Executive Management

Steph is a proven executive who brings nearly three decades of global pharmaceutical and platform technology expertise to Axalbion. Prior to her role as Director and CEO of Axalbion, she served as Director, President, and CEO of Ironshore Therapeutics, leading the Company’s transformation and acquisition by Collegium Pharmaceuticals (COLL).

Steph’s experience spans Corporate Development at CSL (CSL:ASX) and AstraZeneca (AZN), leading M&A and equity investment strategies, plus leadership roles in Clinical, Medical Affairs and Commercial strategy at Shire (acquired by Takeda), YM Biosciences (acquired by Gilead), and MedImmune (acquired by AstraZeneca). Her therapy area expertise spans immunology, transplant, CNS and various rare & chronic conditions.

Steph serves as an Independent Director for Epistemic AI and Coagulo Medical Technologies, both privately held technology companies based in the USA, in addition to serving as a mentor / advisor to Virginia Tech and Johns Hopkins students, faculty and innovation administrations.

Olivier has had a distinguished career that spans both academia and consulting for various biomedical startups based in Switzerland. He has held senior strategic and operational leadership roles of increasing responsibility since co-founding Axalbion in December 2016. Over his 20+ year career, his research in both academic and industry settings has focused on the roles of receptors and ion channels in both pathological and physiological conditions, including their regulation and pharmacology. His expertise encompasses the therapeutic areas of pain, inflammation, and peripheral neuropathies.

Olivier earned his doctorate in Neuroscience from the University of Lausanne and holds a Master’s degree in Molecular Neuroscience from Montpellier University. In his current role, he works closely with our new CEO to oversee clinical development strategy and operations, CMC, intellectual property, business development operations, and KOL management for Axalbion. Olivier is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Jonathan is a qualified medical doctor from Oxford who has transitioned into a career as a strategic finance and transactions expert. After completing medical school, he joined top-performing teams in biotech equity research at Credit Suisse and Evolution. Later, he moved to Stifel to establish the European Life Sciences team and spent six years in Corporate Finance at Nomura Code.

His experience with initial public offerings (IPOs) includes notable companies such as NicOx, GPC Biotech, Actelion, Entelos, and Carmat. Key fundraising efforts and transactions in his career include those of Vernalis, Summit, Medgenics, Glide Pharma, and the sale of CBT to Proximagen. He has participated in numerous deals across the UK, Europe, and the US, working with companies like HCM, ReNeuron, Calliditas, Ergomed, Nanobiotix, and Renalytx.

Jonathan served as CFO at Sitryx before joining Biofidelity. Currently, he dedicates most of his time to guiding Axalbion’s growth strategy, focusing on financing strategy, investor and public relations, while also leading the company’s finance team and overseeing all audit committee activities for the Board. Jonathan is based in Hinxton, England, UK.