Innovation and Entrepreneurship Senior Panel Discussion
#WESTpanel

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Join us for this flagship event to learn from seasoned senior leaders as they tell us about their inspiring journeys to success in the fast-paced world of science and technology. Hear what it takes to be truly innovative and entrepreneurial in a variety of highly competitive environments where collaboration and teamwork is essential.

Network with movers and shakers in the science and technology community and support career advancement of the next generation of women leaders in STEM!

Panelists:
 - Kristina Allikmets, VP, Head of R&D Patient Outreach & PD, Takeda
 - Alan Crane, Entrepreneur Partner, Polaris Partners
 - Ros Deegan, President and CBO, Bicycle Therapeutics, Inc.
 - Meredith Fisher, Partner, Partners Innovation Fund
 - Danielle Lauzon, Partner, Goodwin Law LLP
 - Adelene Perkins, Chair, President, and CEO, Infinity Pharmaceuticals  

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Panelist Bios

Kristina Allikmets works for Takeda R&D as Vice President, Head of TAK079 Group. She’s been with Takeda for six years holding different leadership roles in the R&D organization. Recently, she took on this new role as “chief executive” of a “spin-in” company within Takeda R&D, to take one of Takeda’s compounds through experimental phase of development following a new working model. She has broad experience in clinical drug development in different therapy areas (cardiology, respiratory, osteoporosis, immunology). In Takeda, she has also established the Takeda R&D Patient Outreach team and led it for several years, building the strategy and processes for how to engage patients during drug development and to ensure that the innovative medicines could make a meaningful difference to patients’ lives in the communities we serve around the world. Before joining Takeda, Kristina worked for eight years for Nycomed Pharma, serving as the Chief Medical Officer for several years. Kristina has an MD and PhD from University of Tartu, Estonia, she’s trained as cardiologist and internal medicine specialist and worked in academic clinical medicine for almost 15 years before joining pharmaceutical industry. She has strong international experience, having lived and worked in different European countries (Estonia, Russia, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland), she moved to the US in 2015 and is currently based in Boston, MA.

Alan Crane joined Polaris Partners in 2002 as an Entrepreneur Partner. In this role, he focuses on building and investing in healthcare companies. He has served as founder and/or has played a significant role as chairman and CEO in building seven Polaris companies including: Momenta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MNTA), Cerulean Pharma (acquired by Dare Bioscience, NASDAQ:DARE), Visterra, Navitor Pharmaceuticals, XTuit Pharmaceuticals, Arsia Therapeutics (acquired by Eagle Pharmaceuticals), and Pandion Therapeutics. In addition, he currently serves on the board of KSQ Therapeutics, Seventh Sense Biosystems and has previously represented Polaris on the boards of T2 Biosystems (NASDAQ: TTOO), Ocular Therapeutix (NASDAQ: OCUL), Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SIRT, acquired by Glaxo SmithKline) and Adnexus Therapeutics (Bristol Myers Squibb). From 2002 to 2006, Alan was President and CEO of Momenta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MNTA). He joined Momenta as the fifth employee and built it into a public company, creating an advanced and diversified pipeline, entering into two strategic collaborations with Novartis and raising $275 million. Prior to Polaris, Alan was Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Development at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for leading Millennium’s strategic partnering, mergers and acquisitions, and licensing activities, generating over $2B in partner funding and acquiring 19 development stage products. Alan received Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award for New England and is an Always-On Venture Capital 100 recipient. Alan earned a BA in Biology, summa cum laude, from Harvard College, an MA in Cellular and Developmental Biology from Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and an MBA, with honors, from Harvard Business School. Full Bio

Ros Deegan, MBA, is president and chief business officer of Bicycle Therapeutics Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Bicycle Therapeutics. Prior to joining Bicycle, Ros most recently served on the senior leadership team at Trevena, Inc. as senior vice president, business development and operations, and previously held the role of head of finance and operations. While at Trevena, she was responsible for start-up operations, negotiating a significant option and license agreement with Forest Laboratories, Inc., and leading finance and human resources through to the company’s first S-1 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. During her tenure, the company moved three programmes into the clinic, and raised over $200 million in private and public financings. Prior to joining Trevena, Ros served as director of business development at GSK in the U.S., leading transactions for the virtual immuno-inflammation group. Prior to that, she served as the director of operations for the Centre of Excellence for External Drug Discovery (CEEDD) and as marketing manager for GSK’s U.K. launch of Bonviva for post-menopausal osteoporosis and in business development. Ros holds a first-class degree from Cambridge University and received her MBA with distinction from INSEAD.

Meredith Fisher, Ph.D. is a Partner at the Partners Innovation Fund- the venture arm of Partners Healthcare System in Boston, MA. Previously, she was in the private office at Bracebridge Capital serving as Director of Private Investments where she led investments in early stage life science companies. Prior to that role she led business development for Ginkgo BioWorks- an MIT spin out- and was Senior Director of Technology and Business Development of Enlight Biosciences- a venture creation company founded by PureTech Ventures. She spent several years working as a scientist in drug discovery and assay development for Idenix Pharmaceuticals and Anadys Pharmaceuticals (formerly, Scriptgen). Meredith received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College, her MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and her PhD in molecular microbiology from Harvard University. 

Danielle Lauzon is a partner in Goodwin Procter LLP’s Technology Companies & Life Sciences Group. Danielle’s representation of start-up and later stage companies spans the entire corporate life cycle, including formation matters, general corporate representation and counseling, venture capital financings, public offerings and mergers and acquisitions. Her clients are in the life sciences, software and healthcare information technology services industries. Prior to joining Goodwin Procter in 2005, Danielle was an associate in the Business Practice Group at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault in Boston. Danielle is a member of the Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations. Danielle holds a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law (magna cum laude, Order of the Coif) and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Adelene Perkins serves as Infinity’s Chief Executive Officer and Infinity’s Chair, a position she has held since 2012. She was named CEO and elected to the Board of Directors in 2009. Before serving as CEO, Ms. Perkins served as Infinity’s President, a position she held since 2008. Ms. Perkins joined Infinity in June 2002 as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer. Ms. Perkins joined Infinity from TransForm Pharmaceuticals where she served as vice president of business and corporate development and an early member of the management team that built the company prior to its acquisition by J&J. Prior to TransForm, from 1992-1999, she was at Genetics Institute, now a unit of Pfizer, where she was vice president of emerging businesses and the cofounder and general manager of the DiscoverEase™ business unit. She also formed and served as chief executive officer of MetaMorphix, a joint venture between Genetics Institute and Johns Hopkins University.  She joined Genetics Institute in corporate and business development where she led corporate and product strategy initiatives. From 1985-1992, Ms. Perkins worked at Bain & Company, an international strategy consulting firm, where she provided strategic and operational advice to clients in the healthcare industry. Ms. Perkins received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and her B.S. in chemical engineering from Villanova University. In addition to chairing the Infinity (NASDAQ: INFI) Board, she is on the Boards of Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR), Massachusetts General Hospital, BIO (Biotechnology Industry Organization), the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, and is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Project Hope. She is a past member of the Boards of Padlock Therapeutics, prior to its acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and the Massachusetts Life Science Center.