Executive Management Team
Nigel Atherton
Executive Vice-President R&D
Nigel Atherton has over 20 years experience in the healthcare area. Following his PhD Nigel worked in Clinical Pathology in the NHS until joining the pharmaceutical industry in 1989. He was Head of Clinical Pathology at Fisons until moving into Project Management in 1994. He has held a number of Project Management positions at Fisons, CIBA, Novartis and Shire during which time he also gained his MBA. Nigel joins ProStrakan from Shire where he was most recently Senior Vice President Strategic Planning and Portfolio Management. Nigel brings with him extensive development experience including successful US and European development and registrations, M&A, in-licensing and partnering experience and portfolio management.
Abid Karim
President of Global Commercial Operations
Abid Karim is President of Global Commercial Operations, and is responsible for the Group's sales and marketing operations across Europe and the United States. ProStrakan has businesses in most of the major territories in the EU and in the US. He has worked at ProStrakan for six years and prior to joining he held positions with: Novartis, Parke Davis and Astra in various commercial roles.
Andrew McLean
Company Secretary & General Counsel
After working for a city law firm, gaining valuable commercial experience in the pharmaceutical business for five years, Andrew McLean joined Shire Pharmaceuticals as Head of Legal Affairs, seeing this company through to its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in 1996. In 1996, he joined Recordati SpA as its International Business Lawyer. He joined ProStrakan in October 1997. He is a member of the ABPI's Legal Committee
Tom Stratford
Executive Vice-President Business Development
Tom Stratford is responsible for the licensing activities of the group. Since joining ProStrakan in 1997 he has previously held the posts of Discovery Director and Director of Business Development, based both in Boston MA and Scotland. Thomas has a PhD in Molecular Developmental Biology from Kings College, London. He has previously worked in research groups at Glaxo in Greenford and Ware and an academic placement at Tufts Medical School, Boston, US.
Allan Watson
Chief Financial Officer
Allan Watson joined ProStrakan as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in September 2009. Allan joined the Company from medical technology business, Optos plc, where he had been CFO since 2003. A pharmacy graduate, he has held a number of finance positions with companies both within and outside the healthcare sector since qualifying as an accountant.
Beth Tope
Executive Vice-President HR
Beth Tope is responsible for building a Human Resource function that supports the needs of ProStrakan's growing international business. An MBA graduate from the University of Edinburgh, Beth has worked in both the US and the UK. Beth has a solid background in leading HR within start-up organisations as well as playing key roles within a large, international business.
Peter Allen
Chairman & Acting Chief Executive
Peter Allen ACA was appointed Acting Chief Executive in September 2010, having been Non-Executive Chairman since December 2007. He was CFO and Deputy CEO of Celltech Group plc between 1992 and 2004. In addition to managing the company's flotation process in 1993, leading to a listing on the London Stock Exchange, Peter played a key role in several strategic acquisitions, including Chiroscience, Medeva and Oxford Glycosciences. In May 2004, Peter was a key participant in the sale of Celltech to UCB. Prior to this, he was Group Financial Controller of Associated British Ports Holdings plc and Financial Controller with L'Oreal (UK) Ltd. In April 2005, he was appointed CFO of Abacus Group plc, the quoted electronics distributor. Peter Allen is chairman of the Nomination Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee and the Audit Committee.
