Roy Austin BCom, CA
Chairman
Mr Austin is a consultant to investment banking firm Northington Partners in New Zealand. He brings considerable commercial depth to the LCT Board with over 25 years’ investment transaction experience across multiple sectors including healthcare and biotechnology. His experience includes capital raisings, mergers and acquisitions, IP commercialisation, venture capital and international business development.
Mr Austin is Chairman of New Zealand based Cure Kids, a child health research charitable trust and its commercial biotech venture capital fund, Cure Kids Ventures Limited.
He holds a number of other directorships in private companies has a BCom and is a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors and the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Mr Austin became the Acting Chairman of the Board following Dr Macdonald's resignation on 24 June 2011. He was elected Chairman on 20 July 2011.
He is the Chair of the Remuneration & Nomination committee and a member of the Audit Risk & Compliance committee.
He was appointed to the board on 25 February 2011.
Andrea Grant PhD, BA (Hons)
Managing Director
Dr Grant has over 15 years executive experience in pharmaceutical and biotech companies in Europe, USA and New Zealand. She has both a BA Hons in Biochemistry and a PhD in Neuroscience from Cambridge University in the UK. Following her PhD she joined the R&D division of GlaxoSmithKline (UK) where her she was responsible for research and development of novel drug targets for treatment of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s, epilepsy and Parkinson’s. In 1999, Andrea joined Incyte (Nasdaq:INCY) as Commercial Director, Northern Europe. Following this, Dr Grant served as Business Director and then Managing Director at biotechnology company Galapagos NV (Euronext:GLPG). In both her roles at Incyte and Galapagos Andrea was successful at securing numerous high value research and licensing partnerships with global pharmaceutical partners.
Andrea immigrated to New Zealand in 2005 and took up the post of General Manger, The Peoples Centre Trust a primary healthcare provider in central Auckland. She then joined Roche Products (NZ) as Public Policy Manager, where she was responsible for government relations and corporate communications. Andrea held Board positions at The Peoples Centre Trust and Youth Mentoring Trust. Hence, together with her overseas commercial and operational management exposure, Andrea brings significant leadership and governance experience in the Australian and New Zealand government, health and biotech sectors.
Andrea started as CEO on 16 January 2012.
Emeritus Professor Robert Elliott, MBBS, MD, FRACP
Director, Clinical Research and Innovation
Professor Elliott trained as a Paediatrician at Adelaide University. He moved to New Zealand in 1970 to become the Foundation Professor, Director of Paediatrics at The University of Auckland. Professor Elliott co founded LCT. He is an Emeritus Professor of Child Health Research and a world leader in diabetes and autoimmune related research.
In 1999 he was awarded a CNZM (a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit) for services to the community. In 2011 he was awarded the prestigious World Class New Zealander (Life Sciences) award.
He is on the board of Cure Kids, Wings Trust (a NZ trust for the treatment of alcohol and substance abuse) and patron of the NZ Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is a director of Breath Easy Limited, a New Zealand company that is developing a new treatment for cystic fibrosis.
He was appointed to the board on 15 January 2004.
Dr Bernie Tuch, BSc, MBBS (Hons), FRACP and Ph D
Independent Director
Dr Tuch is currently employed as a senior scientist with CSIRO Australia in a cell transplantation project. He was previously a Professor at the University of New South Wales, where he carried out extensive research in islet xenotransplantation over many decades. He is a director of Sydney Cell Therapy Foundation Pty Limited and is a Specialist Practitioner, Endocrinology, Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Sydney and is affiliated with universities in India and USA.
His experience includes capital raising to support his considerable research team and a large international scientific publication list. He has had previous scientific collaborations with LCT and knows the company’s direction intimately.
Dr Tuch is a member of the Remuneration & Nomination committee.
He was appointed to the board on 20 July 2011.
Laurie Hunter MA (Hons)
Independent Director
Mr Hunter has over 40 years’ experience as a stockbroker, investment banker and corporate investor in London, Paris and San Francisco. Laurie was a Member of The Stock Exchange, London, a partner at L. Messel and Co, London, a director of Shearson Lehman Hutton and founder of Hunter Capital. His recent focus has been on investing and providing strategic advice to developing companies.
Mr Hunter currently serves on a number of boards including Madagascar Oil Limited where he is chairman and CEO.
Mr Hunter is a member of the Audit Risk & Compliance and Remuneration & Nomination committees.
He was appointed to the board on 25 August 2006.
Robert Willcocks BA, LLM
Independent Director
Robert Willcocks is a senior executive with an extensive legal and business background working in particular with Australian listed public companies. He has Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the Australian National University and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Sydney. Mr Willcocks was a partner with the law firm Stephen Jaques & Stephen (now Mallesons Stephen Jaques) from 1980 until 1994, where he was a member of the Corporate Advisory Group with an emphasis on the mining and oil and gas sectors. As corporate adviser he has undertaken assignments in a range of industry sectors.
Mr Willcocks has been a director and Chairman of a number of Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) listed public companies. He is a director of ASX listed ARC Exploration Limited, and Hong Kong Stock Exchange listed APAC Resources Ltd. He is also chairman and director of Trilogy Funds Management Ltd, a Responsible Entity under Australian law.
Mr Willcocks is chairman of the Audit Risk & Compliance committee and a member of the Remuneration & Nomination committee.
He was appointed to the board on 29 March 2011.
Nick Geddes
Company Secretary
Nick is the principal of Australian Company Secretaries, a company secretarial practice that he formed in 1993. Nick is past President and past Board Chairman of Chartered Secretaries Australia and a former Chairman of the NSW Council of that Institute. His previous experience, as a Chartered Accountant and Company Secretary, includes investment banking and development and venture capital in Europe, Africa the Middle East and Asia. Qualifications: Chartered Accountant (Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries (Chartered Secretaries Australia).