharmaceutical leader with more than 25 years of experience and a track record in P&L leadership, R&D strategy, manufacturing, M&A, business transformation, capital markets, and board management.
Board of Directors
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD
Chief Executive Officer, Member of the Board of Directors
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD, is the chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors at PureTech. Dr. Chowrira has been a member of the PureTech management team since March 2017, leading various departments including Operations, Finance and Business Development. Dr. Chowrira plays a key role in the...MORE
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD
Chief Executive Officer, Member of the Board of Directors
Bharatt Chowrira, PhD, JD, is the chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors at PureTech. Dr. Chowrira has been a member of the PureTech management team since March 2017, leading various departments including Operations, Finance and Business Development. Dr. Chowrira plays a key role in the Founded Entity fundraisings and provide strategic guidance as a Board member to many Founded Entities, including co-founding Seaport Therapeutics.. Prior to joining PureTech, he held various leadership roles including Chief Executive Officer, President, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel in multiple biotech companies over the past 30+ years, including Auspex Pharmaceuticals Inc., which was acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals for $3.5 billion and Sirna Therapeutics that was acquired by Merck for $1.1 billion and as a Vice President at Merck & Co. Dr. Chowrira received a JD from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, an MS in molecular biology from Illinois State University and a BS in microbiology from the UAS, Bangalore, India.
Raju Kucherlapati, PhD
Chair of the Board of Directors
Raju Kucherlapati, PhD, is an independent non-executive director at PureTech. He has served as a member of the board of directors since 2014 and as chair since 2023. He also sits on PureTech's R&D Committee. He is the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard...MORE
Raju Kucherlapati, PhD
Chair of the Board of Directors
Raju Kucherlapati, PhD, is an independent non-executive director at PureTech. He has served as a member of the board of directors since 2014 and as chair since 2023. He also sits on PureTech's R&D Committee. He is the Paul C. Cabot Professor of Genetics and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kucherlapati currently serves on the board of directors of KEW Inc. He was a founder and formerly a board member of Abgenix (acquired by Amgen for $2.2 billion), Cell Genesys and Millennium Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Takeda for $8.8 billion). He was the first scientific director of the Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Kucherlapati received his PhD from the University of Illinois. He trained at Yale and has held faculty positions at Princeton University, University of Illinois College of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He was a member of the presidential commission for the study of bioethical issues during the Obama administration.
Dr. Kucherlapati’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School is involved in cloning many human disease genes with a focus on human syndromes with significant cardiovascular involvement, use of genetic/genomic approaches to understand the biology of cancer and the generation and characterization of genetically modified mouse models for cancer and other human disorders. His laboratory was a part of the Human Genome Program that was responsible for mapping and sequencing the human genome. Dr. Kucherlapati developed methods for modifying mammalian genes that lead to gene targeting in mice. He has developed many mouse models for human disease, including a large set of models for human colorectal cancer. His laboratory was a part of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program that uses genetic/genomic approaches to understand the biology of cancer. He is a promoter of personalized/precision medicine. Dr. Kucherlapati served on the editorial board of the New England Journal of Medicine and was editor-in-chief of the journal Genomics.
Sharon Barber-Lui
Non-Executive Director, Audit Committee Member
Sharon Barber-Lui is a board member and member of the Audit Committee at PureTech. Ms. Barber-Lui has been Chief Financial Officer, North America for Teva Pharmaceuticals since July 2023. Prior to joining Teva, Ms. Barber-Lui was the Senior Vice President of Finance at EQRx. Ms. Barber-Lui previously worked at Merck...MORE
Sharon Barber-Lui
Non-Executive Director, Audit Committee Member
Sharon Barber-Lui is a board member and member of the Audit Committee at PureTech. Ms. Barber-Lui has been Chief Financial Officer, North America for Teva Pharmaceuticals since July 2023. Prior to joining Teva, Ms. Barber-Lui was the Senior Vice President of Finance at EQRx. Ms. Barber-Lui previously worked at Merck for over twenty years in roles of advancing responsibility, including most recently as the Head of Portfolio Market Strategy, Operations and Business Analytics from 2019 through 2021 and Chief Financial Officer from 2014 through 2018 for Merck’s U.S. oncology business. Ms. Barber-Lui has also held a number of other roles with Merck including Treasurer of U.S. Region, Head of U.S. Treasury Operations, and Head of Legal Entity Integration and Global Treasury Services, among others. Ms. Barber-Lui began her career as an accountant for KPMG LLP, and she received her bachelor’s degree as well as her M.B.A. from Lehigh University. Ms. Barber‑Lui is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
She is also the recipient of Merck & Co. Inc.’s Top Talent Designation, Women’s Leadership Recognition and Oncology Women’s Leader recognition.
Michele Holcomb, PhD
Non-Executive Director, Audit Committee Member
Michele Holcomb, PhD, is an independent non-executive director at PureTech. Dr. Holcomb is a strategic leader with more than 30 years of healthcare experience across biotech, pharmaceuticals and healthcare services. She has served on both public and private boards, and has been a scientist, consultant and executive, driving change through...MORE
Michele Holcomb, PhD
Non-Executive Director, Audit Committee Member
Michele Holcomb, PhD, is an independent non-executive director at PureTech. Dr. Holcomb is a strategic leader with more than 30 years of healthcare experience across biotech, pharmaceuticals and healthcare services. She has served on both public and private boards, and has been a scientist, consultant and executive, driving change through innovation and optimization at key interfaces. In her previous role as EVP, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer at Cardinal Health, Dr. Holcomb leveraged an enterprise perspective and knowledge of the evolving healthcare landscape to work with the CEO, CFO, and leaders across the Pharmaceutical and Medical segments to define strategies, optimize the portfolio, and identify growth and innovation opportunities. Her team also led the execution and integration of investments, acquisitions, partnerships and divestitures to support Cardinal Health’s strategy, as well as drove the enterprise approach to innovation.
Prior to Cardinal Health, Dr. Holcomb was the Chief Operating Officer of Global R&D and SVP of Strategy, Portfolio, Search and Partnerships at Teva Pharmaceuticals. She also spent 15 years at McKinsey & Company and was a Partner of the Global Pharmaceutical Practice. Dr. Holcomb is a member of the board of directors and chair of the Nominating and ESG (NESG) committee of Kimball Electronics Inc (Nasdaq: KE). She also serves on the board of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, the BalletMet of Columbus, where she chairs the long-range planning committee and the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. Dr. Holcomb is a member of the editorial advisory board of Pharmaceutical Executive and has lectured on healthcare strategy at Kellogg (Northwestern), Columbia and Fuqua (Duke) business schools. Dr. Holcomb received a BS in chemistry from Stanford University and a PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and previously worked as an R&D chemist at Ciba-Geigy and Syntex Pharmaceuticals.
John LaMattina, PhD
Independent Non-Executive Director
John LaMattina, PhD, is an independent non-executive director at PureTech and has served as a member of the board of directors since 2009. Dr. LaMattina was previously president of Pfizer Global Research and Development and held positions of increasing responsibility during his 30-year career at Pfizer, including vice president of...MORE
John LaMattina, PhD
Independent Non-Executive Director
John LaMattina, PhD, is an independent non-executive director at PureTech and has served as a member of the board of directors since 2009. Dr. LaMattina was previously president of Pfizer Global Research and Development and held positions of increasing responsibility during his 30-year career at Pfizer, including vice president of US Discovery Operations in 1993, senior vice president of Worldwide Discovery Operations in 1998 and senior vice president of Worldwide Development in 1999. Dr. LaMattina serves on the board of directors of Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Zafgen, Inc., Immunome Inc. and Vedanta Biosciences, Inc. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Frequency Therapeutics and is a trustee associate of Boston College.
During Dr. LaMattina’s leadership tenure, Pfizer discovered and/or developed a number of important new medicines including Tarceva, Chantix, Zoloft, Selzentry and Lyrica, along with a number of other medicines currently in late stage development for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and pain. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and US patents. In addition, Dr. LaMattina is the author of Devalued and Distrusted: Can the Pharmaceutical Industry Restore Its Broken Image, Drug Truths: Dispelling the Myths About Pharma R&D, and an author of the Drug Truths blog at Forbes.com. Dr. LaMattina was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire in 2007 and in 2010 was the recipient of the American Chemical Society’s Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management. Dr. LaMattina received a BS in chemistry from Boston College in 1971 and received a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire in 1975. He then moved on to Princeton University as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor E. C. Taylor.
Robert Langer, ScD
Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director
Robert S. Langer, ScD, is a co-founder, member of PureTech’s R&D Committee and has served as a member of the board of directors since the Company’s founding. He has served as the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT since 2005. He is one of 12 institute professors, which is...MORE
Robert Langer, ScD
Co-Founder & Non-Executive Director
Robert S. Langer, ScD, is a co-founder, member of PureTech’s R&D Committee and has served as a member of the board of directors since the Company’s founding. He has served as the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT since 2005. He is one of 12 institute professors, which is the highest honor that can be awarded to a faculty member at MIT. He served as a member of the FDA’s Science Board, the FDA’s highest advisory board, from 1995 to 2002 and as its chairman from 1999 to 2002. Dr. Langer serves on the board of directors of Frequency Therapeutics, Inc., Abpro Korea, Entrega, Inc. and Moderna, Inc. Dr. Langer has written more than 1,500 articles. He also has over 1,350 issued and pending patents worldwide. Dr. Langer’s patents have been licensed or sublicensed to over 400 pharmaceutical, chemical, biotechnology and medical device companies. He is the most cited engineer in history (h-index 272 with over 300,000 citations according to Google Scholar).
Dr. Langer has received over 220 major awards. He is one of four living individuals to have received both the 2006 United States National Medal of Science, the Charles Stark Draper Prize in 2002, considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for engineers, and the 2012 Priestley Medal, the highest award of the American Chemical Society. He is also the only engineer to ever receive the Gairdner Foundation International Award. Dr. Langer has received the Dickson Prize for Science, Heinz Award, the Harvey Prize, the John Fritz Award (given previously to inventors such as Thomas Edison and Orville Wright), the General Motors Kettering Prize for Cancer Research, the Dan David Prize in Materials Science, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the largest prize in the US for medical research, and the Lemelson-MIT prize, the world’s largest prize for invention, for being “one of history’s most prolific inventors in medicine.” In 2006, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 2015, Dr. Langer received the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. He received his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in 1970 and his ScD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974, both in chemical engineering.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Independent Non-Executive Director
Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is an independent non-executive director at PureTech. She is a pioneering biotech entrepreneur, a healthcare visionary, a global influencer and a passionate philanthropist. She is a pioneer of India’s biotech industry and founder of Biocon. Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw holds key positions in various industry, educational, government and professional...MORE
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
Independent Non-Executive Director
Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is an independent non-executive director at PureTech. She is a pioneering biotech entrepreneur, a healthcare visionary, a global influencer and a passionate philanthropist. She is a pioneer of India’s biotech industry and founder of Biocon.
Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw holds key positions in various industry, educational, government and professional bodies globally. She has been elected as a full-term member of the board of trustees of The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. She has been elected as a member of the prestigious USA based National Academy of Engineering (NAE).
She also serves as the lead independent member of the board of Infosys Ltd and non-executive director on the board of Narayana Health.
Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw is the proud recipient of two of India's highest civilian honors, the Padma Shri (1989) and the Padma Bhushan (2005). She was also honored with the Order of Australia, Australia’s highest civilian honor in January 2020. In 2016, she was conferred with the highest French distinction - Knight of the Legion of Honour.
She has recently been named as the winner of EY World Entrepreneur of the Year™ 2020 Award, which is a testimony to her entrepreneurial journey of over four decades. She has been ranked as one of the world’s top 20 inspirational leaders in the field of biopharmaceuticals by The Medicine Maker Power List 2020. She is the proud recipient Othmer Gold Medal 2014 from the U.S.-based Chemical Heritage Foundation for her pioneering efforts in biotechnology.
Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw holds a bachelor’s degree in science (Zoology Hons.) from Bangalore University and has earned a master’s degree in malting and brewing from Ballarat College, Melbourne University. She has been awarded with several honorary degrees from the Universities of repute globally.
Ms. Mazumdar-Shaw believes in compassionate capitalism and is the first woman business leader from India to sign the Giving Pledge, an initiative of the Gates Foundation, committing to give the majority of her wealth to philanthropic causes.
She is very passionate about innovation and mentors many science-based start-ups.
H. Robert Horvitz, PhD
Board Observer, R&D Committee Chair
H. Robert Horvitz, PhD, is a board observer and chair of the R&D Committee at PureTech. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and is the David H Koch Professor of Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, neurobiologist (Neurology) at...MORE
H. Robert Horvitz, PhD
Board Observer, R&D Committee Chair
H. Robert Horvitz, PhD, is a board observer and chair of the R&D Committee at PureTech. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and is the David H Koch Professor of Biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, neurobiologist (Neurology) at Massachusetts General Hospital, a member of the MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research and the MIT Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. He is cofounder of multiple life science companies, including Epizyme (EPZM), Mitobridge (acquired by Astellas) and Idun Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pfizer) and was a member of the scientific advisory board of the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.
Dr. Horvitz is a former member of the board of trustees of the Massachusetts General Hospital. He previously served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Society for Science and the Public and as president of the Genetics Society of America. Dr. Horvitz is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Medicine and the American Philosophical Society and is a foreign member of the Royal Society of London. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Dr. Horvitz received the US National Academies of Science Award in Molecular Biology; the Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievements in Health; the Ciba-Drew Award for Biomedical Science; the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize; the Gairdner Foundation International Award; the March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology; the Genetics Society of America Medal; the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience; the Wiley Prize in the Biomedical Sciences; the Peter Gruber Foundation Genetics Prize; the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor; the Alfred G. Knudson Award of the National Cancer Institute; and the UK Genetics Society Mendel Medal. He has received honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Rome, Cambridge University, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Miami.
Daphne Zohar
Senior Advisor & Board Observer
Daphne Zohar is the founder and chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Seaport Therapeutics. Previously, she was the founder, chief executive officer and a Board Member of PureTech Health (Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) where she also co-founded PureTech’s entities, including Karuna Therapeutics (acquired by...MORE
Daphne Zohar
Senior Advisor & Board Observer
Daphne Zohar is the founder and chief executive officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Seaport Therapeutics. Previously, she was the founder, chief executive officer and a Board Member of PureTech Health (Nasdaq: PRTC, LSE: PRTC) where she also co-founded PureTech’s entities, including Karuna Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb). A successful entrepreneur, Ms. Zohar created PureTech, assembling a leading team to help implement her vision for the company, and was a key driver in fundraising, business development and establishing the underlying programs and platforms that have resulted in PureTech’s productive R & D engine, which led to 28 new medicines being advanced via the company’s Wholly Owned Pipeline and Founded Entities, including two that received both U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance and European marketing authorization and a third (KarXT) that has been filed for FDA approval. PureTech’s track record of clinical success is approximately 6 times better than the industry average and 80 percent of the clinical studies run by PureTech and its Founded Entities have been successful. Ms. Zohar has been recognized as a top leader and innovator in biotechnology by a number of sources, including EY, Fierce Pharma, BioWorld, MIT Technology Review, The Boston Globe and Scientific American. She serves on the BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization) Board Executive Committee as well as the Health Section Committee and is co-chair of the Strategy and Policy Committee of the board. Ms. Zohar is a member of the Duke-Margolis Center Policy Roundtable on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Health Affairs IRA Observatory. She is also a co-founder and host of the Biotech Hangout podcast, a weekly discussion of biotech news with a group of industry leaders and experts.