Chizuko Koseki PhD Managing Director

Chizuko is a co-founder and director of transB Ltd. She was also a director of Stelic Institute & Co, a Tokyo-based privately owned Japanese biotech company until Nov 2008. Prior to founding transB Ltd, she served as Vice President of Sosei Co Ltd (MOTHERS: 4565) based in its UK operation for 8 years. She played a major role in establishing its unique business model, drug reprofiling platform (DRP). Prior to joining Sosei, she was working based in the UK as a consultant for various Japanese healthcare companies. Formerly, she held various positions as a researcher including section chief in National Cardiovascular Research Institute (Japan), a visiting scientist in Columbia and Florida Universities (USA), and an associate professor in the University of Tokyo (Japan). Chizuko holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Tokyo.

Maki Aoyama Consultant

Maki currently takes on a number of projects with transB and at the same time advises a number of pharma, biotech and medtech companies with the London Technology Network (LTN). Prior to joining transB and LTN, Maki was Project Manager at the UK operation of Sosei Co Ltd, where she was involved in drug reprofiling and research alliance management. She has also worked in Tokyo for a number of companies including Pfizer and the Japan Management Association. Maki was born in Japan and was educated in Europe and so is fully bilingual and bicultural. Maki obtained her MSc in Pharmacology and BA in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, with subsequent training received from the London Business School.

Nick Heightman Senior Advisor

During a 44 year career in the international R&D based pharmaceutical industry Nick Heightman has held senior marketing and general management jobs at PLC and subsidiary Board level with the responsibilities of Director/Vice-president. He has worked with Sosei Group Ltd, Vanguard Medica (now Vernalis), Glaxo Wellcome, The Wellcome Foundation, SmithKline Beecham and Beecham Pharmaceuticals. He has had global marketing responsibility during the launch phase for some of the largest selling brands in the prescription medicines area, for example the antibiotic Augmentin, for which he was the original global product manager. Other brands include Retrovir, Relafen, Seroxat, Kytril, Wellferon/Sumiferon and the monoclonal antibody, Panorex. Nick’s last full time post was as Executive Director of Vernalis Ltd responsible for Product Commercialisation. He led the team responsible for implementing Vernalis activities relating to the commercial launch of its first product, the migraine treatment frovatriptan. He retired in June 2001 but continues to work as an adviser with his wife Susan in their partnership Heightman Advice & Training Services (HATS).

Chris Redhead PhD Senior Advisor

Chris is a founding partner of Code Securities (2003) which was sold to Nomura Securities in 2005. He has 10 years’ experience providing equity research on leading UK and European small and midcap biopharmaceutical companies and diagnostic companies. Chris has latterly developed additional expertise and coverage of biologically-based clean technologies, including next generation agricultural technologies and biofuels. Chris played key roles in the securing mandates for an execution of over 10 IPOs/major fund raisings, as well as being instrumental in the closing of a number of M&A deals. He was previously with the Public Relation firm HCC de Facto. Before that he spent ten years as a research scientist with various academic institutions in the US, Japan and latterly the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Chris holds a PhD in Physiology from King’s College, London.