International Investor Summit

Katherine Andersen

Head of Life Sciences & Healthcare, Innovation Banking, HSBC Innovation Banking

Katherine joined HSBC in April 2023 as a US Founding Executive and to lead Life Science & Healthcare for HSBC Innovation Banking. Prior to HSBC, Katherine spent 8 years at SVB Financial Group serving in an Executive leadership position as the US Head of Life Science & Healthcare, including Head of US Healthcare Corporate Banking, Head of US Healthcare Sponsor Finance, Head of US Relationship Banking, and the Executive Sponsor for Institutionally Distributed Leveraged Finance (launched in 2022 alongside SVB Securities).  Katherine’s team managed ~4,200 clients in the US and ~$80B in deposits and investments, amounting to a 75% market share. During this time, Katherine also served on the Board of Directors for SPD Silicon Valley Bank, SVB Financial Group’s Joint Venture headquartered in China.

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Kate Bingham

Managing Partner, SV Health Investors

Kate co-leads SV’s biotech franchise which has a long history of building high value, successful new companies developing transformational new medicines and bringing drugs from discovery to market.

Kate’s investments, many of which are examples of SV’s company creation approach to biotech investing, include a wide range of drug discovery and development companies focused on different clinical areas in companies in the UK, EU and US.

Over the course of the firm's >30 year history, SV investments have led to the launch of 30 novel drugs including 6 first in class therapeutics. Many of these investments were led by Kate.

In 2021 Kate was awarded a DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services as Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, where she led a team of world-class experts with the shared purposed of finding and manufacturing COVID-19 vaccines.

Outside of SV, Kate serves on the Board of the Francis Crick Institute and ARIA. At weekends Kate spends time in Wales where she rides horses and mountain bikes, grows vegetables and competes in bog snorkelling competitions.

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Leandros Kalisperas

Chief Investment Officer, British Business Bank

Leandros Kalisperas is the Chief Investment Officer of the British Business Bank.  Prior to that, he was Chief Investment Officer of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund (WYPF), based in Bradford, leading an in-house investment office managing £20bn of assets across public, private and alternatives markets for its more than 300,000 members.

Before joining WYPF, Leandros was Head of Portfolio Solutions at abrdn, based in London, responsible for asset allocation, implementation and ongoing portfolio management of customised, complex mandates for a range of institutional clients. Prior to that, Leandros spent six years at the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) in several senior investment roles supporting the development of USS’s regulated in-house investment office following the global financial crisis.

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Dan Mahony

Life Science Envoy, Office for Life Sciences

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. 

In November 2024, he was reappointed as the UK Government Life Sciences Investment Envoy and will continue in that role in 2026. As the immediate past Chair, Dan will continue to sit on the BIA Board for one final year.  

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Chris McDonald

Minister for Science, Innovation and Investment, Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)

Chris McDonald MP was appointed Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) on 11 September 2025. His responsibilities include advanced manufacturing, chemicals and plastics, infrastructure, green jobs and skills,green growth sectors and industrial decarbonisation. He was elected as the MP for Stockton North in July 2024. 

Chris studied Chemical Engineering at Cambridge, graduating with BA and MEng degrees. He also completed an MBA at the University of Warwick. Before becoming an MP, Chris spent 20 years working in the steel industry, with a focus on research. In 2008, he became a laboratory manager within the research division of Tata Steel. In 2014 he led the divestment of the Materials Processing Institute from Tata Steel UK, becoming CEO. Chris is also a Fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering. 

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Robbie McLaren

Partner, Vice Chair of Healthcare & Life Sciences, Latham & Watkins

Robbie McLaren, Global Vice Chair of the firm’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group, advises healthcare, technology, and life sciences companies across the full corporate life cycle.

Robbie leverages extensive experience on all sides of a transaction to represent market innovators in:

• Cross-border mergers and acquisitions
• Private equity
• Joint ventures
• Equity fundraisings
• Public company representation
• Carve-outs
• Asset swaps 

A recognized leader within the firm, he previously served as Co-Chair of the London Corporate Department.

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Avi Spier

Executive Director, Search & Evaluation, Novartis

Dr. Spier has over 19 years of experience at Novartis, having joined the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation as its Head of Business Development in 2004. In 2012, Avi moved into Novartis BD&L where he is now Executive Director and Head of Search and Evaluation activities for a range of therapeutic areas and disciplines.
Having trained as a postdoc at The Scripps Research Institute in California, in 2001, Avi co-founded La Jolla based Allon Therapeutics, Inc. There he led the peptide therapeutic neurodegenerative disease focused company as its President and CEO through two financing rounds and up to its entry onto the Toronto Stock Exchange.

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Otello Stampacchia

Managing Director, Omega Funds

Otello is a pioneering leader in life sciences investment with over two decades of experience driving transformative advancements in healthcare. He founded Omega Funds in 2004, and currently leads the firm’s investor relations and strategic initiatives. He is a member of the firm’s investment committee and is also heavily involved in several of Omega’s therapeutic areas of interest, particularly oncology and inflammatory disorders.

Previously, Otello oversaw life sciences direct investments as well as diligence for healthcare venture fund of fund investments at AlpInvest Partners, one of the largest private equity asset managers worldwide.

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