Board of Directors
- Mr Nathan Drona (Chairman)
- Dr Julian Chick (Chief Executive Officer)
- Mr Alan Boyd (Executive Director)
- Dr John Sime (Non Executive Director)
- Mr David Bottomley (Non Executive Director)
Mr Nathan Drona (Chairman)
Mr Nathan Drona joined Avexa as a Non-Executive Director on 16 April 2008. Mr Drona is an experienced international investment banker in the life sciences industry and has successfully advised numerous companies in the US, Europe, and Australia in mergers and acquisitions strategy. He has held a variety of senior positions at several investment banks in the US, most recently as managing director of Challiss, based in New York.
Mr Drona holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Victoria and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Western Ontario. Mr Drona was appointed as Chairman of the Board on 6 October 2008.
Dr Julian Chick (Chief Executive Officer)
Dr Julian Chick was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and executive Director of Avexa on 7 September 2004. He graduated with a PhD in Muscle Physiology from La Trobe University in 1998 and joined Amrad Corporation Limited as a Senior Business Development Manager in April 2002. Prior to joining Amrad Corporation Limited, Dr Chick had five years experience as an investment adviser and financial consultant with Prudential-Bache Securities, BNP Paribas and Salomon Smith Barney. Dr Chick also spent time working for Foursight Associates as the ?principal analyst? reviewing investment opportunities for private equity investors and venture capitalists.
Mr Alan Boyd (Executive Director)
Mr Boyd has had over 24 years experience in finance, commencing his career and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in the UK before emigrating to Australia in 1988. Mr Boyd is a qualified member of the ICAEW, ICAA and fellow of the CICSA. After thirteen years in the accounting profession Mr Boyd became Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Company Secretary of an unlisted public company and later joined listed entity Sausage Software Ltd in the same capacity.
Mr Boyd joined Zenyth Therapeutics (formerly Amrad Corporation) Ltd in November 2002 and under a service agreement provided financial and administrative services to Avexa from 1 July 2004 and company secretarial services from 1 July 2006, also under a service agreement. Mr Boyd formally joined Avexa as CFO and Company Secretary on 1 April 2007 and was appointed to the Board on 6 October 2008.
Dr John Sime (Non Executive Director)
Dr John Sime MSc (Physical Chemistry), PhD (Biochemistry), FRSC, CChem, joined the board on 8 June 2007 as a non-executive Director of the Company.
Dr Sime is currently an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University of Technology in the School of Research and Graduate Studies.
He is also the former director of Symbion Health Limited (formerly Mayne Group Limited ) and former Chief Executive Officer of the BioIndustry Association (UK). Dr Sime has more than 25 years’ experience at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoSmithKline plc), working in the United Kingdom, Tokyo, Jakarta and Australia, and including nine years as managing Director of Beecham Australia and New Zealand.
Mr David Bottomley (Non Executive Director)
BA LLB (Hons) F Fin
Mr Bottomley has had 11 years experience in originating and executing M&A advisory and capital markets transactions in Australia, the US, UK and Europe. He holds a BA (Economic History), LLB (Hons) a graduate degree in Applied Finance (Corporate Finance), is a qualified corporate lawyer and is a registered securities representative and supervisor in the US (NASD) and Australia (F Fin). Mr Bottomley began his career as an analyst in the corporate advisory department of Westpac Corporate Finance (Sydney) and then as an associate with Kleinwort Benson (London). More recently, he served as a senior executive with Merrill Lynch (London) investment banking division and subsequently as managing director of the Sydney office of GMCG, LLC from 2004 until June 2008. Mr Bottomley was appointed to the Board on 6 October 2008.
