IRBM, a global contract research organisation, has recruited two new members of staff as part of its global growth strategy.
Carlo Toniatti, MD, PhD, has been appointed chief scientific officer (SCO) and Heidi Kingdon-Jones has taken on the role of global VP of sales and marketing.
Toniatti joins IRBM bringing more than two decades of drug development and discovery experience to the role where he will oversee scientific strategy .
As CSO, Toniatti will strategise the expansion of IRBM, creating international partnerships with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and not-for-profit research institutes to offer world-class on-site integrated services and expertise for both small molecule and biologic therapies.
Toniatti's experience includes work in both big pharma (Merck and Co.) and academic environments (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston).
Heidi Kingdon-Jones
"Successful development of novel drugs requires faultless integration of drug development expertise, deep biological knowledge and top-notch technological capabilities. All these components are present at IRBM: our team of industry-seasoned scientists is committed to working with our partners to accelerate the delivery of innovative and efficacious therapies to patients," said Carlo Toniatti.
Heidi Kingdon-Jones has joined IRBM having more than 20 years' experience in the life sciences industry. In her new role of global VP of sales and marketing, she will lead a team to promote IRBM's services and facilities worldwide. She has worked in senior management in both business development and marketing across a range of companies, having most recently been senior director of scientific Alliances at Charles River.
"This is a pivotal time for IRBM's development as a global drug discovery and development company, and I am excited to be working with Carlo to continue this growth. I'm looking forward to bringing our 'large pharma' integrated facilities and expertise coupled with a personal, medium-sized company approach to the life sciences market," said Heidi Kingdon-Jones.