XenoGesis has appointed Dr Rachel Hemsley as global head of business development in a drive to support its ambitious growth plans.
The Nottingham-based biotechnology company is the UK’s largest independent laboratory-based contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in preclinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) – enabling it to provide expert interpretation of a drug’s behaviour in a human patient at an early stage of its development.
Dr Hemsley will be tasked with identifying and managing a portfolio of potential new clients, ranging from small biotechs and virtual CROs, to pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies.
The role will see Dr Hemsley building strong and trusted relationships with these new clients and working closely with the team at XenoGesis.
Dr Hemsley was previously the Senior Business Manager at UCL Business plc and has 12 years’ experience in business development involving early stage technology development, securing investment funding, licensing early stage healthcare technology and setting up new companies. Her experience spans across stem cell therapies, gene therapies, diagnostics and medical devices.
She was also a director of an ocular gene therapy company, Athena Vision Ltd.
Prior to this she worked in senior roles at the University of Leicester, including Intellectual Property Manager and Research and Business Development Officer.
Dr Hemsley completed her PhD in Protein Biochemistry at the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, researching the protein phosphorylation cascades and cell signalling.
She has since spent six years of post-doctoral research at John Innes Centre, Europe’s largest agricultural research facility.
Dr Hemsley said: “This is an exciting opportunity for me to work with a dynamic, ambitious and fast-growing contract research organisation. Its enviable reputation in preclinical DMPK and its consultative approach to working with clients is hugely attractive to me. I am looking forward to bringing my experience and extensive network of contacts into the mix at XenoGesis, and to playing a key role in the business’ next stage of growth.”
Dr Richard Weaver, Founder and Managing Director of XenoGesis said: “We are delighted to welcome Rachel to the team. Her appointment supports our growth strategy both in the UK and internationally. Now in our sixth year, we have grown year on year and are now in the position to step up our business development to open up new opportunities.”
Xenogesis was launched in November 2011 at BioCity Nottingham with three staff. Strong year on year growth has led to XenoGesis growing to a team of 25 employees. The team comprises highly experienced scientific staff, all with Big Pharma or CRO backgrounds. This expertise and growth has allowed the company to become the UK’s largest independent laboratory-based contract research organisation (CRO) specialising in preclinical drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK), quantitative bioanalysis, in vitro pharmacology and expert interpretation, and now offers bespoke services to more than 100 companies across the globe.
To find out more about XenoGesis, please click here.