People: Life sciences group appoints chief medical officer; British Business Bank welcomes new director; and more

Life sciences firm Avacta Group has appointed Dr Jose Saro as Chief Medical Officer.

The Wetherby-based firm, which develops Affimer biotherapeutics and reagents, announced that Dr Saro will lead its therapeutic development strategy and drive the in-house programmes into the clinic.

Dr Saro brings over 20 years’ experience in the pre-clinical, translational and early clinical development of oncology assets, spanning small molecules, biologics and drug conjugates.

Dr Saro joins Avacta from Roche where he held the role of Senior Translational Medicine Leader at the Roche Innovation Center Zurich, in which he focused on immuno-oncology and the development of combination products.

Prior to his position at Roche, Dr Saro was Executive Director Oncology Global Development and Medical Affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb, based in Paris, where he led and contributed to many oncology clinical development programmes.

Alastair Smith, Chief Executive of Avacta Group, siad: “I am delighted that Dr Jose Saro is joining Avacta to lead the therapeutic development strategy and to drive the in-house Affimer programmes into the clinic. His extensive experience in developing pre-clinical assets and translating those into clinical development will be an invaluable asset to Avacta.

“Jose joins Avacta at a hugely exciting time as we progress towards the first Affimer clinical studies, which is a significant value inflection point for both the technology and Group.  We very much look forward to working with Jose on our established programmes and on leveraging his knowledge to expand the pipeline of innovative and valuable immuno-oncology assets for the future.”

Dr Jose Saro added: “Due to their simple structure, Affimer proteins can be formatted to deliver the right characteristics required for the next generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics.

“There are many opportunities for such a platform technology, and the recent collaboration with Tufts University Medical School is one example of a potentially game changing approach that is possible with Affimers.  “I am very excited to be part of Avacta as it continues to develop such transformative approaches using the Affimer® platform, that I believe will be a huge benefit to many oncology patients who currently have limited therapeutic options.”

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The British Business Bank has appointed Geoff Whiteland to a new position as UK Network Director, North of England and the Midlands.

The government-owned economic development bank, headquartered in Sheffield, is establishing a UK Network with team members based within each of the English regions and the three Devolved Nations.

The UK Network will help enhance business finance ecosystems across the UK, so smaller businesses, wherever they are, can grow.

Whiteland and his team of five will represent the UK Network across the North of England and the Midlands and will engage with business finance stakeholders in these areas.

Whiteland joined the bank in 2015, initially working on the Help to Grow scheme before transitioning to become an Originations Director within Guarantee and Wholesale Solutions.

Prior to joining the bank, he spent 20 years working for UK banks in corporate, SME and structured finance roles.

Judith Hartley, Managing Director of UK Network, said: “I am delighted to welcome Geoff to the British Business Bank’s new UK Network, where he will be able to leverage his existing knowledge of the Bank and its programmes. Geoff is joining this newly-created team at an exciting stage in its development.

“I’m confident he will continue to enhance and build further our relationships with key SME access to finance stakeholders in the North of England and the Midlands to help identify and reduce imbalances in access to finance for smaller businesses across those regions.”

Whiteland added: “I am very happy to be joining the UK Network, and look forward to building on my existing relationships to promote lasting connections between the British Business Bank and the business finance ecosystem in the North and the Midlands.

“By enhancing these connections with local businesses, their advisors, funders and other intermediaries – as well as public and private partners – we will enable smaller businesses to seek the finance best suited to their needs.”

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Law firm Lupton Fawcett is continuing to expand its Sheffield office with the appointment of solicitor, Katie Hobson to its commercial property department.

She brings a wealth of experience to the role having previously worked in the legal departments of HSBC and Sheffield City Council.

Hobson has handled a variety of commercial property transactions such as landlord and tenant work, including drafting and negotiating leases and other associated property documentation. She has also been involved in the sale and purchase of commercial land and sites.

Hobson said: “I have worked in the city for a number of years in an in-house role and have always admired the level of expertise and sound advice provided by Lupton Fawcett. I was therefore delighted when an opportunity arose to join them and I am looking forward to working as part of the team.”

Julian Rowden, head of the Sheffield office’s commercial property department, added: “We continue to build an impressive team and the addition of Katie will enhance our reputation further in the region. She has an excellent all round legal knowledge of commercial property work and will further strengthen the department to meet the growing demand for our services.”

David Whitaker, who is the overall head of commercial property across Lupton Fawcett’s three offices, said: “The Sheffield office received praise from the Legal 500, once again, for the expertise of its individuals and teams.

“Making a strong contribution to its high ranking is the property team which continues to provide invaluable advice for clients. We are therefore pleased to welcome Katie, as the office continues to attract new clients.”

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Contrac Lighting, the Goole-based lighting provider, has announced the appointment of Mel Collins as Director.

As the firm’s new Commercial Director, she joins Anne, Kelvin and Graham on the board.

Collins has been a member of the Contrac team for twenty years this year, having joined in a junior admin role in 1998.

Anne Shone, Managing Director of Contrac, said: “I am really happy that Mel has agreed to take this step up within Contrac Lighting. It is a well-deserved promotion for her loyal service to the business, it’s customers and Directors.

“I am sure her intelligence and enthusiasm will be a valued addition to the board. Congratulations, Mel.”

Mel Collins, Commercial Director, added: “Starting out as a Sales Administrator and moving on to Commercial Manager I was ready to face a new challenge and would like to thank Anne and Kelvin for giving me this fantastic opportunity in assisting them with the running of their business.”

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