Speakers

Diane Walsh Sasaki is an Executive Coach and Communications Consultant specializing in the Asia-Pacific region. Her systemic outlook developed through years of working in Asia motivates and inspires global teams to enhanced performance. Ms. Sasaki works with clients from all sectors including finance, pharmaceutical, engineering, and electronics industries. She provides solutions in key areas such as Leadership Development, Cultural Integration, and Executive Coaching. Ms. Sasaki began her career in advertising, working for Sony Corporation in Tokyo and New York. She has worked with multinational corporations in Japan to raise awareness of diversity and inclusion issues and to encourage the development of female leaders. In addition to her coaching practice, Ms. Sasaki consults on localization projects and delivers communication training to enable global teams to create synergy, not conflict. Originally from the United States, Ms. Sasaki has now spent more than half her life in Asia. She has lived in the U.S., Singapore and is now based in Tokyo. She trains and coaches bilingually in English and Japanese. Ms. Sasaki earned her MA in TESOL from Hunter College, City University of New York and her BA in Far East Asian Studies from Sophia University in Tokyo. She gained her coaching certification in 2006 and is a member of the steering committee of the ICF Japan Chapter. Ms. Sasaki is also an International Coordinator for the SIETAR Japan.

John designs all of his programs using principles derived from neurobiology, so your COMMUNICATION ​is as​ MIGHTY as YOUR IDEAS​. 

John Bates is a TED and TEDx speaker, Leadership Communications Executive Coach, Author, and Keynote Speaker. He is also one of the world's most prolific TED format coaches. Executives from organizations like Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS, NASA (including the Astronauts), US Navy Special Operations, GE Aviation, Boston Scientific, and more recommend him to their colleagues as the best leadership communications coach working today. He helps people leave their speaking anxiety behind, gain an excellent leadership presence and create trust, loyalty, and connection with all of their communication. 

As well,  John provides high-level pitch coaching for entrepreneurs, startups and organizations​. He is the official pitch coach for many prestigious groups, including Johnson & Johnson Innovations JLABS, The Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge, ION Houston Accelerator, Starburst Aerospace Accelerator, and more. He has assisted clients in winning million-dollar pitch competitions, raising millions in VC, winning millions in grant money, and more.

John designs all of his programs using principles derived from neurobiology, so your COMMUNICATION ​is as​ MIGHTY as YOUR IDEAS​.

President and Founder of Cadoret Global Inc., a RI-based GXP Quality and Compliance consulting firm that specializes in supporting virtual, early stage and small pharmaceuticals to successfully take their drug candidates through development and into clinical trials.

Dependable and versatile Quality Assurance professional with 15+ years of experience in the FDA and DEA regulated pharmaceutical field. 

Keen interest in supporting Early Phase pharmaceuticals throughout the drug development process resulting in FIH clinical trials. Enjoy working with CMC and CMO teams in ensuring phase-appropriate, quality operations that span from starting materials to the drug product and successful IND filings. Proven experience in taking drugs from development through validation, PAI, and commercialization.

Expertise encompasses cGMP auditing, domestic and international, of API & DP manufacturers, contract packagers/distributors, and contract laboratories, among others.

Passionate supporter and mentor of women and minorities in STEM and have volunteered for numerous programs throughout my career, including RIC’s STEM in the Middle, NCWIT’s Aspiration in Computing Awards, Boston’s Museum of Science Inspiring Minds, and MassChallenge Mexico.

Currently on the Board of the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) New England Chapter and a recent graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.

Open to exploring synergies, facilitating introductions, and mentoring young professionals.

Erskine Mar Consulting LLC offers clients personalized and dedicated services for regulatory strategy and development programs. Therapeutic areas of expertise include oncology, neurology, cardiovascular, nephrology, metabolism and endocrinology and gastroenterology. Erskine Mar Consulting LLC has extensive experience with small molecules, biologics, recombinant proteins, combination products and well as medical devices. Erskine Mar Consulting LLC can assist clients with all types of FDA meetings, whether it is a small, informational seminar to present your unique product to FDA in an informal setting or a large milestone PDUFA meeting where preparation and strategy are paramount. Whatever your regulatory needs are, Erskine Mar Consulting LLC can guide you along a knowledgeable and carefully planned path to success.

Tino Chow comes into branding with an unexpected background. As a former military officer in the Singapore army who went to art school, Tino discovered his niche by combining his experience in operations with creativity. He works with companies and startups leverage the power of brand strategy, design thinking, and design doing in order to maximize their position in their market. 

Before starting Giant Shoulders, Tino spent over a decade building creative cultures and collaborative teams with agencies in New York and startups in Silicon Valley. Tino holds a design degree from Rhode Island School of Design, where he is an Adjunct Professor. He frequently gives talks on branding and design thinking and is a TED Fellow.

Roy has over 20 years of computational drug discovery experience, including 10 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Connecticut, two years at Variagenics, a personalized medicine company formerly in Cambridge, MA, and 4 years at Schrodinger, Inc. where he was responsible for launching collaborative research projects with global pharmaceutical firms and top academic laboratories. Roy also previously served as Visiting Associate Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology where he lectured in drug discovery and biotechnology  entrepreneurship. Roy received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Boston University, and completed his post-doctoral studies at MIT.

Kristin King is an active Angel Investor on Boston Harbor Angels Management team.   She is currently Vice President, Corporate Development, M&A at Defibtech, a Nihon Kohden company. Kristin serves on the Board of Boston ENET, a past Vice Chair supporting the Boston ecosystem and a Yale University Entrepreneur-in-Residence since 2018.

With over 25 years’ leadership roles in corporate strategy, venture investment, commercial and technical development Kristin has championed healthcare innovation within both startups and Fortune 100 Global companies. Starting her career designing stents, a patent inventor for Johnson & Johnson’s drug eluting stent, and progressing through marketing, business and commercial leadership roles she has contributed to some of the world’s most meaningful programs at top healthcare firms including Ansell Healthcare, Becton Dickinson, Johnson & Johnson Cordis, Abbott Vascular, and Pfizer. 

Kristin has an MBA in Finance & Marketing from NYU Stern and BS in bioengineering and mathematics from Syracuse.

Over 35 years of experience including management, technical and operations, strategic planning, marketing, and business development. Current activities focus on advising and assisting US and off-shore medical technology organizations, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, in areas ranging from opportunity analysis, marketing strategy and market development, reimbursement strategies, business development, and financing. Prior to co-founding BMTA, David held senior management positions in a number of medical device companies and has founded, financed, and developed a number of healthcare companies.

M.Sc., Bio-Medical Engineering and M.B.A., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY.

Originally a French national, Dr. Joel A. Berniac has lived in the US for nearly 30 years. Over 24 years of experience in medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, and business development in Life Sciences (Pharma, Biotech, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, MedTech, and Digital Healh) enabled him to cultivate an extensive network of trusted personal, professional, and scientific contacts. Joel has a particular interest in innovation and expertise in scouting novel technologies for collaboration and alliance purposes, and in creating value as a scientific, strategic, and business development asset, especially to the benefit of early-stage innovative companies (including in Japan, South Korea, and Singapore).

Joel co-founded Akrivis Technologies, LLC in 2009, a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then InnoZoa, Inc. in 2018, focused on veterinary products and animal health. Prior to that, Joel became in 2008 Associate Director of Business Development at Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Boston, where he oversaw the company’s preclinical research portfolio and out-licensing activities for rheumatoid arthritis. In 2005, Joel earned a High-Tech M.B.A. from Northeastern University in Boston while rising to the position of Principal Scientist at Paratek where he had been involved since 2001 in the discovery of pre-clinical drug candidates for a variety of therapeutic areas such as antibacterial, malaria, multiple sclerosis (MS), and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neuromuscular genetic disease. Prior to that, Joel had started his career as a medicinal chemist in 1999 at Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Connecticut, where he was involved in the design and synthesis of preclinical drug candidates in the CNS (obesity) and diabetes therapeutic areas. Joel earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1999 from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, and his Engineering Degree in Organic Chemistry from ESCIL, a French Engineering School in Lyon, France (Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Industrielle de Lyon, now CPE Lyon).

Joel won in 2010 the Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YEi) Business Award, organized by the Office of Science and Technology of the French Embassy and Akrivis was a Silver Winner at MassChallenge in 2012. Akrivis has been awarded multiple SBIR contracts from the NCI in collaboration with top research institutes such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, MA) and Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO). Joel is also currently a volunteer Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France (CCEF, French Foreign Trade Advisor) and is fully fluent in French, English, Spanish, and French Creole, and is currently learning Japanese.

Gary assumes the role of an Operations Manager at LabCentral with an overarching objective: to foster an environment that serves as a potent catalyst for transformative growth, fueling scientific breakthroughs that can reshape the world. His responsibilities encompass the facilitation of daily operations, including resident onboarding, facility amenities, resident support, and forging value-enhancing connections.

With a bachelor's degree in Business Management earned from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Gary also brings nearly two decades of operations experience. By working collaboratively with innovators, he enables them to harness the full potential of LabCentral's resources, empowering them to push the boundaries of science and effect meaningful change.

Dr. Margulis has more than 25 years of science and business development experience in the Life Science industry and is currently a Chief Operating Officer at Mansfield Bio-Incubator, building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Southeastern Massachusetts. Trained as a cellular and molecular biologist, his accomplishments include 12 authored scientific papers and numerous abstracts. In business development, Dr. Margulis increased sales by 200% within two years in the US and Canada, placed the Capital Equipment instruments into world-class academic and biotech/pharma accounts in the Boston area, and created a life science entrepreneurial ecosystem at Mansfield Bio-Incubator from scratch. He was critical in securing $4M money ($2M from Massachusetts Life Science Center and $2M from a private foundation) for Mansfield Bio-Incubator's 15,000 square feet expansion, which was completed in Q1, 2022.

Rebecca Silberman is a Senior Associate on the Venture Team at RA Capital Management. Rebecca conducts due diligence on biotechnology companies at RA Capital. She has a BA in Biology from Colgate University and a Ph.D. in Biology from MIT.

Steve Weisner is the President & CEO of the Nihon Kohden Innovation Center. He has 25+ years of medical device experience at large companies: Hewlett-Packard Medical, Philips Medical, Draeger Medical, Nihon Kohden and at medical device startups: Reflectance Medical and Radianse. Steve has developed dozens of medical devices and has been responsible for business development, strategic planning, partnership management, clinical applications, product requirements, clinical trials, research, software/hardware engineering and regulatory medical device submissions. Steve is currently mentoring several medical device start-ups.

Yoshiharu Mizui founded Eisai Innovation, Inc. in 2019. Prior to that he was a global head of the BD/Strategy Department in Oncology Business Group at Eisai from 2016-2019. He was also a founding member of H3 Biomedicine and lead the oncology program from 2011-2016. He has more than 20 years of  experience as a discovery research biologist. He received his Ph.D. from Kyushu University.

"LabCentral is a Massachusetts non-profit company, founded in 2013 as a launchpad for high-potential life sciences and biotech start-ups. Operating over 225,000 sq. feet in Cambridge and on the Harvard University campus, LabCentral offers a network of fully permitted laboratory and office spaces for as many as 125 start-ups comprising approximately 1000 scientists and entrepreneurs. In addition, LabCentral is committed to creating a more sustainable and inclusive biotech system supporting developments in STEM, workforce training, and next generation entrepreneurship through its LabCentral Ignite initiative. LabCentral is also home to Gallery 1832 which engages the local community to celebrate artistic innovation."

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