Epilepsy Society

Board Trustee

LifeArc

Accountable for setting LifeArc’s portfolio strategy in line with charitable objectives and delivering the portfolio through effective project leadership and management. Develop and lead the Translational Challenges as a core element of strategy; these programmes accelerate healthcare innovation by transforming promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients. They consider the entire patient pathway – from diagnosis through to treatment and lifestyle support in complex areas of healthcare need. LifeArc provides translational insight, spanning our core offerings of science, funding and advice and connect these collective strengths and resources with the expertise, capabilities and funding of other life sciences partners to catalyse the translation of innovation.

Chief Project and Portfolio Officer

Accountable for LifeArc’s Translational Challenges to accelerate healthcare innovation by transforming promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients.

Head of Translational Challenges

Accountable for ensuring effective governance, processes, systems and resource are applied across the entire company including our scientific research programmes, IT improvements, strategic and infrastructure, together with those utilising LifeArc’s offerings of advice and funds.
Developing and implementing strategy, translating LifeArc’s strategic ambitions into well-crafted and achievable operational plans, managing the portfolios, ensuring focus on the highest-level company priorities. Leading major change initiatives to support integration of emerging technologies and adapting operating model design for delivery and agility.

Head of Corporate and Portfolio Project Management

Accountable for building and maintaining productive collaborative relationships with major research partners. Managing the Tech Transfer of antibody technology platforms into LifeArc (transgenic mice, B cell sorting and screening, and in silico bioinformatics for candidate selection) ensuring all facilities, equipment and resources in place to optimise use for therapeutic discovery.

Consultant, Alliance Manager

KQ Labs

Accelerator programme run by the Francis Crick Institute, supporting innovative early-stage data-driven health start-ups to validate their ideas and put their exciting companies on the path to receive further investment.

Governance Board Member

PIPMG

The aim of PIPMG is to support development of the Project Management profession in the global pharmaceutical, biotech and associated industries by:
1. Encouraging recognition of the key role of project management in the industry
2. Enabling learning and sharing of best practices in portfolio, programme and project management
3. Providing Training, Coaching and Continual Professional Development
4. Providing a forum for communication and information exchange between members
5. Introduction, participation in and support of initiatives intended to improve the practice of project management internationally

Executive Committee Member

BTG plc

Global Head of Immuno-Oncology 
Accountable for the strategic direction and commercial success of our Immuno-Oncology platform, managing collaborative partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies, leading research institutions and societies. 
Lead a broad portfolio of pre-clinical and clinical research projects investigating the ability of our interventional oncology therapies (selective internal radiation, ablation solutions, embolics) to drive immune responses, both alone and in combination with immunotherapeutics (check point inhibitors, next generation immunotherapies).

VP Immuno-Oncology

Head of Global Project Management organisation  
Managed R&D governance process, annual portfolio review, and business analytics to track and improve performance, prioritising budget and resource on a risk-balanced pipeline of R&D projects that maximise business value.

VP Project Management

Head of Global Project Management organisation 
Line management of a global team (US, EU, APAC), set project management vision and strategy, ensuring effective project management resource, processes and systems applied across the business, with high standards for delivery.

Group Manager of Project Management

Clinical lead of multiple out-sourced clinical trials with small molecules, peptides, biologics and medical devices (spanning Phase I, II, III and IV).

Clinical Development Executive

Merck

Directed exploratory neuroscience research project teams, selecting multiple candidates for clinical development using pre-clinical models.

Research Manager

Directed learning and memory disorder program, heading GABA α5 inverse agonist pre-clinical research project for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Project Director

Headed an exploratory research team of technical personnel running electrophysiological assays for Neuroscience disorders (CHO cell lines, Xenopus oocytes, mouse brain slices) for structure-activity relationship assessment of novel small molecules and drug candidate prioritisation.

Team Leader

Conducted exploratory research, characterising the pharmacology of tachykinin receptors in the brain (nucleus tractus solitarius, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex).

Senior Research Biologist

Karen Skinner is Chief Project & Portfolio Officer at the medical research organisation, LifeArc with accountability for their portfolio of Translational Challenges. These ambitious programmes focus primarily on Rare Disease (including ultra-rare diseases, MND and rare dementias, rare respiratory conditions and childhood cancer), and Global Health. In addition to her role at LifeArc, Karen is a Board Trustee of the Epilepsy Society and member of PIPMG Executive team. 

She has over 30 years of experience within the life sciences industry, having held numerous leadership roles in blue chip big pharma, specialty pharma, biotech and nonprofit organisations. 
She is passionate about biomedical science and technology, applying that knowledge to create innovative products that make a real difference for patients. She believes that collaboration is the key to accelerate the progress of scientific discoveries to create medical breakthroughs that transform the lives of those living with disease. 

Life Sciences | Director | Transformational Leader | Portfolio Management | Keynote Speaker

Karen Skinner

Lunar PLPM LTD

Helping small biotech ready assets for entry into clinic by assessing IND-readiness and planning clinical activities. 
Working as head of Project Management for another small biotech, to manage the transition to clinic.  

Recently completed assignment as Interim-Head of PMO for a life sciences charity

Director

Abcam

Vice President, Innovation Programme management

VP, Antibody Development Platforms (interim)

Vice president, Research area strategy (maternity cover)

GW Pharmaceuticals

Work to establish individual development program approaches and an overall pipeline portfolio approach for selected assets.

Head of Pipeline Programs

An advisor to companies in the life sciences industry.
Focus on drug development strategies and implementation as well as operational/organizational efficiency. Provide expertise in development program leadership and management. Also, work with companies serving this industry to help craft their product offerings.

April - August 2015. Worked with a start up company to establish the development strategies for their compounds and the third party relationships that would be needed to implement those strategies 

January - December 2014.  Interim manger creating and leading the Program Management function at a small specialty pharma company.  Created all needed roles, processes and tools; led a team including program management, coordination and controlling; ran two ongoing development programs - one in registration and one a late phase development partnership with a start-up oncology company; managed select outsourced development service providers; delivered project management training broadly across the organization. Position reports directly to the CEO.

Independent Consultant/Interim Manager

Merck Serono

Create and Lead a team of program leaders, project managers and project coordinators focused on the delivery of the full portfolio of development programs in biosimilars.  Work to create a "virtual" development organization, securing needed expertise from within the broader Merck Serono organization or externally

Vice President, Head of Development Programs, Biosimilars

Led the Global Program Team for cladribine from the receipt of questions from the EMA/FDA to the decision to discontinue the program

Global product team leader

Led the assessment of all development programs within the assigned therapeutic areas

Head Portfolio Management Neuro & AIID

Led the assessment of all development projects within the neurodegenerative and autoimmune therapeutic areas

Director, Portfolio Management

Serono

Ensured all clinical portfolio management activities are correctly carried out: budget and resource management; monthly study status review; process improvement initiatives; performance management

Director, Clinical Portfolio Optimisation

Towers perrin

Scoped and structured projects; conducted client and customer interviews; led external research; developed organizational and strategic findings and recommendations for client

Managing Consultant

Neuberger and Berman

Portfolio Adminstrator

A product development professional with almost 20 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.  Extensive experience leading and managing teams.  Expert problem solver, brining greater efficiency and cost effectiveness to drug development. Experience across multiple therapeutic areas, notably oncology, neurology and auto-immune diseases.  Driven with a strong results orientation.  
Drug development for both NCEs/NBEs and Biosimilars.  Skills include project management, program leadership, team leadership, line management, organization & process design/implementation, budget and resource management.

taplio

The Battle

Karen Skinner

Deirdre Flaherty

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