Empower your career - a female perspective
This session is powered by TOPX Network
28 November 2024 - Ghent ICC
In this session, each panelist will share a bit about their journey,
from where they started to how they reached their current roles. After
the introductions, we’ll dive deeper into their unique career paths. Our
speakers will discuss the key lessons they've learned along the way and
offer valuable advice for women looking to follow in their footsteps.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from and connect with women who are
making waves in the Life Sciences!
Hanne Callewaert | CEO & Co-Founder | AstriVax
Hanne Callewaert (PhD) is co-founder and CEO of AstriVax. She has 20+ years of experience in the life sciences through a PhD in Medical Sciences, Masters in IP, followed by global industry experience in GSK Vaccines and smaller biotech environment, like Oxurion, Oncurious and AstriVax. She has a strong background in drug and vaccine development expertise blended with business and corporate development through executive leadership functions as Vaccine Development Leader at GSK, Chief Operating Officer at Oxurion, followed by her current CEO position at AstriVax. She has been involved in development of commercial, late- or early-stage vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, peptides and small molecules. She has built AstriVax from an academic technology platform to a nearly clinical stage company with a coherent and well-experienced team of 25+ people in one year timeframe. She is also the proud mom of 4 kids ranging between 11 and 17 years old and enjoys spending time with the family and friends, traveling and sports.
About AstriVax
AstriVax NV is a privately held Belgian company founded in 2022 based on vaccine technology developed at the Rega Institute (KU Leuven). AstriVax has secured a seed round of € 30 million with a strong investor syndicate to continue building the vaccine technology platform and bring the first vaccines into clinical development. The company is located in Haasrode (Leuven).
- First in class Plug & Play vaccine platform.
Patented DNA-based technology that launches self-amplifying live attenuated viruses, resulting in polyfunctional and vigorous nature of the immune response.
Wide range of potential use – prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.
Hanne Callewaert | CEO & Co-Founder | AstriVax
Hanne Callewaert (PhD) is co-founder and CEO of AstriVax. She has 20+ years of experience in the life sciences through a PhD in Medical Sciences, Masters in IP, followed by global industry experience in GSK Vaccines and smaller biotech environment, like Oxurion, Oncurious and AstriVax. She has a strong background in drug and vaccine development expertise blended with business and corporate development through executive leadership functions as Vaccine Development Leader at GSK, Chief Operating Officer at Oxurion, followed by her current CEO position at AstriVax. She has been involved in development of commercial, late- or early-stage vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, peptides and small molecules. She has built AstriVax from an academic technology platform to a nearly clinical stage company with a coherent and well-experienced team of 25+ people in one year timeframe. She is also the proud mom of 4 kids ranging between 11 and 17 years old and enjoys spending time with the family and friends, traveling and sports.
About AstriVax
AstriVax NV is a privately held Belgian company founded in 2022 based on vaccine technology developed at the Rega Institute (KU Leuven). AstriVax has secured a seed round of € 30 million with a strong investor syndicate to continue building the vaccine technology platform and bring the first vaccines into clinical development. The company is located in Haasrode (Leuven).
- First in class Plug & Play vaccine platform.
Patented DNA-based technology that launches self-amplifying live attenuated viruses, resulting in polyfunctional and vigorous nature of the immune response.
Wide range of potential use – prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines.
Imme Van Der Taelen | Head of Development | Agomab
Imme Van der Taelen is Head Development at Agomab. Imme holds a degree of Bioengineer with a PhD in Applies Biological Sciences.
Imme’s career in pharma industry started as QA Manager at Purna Pharmaceuticals, where she had the opportunity to contribute to assuring quality standards in a manufacturing site. Moving to a Project Engineer role at Purna was Imme’s first move in the field of project management, a field that would become key in Imme’s further career endeavours. Switching project management role from Manufacturing to R&D in 2005 by joining Tibotec, a Johnson & Johnson company, allowed to broaden the horizon in biotech R&D. Getting inspired by the mission of resolving unmet medical need for patients was a driver for continued professional growth. A management training at Vlerick Business School as well as a PMP® certification formed the basis of roles with increased project management and leadership responsibilities, initially within Tibotec and thereafter at Galapagos. When Galapagos’ pipeline matured, Imme took responsibility to lead the transformation of the drug development organization from functional into balanced matrix and provided leadership and implemented an operations team as third dimension in the outsourced operational model. She provided leadership to functional expertise departments within the drug development organisation, established the company’s R&D PMO and became a member of the project governance board.
At Agomab, Imme’s commitment and passion goes to building fit-for-purpose PMO, providing leadership to CMC and Non-Clinical teams and contributing to a growing team of industry leaders determined to improve the lives of patients with fibrotic diseases.
Imme Van Der Taelen | Head of Development | Agomab
Imme Van der Taelen is Head Development at Agomab. Imme holds a degree of Bioengineer with a PhD in Applies Biological Sciences. Imme’s career in pharma industry started as QA Manager at Purna Pharmaceuticals, where she had the opportunity to contribute to assuring quality standards in a manufacturing site. Moving to a Project Engineer role at Purna was Imme’s first move in the field of project management, a field that would become key in Imme’s further career endeavours. Switching project management role from Manufacturing to R&D in 2005 by joining Tibotec, a Johnson & Johnson company, allowed to broaden the horizon in biotech R&D. Getting inspired by the mission of resolving unmet medical need for patients was a driver for continued professional growth. A management training at Vlerick Business School as well as a PMP® certification formed the basis of roles with increased project management and leadership responsibilities, initially within Tibotec and thereafter at Galapagos. When Galapagos’ pipeline matured, Imme took responsibility to lead the transformation of the drug development organization from functional into balanced matrix and provided leadership and implemented an operations team as third dimension in the outsourced operational model. She provided leadership to functional expertise departments within the drug development organisation, established the company’s R&D PMO and became a member of the project governance board.
At Agomab, Imme’s commitment and passion goes to building fit-for-purpose PMO, providing leadership to CMC and Non-Clinical teams and contributing to a growing team of industry leaders determined to improve the lives of patients with fibrotic diseases.
Katrien Van Geyt | Managing Partner & Owner | Axes Health
Katrien is more than just the Managing Partner & Owner of Axes Health, she’s the driving force behind the mission of the company. With her background as a pharmacist, she has always been passionate about the development of innovative medicines since her early days at Pfizer and Genzyme. Katrien further developed her market access expertise at Bayer Healthcare and Takeda, where she gained invaluable experience in navigating complex healthcare ecosystems. Since founding Axes Health in 2019, she’s been committed to ensuring that patients, especially the vulnerable ones with rare diseases, receive the treatment they need without delay.
We at Axes Health support pharmaceutical companies in navigating the complex world of pricing and reimbursement. We have experience in many different therapeutic areas and are eager to take on a challenge.Our core objective is to ensure that patients in need receive timely and sustained access to innovative treatments. From early dialogues with stakeholders and early access programs to specific managed entry agreements, our team is committed to finding innovative solutions that meet the needs of all parties involved
Katrien Van Geyt | Managing Partner & Owner | Axes Health
Katrien is more than just the Managing Partner & Owner of Axes Health, she’s the driving force behind the mission of the company. With her background as a pharmacist, she has always been passionate about the development of innovative medicines since her early days at Pfizer and Genzyme. Katrien further developed her market access expertise at Bayer Healthcare and Takeda, where she gained invaluable experience in navigating complex healthcare ecosystems. Since founding Axes Health in 2019, she’s been committed to ensuring that patients, especially the vulnerable ones with rare diseases, receive the treatment they need without delay.
We at Axes Health support pharmaceutical companies in navigating the complex world of pricing and reimbursement. We have experience in many different therapeutic areas and are eager to take on a challenge.Our core objective is to ensure that patients in need receive timely and sustained access to innovative treatments. From early dialogues with stakeholders and early access programs to specific managed entry agreements, our team is committed to finding innovative solutions that meet the needs of all parties involved
Marieke Louwers | Director Strategic Alliances | argenx
Marieke Louwers (1980) is Director Strategic Alliances at argenx. She has a degree in chemistry and biotechnology and a PhD in molecular biology. After working in Agricultural Biotech for 10 years, she made the switch to human Drug Development. Always wanting to broaden her leadership skills and insights, she followed programmes in Management and then Corporate Finance at the Vlerick Business school. She strives to lead by example and loves inspiring and energizing people and teams by building relationships and respecting others.
Marieke is trained as a chemist and biotechnologist in Ghent, before starting her PhD at the University of Amsterdam. She is specialized in epigenetics in maize. After 4.5 years she moved back to Belgium and started working in industry, as she wanted to apply her skills towards society. She worked at CropDesign (BASF Plant Sciences) for almost 10 years, improving yield in various crops. In the end, as Research manager she led the entire Discovery platform, collaborated with large companies such as Monsanto (now Bayer) and Bayer, and worked often at BASF corporate level on innovation. She switched to the VIB Plant Science group with the aim to develop and join a newly spun-out start-up. She worked alongside the Scientific Director of the center and set up and implemented the academic collaboration with the North-Carolina State University. Next, she made a 180° switch from plant biotech to drug development (now 3,5 years ago). She became a program and alliance leader at argenx, working on the cusatuzumab program in co-development with Janssen. When that collaboration ended, She worked with Business Development group/team to repartner the program including pitching to potential partners, term sheet negotiation and contracting. Since beginning of 2021, she took up the role of building out alliance capabilities at argenx.
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