- Europe’s first oncology drug discovery accelerator, HQ-ed in Edinburgh, appoints senior figures from biopharmaceutical industry
- Mohamed (Raz) Dewji, Chris Brinsmead CBE, Ian Waddell and Nicola Broughton will help guide Cumulus through next phase of dynamic growth
- Clare Wareing: “We are continuing to scale the business and are excited to attract support of such highly regarded figures in big pharma and biotech”
- Alan Wise: “Their proven expertise will enhance our ability to shortlist oncology assets for future spin-out opportunities and create value-adding deal structures”
EUROPE’s first oncology drug discovery accelerator, Edinburgh-headquartered Cumulus Oncology, has appointed a high profile advisory board, drawing four senior figures from the biopharmaceutical industry to help guide the company through its next phase of growth.
Mohamed (Raz) Dewji, Chris Brinsmead CBE, Ian Waddell and Nicola Broughton will advise Cumulus on further asset class acquisition and investment, with some taking executive, strategic or advisory roles in the spin-out companies created as part of the Cumulus business model.
Clare Wareing, CEO and Co-Founder at Cumulus, said: “We are continuing to scale the business and are excited to have attracted the support of so many highly regarded figures in big pharma and biotech. In Raz, Chris, Ian and Nicola, we have some of the UK’s leading figures in oncology drug development and commercialisation. Getting them on board furthers the global aspirations we have for Cumulus.”
Raz Dewji brings over 30 years of experience in the sector, having contributed to six oncology drug approvals and launches in senior roles with Pfizer, GSK, Novartis and AstraZeneca. Chris Brinsmead CBE is a council member at Imperial College and a former adviser to the UK government on life sciences. He previously held leadership roles at ICI and AstraZeneca. Ian Waddell is a former Director of Discovery Medicine at AstraZeneca, Head of Biology at Cancer Research UK and in 2017 joined Charles River Laboratories where he is now Chief Science Officer for Early Discovery. Nicola Broughton, co-founder and managing partner at Oskare Capital and a former Principal at Mercia Asset Management PLC, is an experienced life sciences investor, executive and non-executive director with strong expertise in identifying and nurturing university spin-outs.
Commenting on the appointments, Alan Wise, Chairman and Co-Founder at Cumulus, said: “The skill set the advisors bring will help focus the company’s growth and aspirations in the oncology drug discovery sectors in universities, biotech companies and drug discovery organisations. Their proven expertise will enhance our ability to shortlist oncology assets for future spin-out opportunities and create value-adding deal structures around these opportunities.”
In July this year, St Andrews-based investment firm Eos Advisory led a £1.7 million investment round in Cumulus. In September, Cumulus became a key founder of startup biotech company Modulus Oncology, a University of Sheffield spin-out focused on hard-to-treat cancers.
