Archives: Speakers

Dr. Peter Heifetz is President and CEO of OrPro Therapeutics Inc., a Johnson & Johnson San Diego JLABS alumni company developing a novel biologic drug platform based on human thioredoxin for the treatment of multiple indications associated with inflammatory and oxidative stress. Dr. Heifetz has over 30 years of academic and industry experience in drug discovery and development with a primary focus on gene, protein and metabolic engineering technologies. Prior to founding OrPro, Dr. Heifetz held positions as a senior scientist and group leader at Novartis (NYSE: NVS), research director at the Novartis Research Foundation, head of biopharma and consumer health R&D at Syngenta (NYSE:SYT), fellow at Diversa Corporation (NASDAQ:DVSA), and was chief scientific officer at private biotechnology companies ERA Biotechnology (Barcelona) and Rincon Pharmaceuticals (San Diego). Dr. Heifetz studied at Duke University with degrees in genetics (PhD), mechanical/biochemical engineering (MS) and biology (BS) and was a National Institutes of Health graduate research trainee with interdisciplinary research support from the Department of Energy. Dr. Heifetz also earned an executive certificate in innovation management from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Kieran is an AI and Data Ethics Manager at NatWest. He has 17 years experience working at the bank, primarily in a Risk and Control role where he has supported with the safe implementation of changes to key digital services such as online and mobile banking, as well as the AI chatbot Cora. Over the past year he has been working in the newly formed AI and Data Ethics team who support to ensure the banks development and deployment of AI is aligned with the banks AI and Data Ethics Code of Conduct, as well as enhancing the internal policies, processes and governance to be compliant with AI related regulations, such as the EU AI Act

Simon is a manager in the AI and Data Ethics team at NatWest Group. He has spent just short of a decade in the financial services industry, covering various roles from customer engagement to financial crime policy. He is primarily responsible for responding to new and emerging AI regulation, guidance and industry best practice with a focus on the implementation of the EU AI Act

Claire graduated with an MEng in Chemical Engineering and went on to complete a PhD on the topic of heterogeneous catalysis for Biodiesel production. She then spent 13 years working in various process development roles at AstraZeneca including specialisations in filtration and continuous processing. From there, Claire moved to CPI’s Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre where she is now the Oligonucleotides Grand Challenge Lead, managing a portfolio of projects including Grand Challenge 3 – Sustainable and Scalable Oligonucleotide Manufacturing.

Having joined MMIC in 2021, Barrie has responsibility for creating and delivering their portfolio of innovation projects, including clinical trial supply, continuous direct compression, and oligonucleotide manufacturing Grand Challenges.

Prior to MMIC, he spent 21 years working for GSK in pharmaceutical manufacturing, mostly in technical leadership roles, including over 10 years as Technical Director at a manufacturing site.

Barrie has a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Birmingham and PhD from the University of Sheffield.

He co-founded GroWize to support growing and mid-tier audit firms in the UK and US, helping them address talent shortages and audit quality challenges – issues he encountered firsthand during his own professional journey.

A qualified Chartered Accountant with over 14 years of experience in external audit, Kamlesh has worked with global clients across the UK, US, Europe, India, and Australia. Having been part of leading firms like Grant Thornton, KPMG, and PwC in both the UK and India, he has experienced firsthand the journey large firms have navigated over the past decade—including the challenges they faced. Through GroWize, he is now focused on helping growing and mid-tier firms overcome those very challenges with smarter, scalable solutions.

His expertise spans multiple industries – supporting high-growth start-ups, mid-sized enterprises, and multinational corporations through intricate audits under UK and US GAAP, IFRS, and Ind AS. With a strong track record of leading complex group and component audits, Kamlesh consistently delivers quality, compliance, and strategic insight.

He has built and led high-performing audit teams across regions, effectively navigating cultural nuances to drive collaboration, enhance efficiency, and deliver long-term value.