LESANZ – Driving Innovation Concept to Commercialisation – Learn from the Best

The reality of transforming a concept into a profitable and marketable product can be a daunting process. LESANZ brings together three CEOs who have considerable collective experience in bringing product to the market and who will share their long-endured commercialisation journey along with what are some valuable lessons learnt along the way including IP protection strategy.
This seminar is for individuals or businesses who want to chase insight into real hurdles and issues faced during commercialisation.

Speakers:
Prof. Stephen Henry
Kode Biotech – CEO
Steve subscribes to the belief that commercialisation can be an integral partner to research because commercialised research outcomes are most likely to have utility and receive wide use.
In 1996 he formed the biotechnology company Kode Biotech to develop the biosurface modification technology he conceived from his background in blood group glycolipids. Together with his colleague Nicolai Bovin, the Kode™ Technology platform was designed, developed and reduced to practice. By 2010 Kode™ Technology protected by an extensive intellectual property rights portfolio is being used by an ever-expanding collaborative global research network, and generating revenue from more than 15 licensed products
In 2008 Steve was a New Zealand Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist and in 2011 the recipient of the Royal Society of New Zealand, R.J. Scott Medal for “work of great merit by a researcher in engineering science and technology”. In 2015 Kode Biotech won both the Heath and Sciences and the Supreme NZ Innovator of the Year awards. Steve has published or presented more than 190 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is an inventor on a 26 patent family portfolio of circa 180 national or regional phase applications.

Ben O’Brien
StretchSense – CEO
Dr. Ben O’Brien is the CEO of StretchSense and a pioneer in the wearable sensor industry. After co-founding StretchSense in 2012, Ben won the Prime Ministers MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize, and in 2015 he won the New Zealand Hi-Tech Young Achiever’s Award.
Ben is passionate about applying cutting edge research to commercial applications. He envisions a future of wearables that are so unobtrusive they are invisible to the user.
Twitter: @bensfamilyjokes @stretchsense

Dr. Brian Ward, MBA(dist)
Aroa Biosurgery – CEO
Aroa Biosurgery (Aroa) was founded in 2008, based on the regenerative properties of ruminant forestomach extracellular matrix technology initially investigated and developed by Dr Brian Ward. The company, which was formerly called Mesynthes, initially contracted scientists from Industrial Research Ltd to get started and then rapidly transitioned to its own internal development team to accelerate commercialisation. Endoform Dermal Template, Aroa’s first product for chronic non-healing wounds, was launched in the United States by Hollister Inc. in 2013 after obtaining FDA clearance and breakthrough reimbursement from the Centre for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Aroa’s first commercial surgical product, a Reinforced Bioscaffold developed in collaboration with Tela Bio Inc., was cleared by the FDA in December 2014 and clinical studies were initiated in the United States in May 2015 for use in ventral hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction.
Brian has held senior corporate roles in life sciences and health care companies over the last 20 years. He is a graduate from Massey University with a Bachelors degree in Veterinary Science, a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (UK), and holds a Masters degree in Business Administration. He has extensive management experience in life science companies spanning clinical, technical, sales, marketing, corporate development and strategy having worked for a number of multinationals including Baxter, Beecham and SmithKline Beecham throughout the world. He has managed investments into New Zealand technology companies for the Foundation for Research Science and Technology andserved as the founding CEO of NZBio.

To Book
The NZ Committee would like to return benefit to our LES members by offering you the opportunity to bring along one complimentary guest. Value $60! For name badge and catering purposes, your guest can be included at the time of your registration in the special field provided.

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