A Call to Lead @LifeScience ORG

How do you run a company that is – quite literally – in a warzone?

Why should you define your culture before building the company?

And what is the secret to a co-founder relationship that’s lasted longer than most marriages?

Today I’m joined by Yogev Debbi, CEO and co-founder of Mana Bio based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Mana is an AI based drug delivery startup, focusing on gene therapy including DNA and RNA-based therapeutics, and vaccines.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Chapters

1:37 – From Software to Life Science: Finding Purpose Beyond Profit

3:41 – Building a Founding Team: Hiring Scientists When You're Not One

16:42 – The Co-Founder Relationship: Trust, Transparency, and Two Decades Together

19:17 – Defining Culture Before You Have a Company

21:05 – Using Investors as a Filter: Reverse Due Diligence During Ideation

32:38 – Leading Through Crisis: Resilience in an Active Conflict Zone

37:55 – The Gene Delivery Challenge: Why the Space Shuttle Matters More Than the Astronaut

39:41 – AI-Driven Drug Discovery: Redefining What a Failed Experiment Means

45:18 – The Tech-Bio Convergence: Bridging Two Worlds Within One Team

What do you do when a family member gets a life-changing diagnosis?

How do you convince investors to back the impossible?

And why should you ask every expert to kill your idea?

I’m joined by JP Latere, CEO of Esobiotec. Based in Belgium, Esobiotec pioneered in-vivo cell therapy and was acquired by AstraZeneca in a billion-dollar deal in 2025.

Of course, we’ll talk more about the deal (and the science) at the end of the episode.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

2:35 When Cancer Gets Personal

5:47 No More Options

7:48 The Manufacturing Crisis

12:18 A Crazy Idea Worth Exploring

12:57 Betting on the Impossible

17:16 How to Kill an Idea

28:19 The China Pivot

34:06 Good Data Screams

38:54 Cell Therapy for Everyone

42:03 The Patient Is the Ultimate Shareholder

Why is leadership development a bit like working out?

How does a self-confessed introvert and data-driven scientist rewire themselves to make high-stakes decisions with incomplete information?

What does it really mean to lead a biotech as an outsider – an immigrant, a woman, an introvert - who never set out to be a CEO?

Today I’m joined by Ola Wlodek, CEO of Constructive Bio based in Cambridge UK.

Constructive Bio is a biotechnology company specializing the manufacturing and design of proteins and peptides with new chemistries for pharma and other industries.

We’ll talk more about the science at the end of the episode.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps

4:12 From Medicine to Molecular Biology

6:13 The Path to a PhD and an Unconventional Career

6:57 Leading from the Lab: An Unexpected CEO

7:52 Building Leadership Muscles as an Introvert

10:57 Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in the C-Suite

15:55 Navigating Cultural Identity and Bias in Biotech

19:33 Women in Science: Systemic Barriers and Advocacy

22:55 Intentionality as a Strategic Leadership Tool

26:44 The Science of Sustainable Peptide Manufacturing

33:29 CEO Loneliness and the Power of Peer Networks

Why is celebrating failure in life science just as important as celebrating success?

How do you make the psychological shift from being one expert among many in the room to being a leader of experts?

And what does a near-industry wide clinical failure have to do with a potential new treatment for half a billion osteoarthritis patients?

Today I’m joined by Eliot Forster, CEO of Levicept based just south of Oxford in the UK, looking into novel treatments for the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps

1:03 - From Big Pharma to Biotech: Why Cross the Table?

4:33 - The Moment You Decide to Lead

7:41 - The Personal Toll of the CEO Role

9:39 - Practical Habits That Protect Your Bandwidth

11:04 - Leading in a Crowded Capital Environment

13:02 - Transitioning from Expert to Leader of Experts

17:36 - Why Celebrating Failure Is Non-Negotiable in Drug Development

24:40 - The Maturing European Life Science Ecosystem

28:07 - A Novel Approach to Osteoarthritis: From Industry-Wide Failure to Phase 2 Success

35:13 - Optimism as a Professional Imperative in Life Science

How do you lead a company that’s one of the first of its kind?

What can a geocaching game on a company retreat teach you about leadership style?

Can AI tackle the big challenges in drug discovery today?

Today I’m joined by Szabolcs Nagy, CEO of Turbine, based in Budapest, Hungary. Founded 10 years ago, Turbine is virtualising biology from the cellular level upwards using AI.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction & Background

1:19 - From Cybersecurity to Life Sciences

6:18 - Becoming CEO: Leadership Transition

10:14 - Early Challenges: Learning the Space

14:22 - Navigating Imposter Syndrome

19:03 - Leadership Lessons from Geocaching

22:44 - Building in Hungary: Ecosystem Challenges

26:05 - Virtualizing Biology: The Vision

32:01 - Industry Challenges: Data, AI & Business Models

37:48 - Leadership Reflection: Letting Go

What do you do when entrepreneurship calls and your partner lives overseas?

How much can you really delegate as a CEO?

Why does a 50-year-old gene expression problem still exist – and what happens if we solve it?

I’m joined by Kart Tomberg, CEO of ExpressionEdits based in Cambridge, UK. ExpressionEdits is a seed-stage company taking on the challenging bottlenecks going from DNA to protein and convincing cells to make proteins for us.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction & Background

2:52 - From Academia to Entrepreneurship

7:18 - Early Leadership Lessons

10:30 - The Two-Body Problem

13:39 - Challenges Facing Life Science CEOs

19:25 - Cambridge Ecosystem & European Life Science

22:59 - The Science: Protein Expression Challenge

30:45 - Leadership Philosophy & Delegation

Why lead a company into the increasingly crowded obesity space?

How do you go from a career in veterinary surgery to CEO of a medtech company?

And what is so magical about Oxford when it comes to life science?

Today I’m joined by Camilla Easter, CEO of Oxford Medical Products (OMP), a late-stage medtech company based in Witney, Oxfordshire, in the UK. OMP’s lead product is a non-pharmacological treatment for obesity in overweight patients.

We’ll talk more about the science at the end of the episode, but first Camilla shares her journey to leadership from the vet clinic.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps

1. Introduction (0:00)
2. From Veterinary Surgery to Biotech Leadership (0:53)
3. The Call to Lead: Finding Your Path (1:50)
4. Career Transitions: Navigating Change (4:30)
5. Stepping Into CEO Role (7:55)
6. Personal Challenges and Defining Moments (10:49)
7. Shared Challenges in Life Science Leadership (15:42)
8. Leadership Lessons: Communication & Community (17:47)
9. The European Life Science Ecosystem (20:39)
10. Tackling the Obesity Crisis: Why This Problem? (21:47)
11. The Technology: A Non-Pharmacological Solution (25:21)
12. Ecosystem Solutions: What We Can Do Together (27:13)
13. A Vision for the Future (33:09)
14. Final Thoughts: Embracing Failure and Learning (35:49)

Why does the perception of facts matter when talking to investors?

How do you attract a US-based chair to a European company’s board?

And what are the advantages of running a virtual biotech with no labs of its own?

Today, I’m joined by Victor Bustos, CEO of Refoxy Pharma. Refoxy is a "virtual biotech" located in Cologne, Germany, and is developing small-molecule drugs for the treatment of age-related disease.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction: The Leadership Journey

1:24 - From Academia to Entrepreneurship

6:00 - Early Leadership Challenges: Truth vs. Perception

7:24 - Communication Skills & Stakeholder Management

10:37 - Peer Learning & Strategic Thinking

12:05 - Building Your Board: Attracting US Talent to Europe

13:29 - Virtual Biotech Model: Advantages & Strategy

16:26 - Due Diligence in CRO Partnerships

18:09 - The Science: Targeting Age-Related Disease

20:01 - Strategic Indication Selection: IPF Case Study

22:01 - Ecosystem Collaboration & Regulatory Landscape

23:31 - The Future of Longevity Medicine

25:25 - Leadership Philosophy: Leading by Example

How does a United States Air Force officer end up leading a European biotech company?

Is there an advantage to leading a company that’s based half a world away?

And are you doing a regrets analysis as part of your decision-making?

This week I’m joined by Mark Gaffney, a Boston-based CEO leading Calluna Pharma. Calluna is a Norwegian company developing therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, such as IPF – but we’ll get into the science later in the episode.

First, Mark shares his story on what drew him into life science and how he got from the US air force and into C-suite.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps

1:30 - From Military Service to Biotech Leadership

1:45 - Personal Motivation: Fighting Retinitis Pigmentosa

3:10 - Career Transition: Law to Life Sciences

5:36 - Stepping Up to CEO: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

7:49 - Leadership Lessons from the Air Force

12:00 - Leading Across Continents: Virtual Leadership Strategies

16:14 - The Regrets Analysis: A Decision-Making Framework

20:03 - European Biotech Innovation and Efficiency

22:13 - Calluna Pharma: Tackling IPF with Novel Targets

24:02 - Navigating Risk in Novel Target Development

25:35 - Ecosystem Support for Inflammatory Disease Research

28:32 - Building and Empowering High-Performance Teams

What inspires a theoretical physicist to start a drug invention company?

How do you choose the right co-founder when you're coming from academia?

And, in a multi-site, multi-cultural European organisation – how does a leader manage communication with the team?

I’m joined by Maximilien Levesque, physics academic turned entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Paris and London-based company AQEMIA. Aqemia uses a mix of physics and generative AI to invent therapeutics for poorly treated diseases.

More on the science towards the end of the episode, but first Max explains what inspired him to found AQEMIA and how he's faced challenges from selecting a co-founder to communicating and maintaining team alignment as his company grows in two locations.

About LifeScience ORG

It’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.

The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Host Welcome

00:27 Max's Story

05:08 Challenges and Realizations in the Leadership Journey

07:09 Finding the Right Co-Founder

10:32 Building a Multicultural, Multidisciplinary Company

13:44 Maintaining Team Alignment

14:50 European Life Science Landscape

17:09 Generative AI in Drug Discovery

24:42 Vision for the Future

26:23 Leadership Insights