Meet The Team
Anthony Murray
Chair
Anthony spent over a decade establishing industry intelligence leader GlobalData Healthcare in Asia Pacific before growing Sydney CRO GreenLight Clinical.
After setting up the Ventri Clinical network with the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA), he moved to ASX-listed digital agency Opyl Limited. Anthony leads development and growth activities as Opyl support recruitment for health research and clinical trials through intelligent technologies.
Dr Brad Walsh
Vice-Chair
Founded Minomic raising over A$27 million to commercialize its first major product, MiCheck, as well as developing a pipeline of new diagnostics for other cancers.
He has a PhD in protein chemistry and has led research groups in government agencies, universities and hospitals.
Dr Walsh was a key part of the establishment of a major national research facility before forming Minomic in 2007. He has a long history of commercialization and his products are being sold by major corporations, such as Bio-Rad Laboratories.
Ian Adams
Company Secretary & Non-Executive Director
Ian is a globally experienced, senior leader with a track record of delivery across a broad range of geographical regions and therapeutics industry sectors. He has a strong understanding of what it takes to bring therapeutics products to market internationally as well as of the way other countries collaborate to develop their local life sciences ecosystems.
He is currently a Non-Executive Director of ARCS Australia and Chair of the Self-Care Sub-Committee for Consumer Healthcare Products Australia (CHPA). Ian also provides strategic advisory services and leadership coaching to clients across the life sciences sector in Australia and internationally – with a particular focus on the consumer healthcare sector and capability building for start-ups across the therapeutics industry.
Ian was previously the NSW Lead for the Medical Technology and Pharmaceuticals Sector within the AusIndustry Entrepreneur’s Programme – providing broad strategic advice and operational support for NSW based Small to Medium Enterprises and Start-ups.
Prior to this role, Ian spent more than 20 years with GlaxoSmithKline in a range of senior regional and global scientific leadership roles – his most recent role being Vice-President, Global Regulatory Transformation for the GSK/Pfizer Consumer Healthcare joint-venture. Ian’s experience prior to GSK included a decade in the UK and Switzerland with the Deloitte Life Sciences Management Consultancy Organisation and Novartis.
Ian has a Bachelors of Science (Honours) from the University of Sydney, a Master of Science from University of Surrey (UK), and an MBA from Macquarie University. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Mark Flynn
Non-Executive Director
Dr Mark Flynn is a globally focused MedTech leader and strategist. Mark is currently the Chief Audiology Officer at Sound Scouts Pty Ltd. Mark has held senior executive leadership positions at Cochlear Ltd, Demant A/S, and University of Newcastle as well as for medtech start-ups in Europe, Australia and USA (e.g. Otolith Labs, Wise Neuro & IQORO). Launched over 20 medical devices from NPI into global markets. Awarded dual MBAs from Georgetown University (USA) and ESADE School of Business and Law (Spain) and a PhD (Medicine) from the University of Melbourne. The inventor of 17 international patent families, author of over 100 publications, and raised over $69M in non-dilutional project funding.
Kathy Connell
Non-Executive Director
Kathy Connell leads Korn Ferry’s Healthcare and LifeSciences practice as Senior Client Partner, Executive Search. Having dedicated her career to the Healthcare and Life Sciences sectors, Kathy initially trained as a speech pathologist and later as a registered psychologist working in the hospital, community health and academic sectors. For the past 20 years, Kathy has held executive leadership positions in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer health industries specialising in business development, licensing, acquisitions and venture investment including for Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson. During her time working in industry, Kathy led external innovation investment and licensing for Australia and New Zealand. She was instrumental in designing, establishing and leading multiple value creating Public Private Partnerships, Joint Ventures, Venture investments, Licenses and Acquisitions as well as collaborations with universities, start-ups and government organisations.
A recognised leader for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Kathy was the co-founder of Medicines Australia's Pharmaceutical Australia Inclusion Group (PAIG)– a special working group designed to foster diverse and inclusive corporate cultures across the Pharmaceutical industries to enhance social sustainability, responsible business practices and deliver long-term value creation.
With Kathy’s real-world healthcare and industry experience and vast professional networks, she is committed to working with organisations to help develop bespoke talent solutions, attracting, developing and retaining leaders with the right blend of skills, experience, industry knowhow and purpose to meet the needs of these dynamic sectors.
Kathy is a Registered Psychologist and holds various tertiary degrees in Science, Psychology, Education and Law as well as being a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Dr Michael Christie
Non-Executive Director
Michael is a leading Australian patent attorney recognized for his legal acumen and his technical expertise in biotechnology, and is a member of our life sciences team.
Michael’s patent expertise spans all aspects of patent practice, from drafting and prosecution through to enforcement and portfolio management. Intellectual Asset Magazine (2019) has described Michael’s ability to “draft complex biotechnology patents with ease”. Michael has also acted in several high-profile patent opposition and litigation matters concerning pharmaceuticals and genetic technologies. He is an expert in obtaining patent term extensions for patents covering pharmaceuticals.
Michael represents Australia on the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Standing Committee for Pharma and Biotechnology. He has published widely on patent practice in biotechnology and regularly lectures on the strategic protection of IP at an Australian university.
Michael is also accredited by IP Australia as a Consultant Qualified Person, enabling him to advise on, and certify, Plant Breeder’s Rights applications.
Michael received the prestigious Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA) Institute Prize, and has been listed among the World’s Leading Patent Practitioners by Intellectual Asset Magazine for three years running (2018-20).
Michael has a Bachelor of Biotechnology with first class Honours and a PhD in biochemistry. For his post-graduate research, Michael received both the University Medal and the Dean’s Award for academic excellence. Michael has worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tuebingen, and his research has been widely published in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications and PNAS.
Michael is a member of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia, Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand, Asian Patent Attorneys Association, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, and AusBiotech.
Dr Shanny Dyer
Non-Executive Director
Shanny is an experienced Director and Senior Executive, having held roles across industry, government and universities. She has expertise in public administration and policy development with strong corporate governance skills. Shanny sits on various government panels (ARC and NHMRC) and boards that draw on her deep experience in technology commercialisation, regulatory affairs and clinical research.
Dr Julie Ince-Demetriou
Non-Executive Director
Julie is a seasoned research leader with over two decades of experience in global health and medical research across pharmaceutical and government sectors. Previously, she held senior roles as Director of Oncology Clinical Research at AstraZeneca, and in the Strategic Research Investment Division of the Cancer Institute NSW. Recently, Julie embarked on a new career journey, founding her consultancy, BioCollab Pty Ltd, specialising in consultancy, strategic advisory, and project management for the life sciences sector.
Throughout her career, Julie's innovative spirit and dedication to advancing healthcare have been evident. Her expertise spans clinical program delivery, team leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder management, and optimising business operations. She has cultivated an extensive professional network across industry, academia, and government, and is passionate about fostering collaborative partnerships and advocating for STEM mentorship and industry-academia engagement.
Julie's commitment to advancing the field extends to her involvement in state and federal government advisory committees, including previous membership of the NSW OHMR Executive Advisory Committee for Early Phase Clinical Trials and the AusBiotech Clinical Trials Advisory Group. She actively mentors through the Industry Mentoring STEM Network (IMNIS), UNSW Maridulu Budyari Gumal (SPHERE) Network, and Nandin Southern Sydney Innovation Network, ANSTO and is a lecturer for the University of Sydney's Masters in Medicine (Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Development). Julie holds a degree in Applied Chemistry and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Exeter, UK and is a member of Women on Boards.
Dr Julia Hill
Non-Executive Director
Julia has worked at the interface between scientific research and the commercial world for the last 25 years. She has played pivotal roles in technology transfer within research organisations, served as an Investment Manager/Associate in Venture Capital and Corporate Advisory firms, and held key leadership positions as Chief Operating Officer/General Manager in ASX-listed biotechnology companies. She has further contributed as a Director, Alternate Director and Observer on the Boards of several private biotechnology companies. Julia has led the formation of multiple start-up/spin-out ventures and completed many global licensing deals.
Dr Dharmica Mistry
Non-Executive Director
Dr Dharmica Mistry is the Director Diagnostics Industry Engagement at MTPConnect and based in Sydney. In this role she led the development of the Australian Diagnostics National Action Plan for establishing an end-to-end sovereign manufacturing capability for diagnostic products in Australia and strengthening supply chain resilience to build a regional centre of excellence for diagnostic technology in Australia.
Dharmica is an impact driven scientist and entrepreneur. She is co-founder and ex-Chief Scientist of BCAL Diagnostics and was previously Head of Medtech and Biotech at Cicada Innovations, a deep tech incubator in Sydney.
At BCAL Diagnostics, Dharmica spent over a decade translating her research discovery through to commercialisation to develop a safe, cost-effective blood test for breast cancer detection, whilst building national and international collaborations. She then went on to join Cicada Innovations where she supported the medical innovation ecosystem through a number of startup and scaleup programs and providing mentorship and coaching for researchers, entrepreneurs and founding teams looking to commercialise their impactful technologies. During her time there, she built partnerships across the sector and its diverse stakeholders to bridge gaps and form deeper engagement to support people and companies in medtech and biotech.
Dharmica holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) from University of Sydney, a PhD in Medicine from Macquarie University and GAICD from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.