Board of Directors

Staph Leavenworth Bakali most recently served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President of George Health Enterprises, the commercial arm of The George Institute for Global Health, a leading medical research institute. In this role, he was deeply involved in establishing and growing a portfolio of companies focused on providing market-disruptive treatments, technologies, devices, and services addressing the large and fast-growing global chronic disease market. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), a non-profit organization founded by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Staph held several senior leadership roles in the vaccine industry, including CEO and Director of vaccine development companies Genocea Biosciences and Intercell, respectively. He served as Chief Operating Officer at ID Biomedical and PowderJect Pharmaceuticals, which were acquired by GlaxoSmithKline and Chiron, respectively. He served as the Global Commercial Head of Sales for Chiron’s global vaccine business and the Director of SmithKline Beecham’s vaccine business unit in France. Staph holds a Masters in Management from the London Business School.

Philippe has 20 years of experience in the life science industry, including pharma, biotech and med-tech companies. Most recently, he was Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of GlycoVaxyn for seven years. GlycoVaxyn was acquired by GSK in February 2015. From 2004 to 2007, he was chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EndoArt SA, a med-tech company developing telemetric-driven implants for cardiac diseases and obesity. Endoart was sold to Allergan, Inc. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Dro was Chief Operating Officer and part of the founding team of Axovan AG. In this GPCR-focused drug discovery company, he helped to grow the company to become a clinical-stage entity, which was ultimately acquired by Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Prior to this, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer, and he was also a member of the Board of Directors of Antares Pharma, a drug delivery company formed by the merger of Permatec Group and Mediject. He also held Executive Director positions at SkyePharma PLC during its listing on the LSE and in finance at Sandoz Pharma AG (now Novartis AG). Philippe holds a PharmD from the University of Grenoble (France) and an MBA jointly from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Lyon (France) and Cranfield School of Management (UK).

Franz joined LimmaTech as Chief Executive Officer in August 2023. He has held roles of increasing complexity and responsibility in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years. Most recently, he was the CEO at NASDAQ-listed CureVac SE following his tenures as Chief Corporate Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Before, Franz held the position of Vice President of Operations and Chief Compliance Officer of SYGNIS Pharma AG, where he was responsible for M&A, capital market transactions and corporate development. In the past, he held several management positions in the life sciences industry, including Vice President and General Counsel of LION Bioscience and General Counsel of Sirona Dental Systems. He holds a Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree and studied at the University of Saarbruecken, the Catholic University of Leuven, and the University of Edinburgh.

Dr. Zina Affas Besse is a seasoned professional with a 25-year career in healthcare investments and operations. She joined AXA IM Alts, a global leader in alternative investments, in 2022 as Deputy Head of Healthcare Private Equity, having previously served in an advisory capacity since April 2020. In addition to her role at AXA IM Alts, Zina has held board positions in esteemed companies, such as Eyenuk, Biolinq, Axena Health, and Alydia Health (acquired by Organon, NYSE: OGN). Her strategic acumen has played a key role in driving growth and success within the healthcare sector. Prior to her tenure at AXA IM Alts, Zina held the position of Chief Business Officer at Novintum Bioscience, a company specializing in small-molecule cancer drug development. Her career has included significant contributions to various healthcare companies, particularly in fundraising and business development. In the field of venture capital, Zina co-founded Orion Healthcare Equity Partners, a life-sciences venture-capital startup, where she played a central role in fundraising, investment sourcing, and structuring. Her six-year term as a Principal at Atlas Venture, starting in 2002, was focused on biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors globally, covering deal-making activities. Zina began her career in law at Shook Hardy & Bacon, later transitioning to roles with Euromedica and eventually entering venture capital with Atlas Venture. She has a wealth of experience working closely with biotech startups, contributing her expertise to drug development across multiple therapeutic areas. Her educational background includes a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and pharmacy degrees from The University of Nottingham.