Valentina is a leader of the Life Sciences Practice in Europe. With a PhD in modelling and simulation for optimal drug administration, since joining McKinsey Valentina has built broad experience working across strategy, innovation, analytics transformation, and organization –with a special interest in R&D. Valentina is a global co-leader of our Development service line, focused on helping clients bring medicines to patients faster, at lower cost while de-risking the path to market.

Kevin Webster is a Partner in McKinsey’s San Francisco office and has been with McKinsey for 12 years. He serves life science, biotech and investor clients across R&D productivity, strategy and portfolio management. Kevin is the co-leader of the Clinical Operations service line. Kevin holds a PhD in Biophysics from University of California, Berkeley. 

Brent Rutland is Vice President of Global Medical and Clinical Affairs at Koru Medical Systems, where he leads clinical and data generation strategies. With over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, Brent specializes in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), market access, and clinical development. He holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA in International Business from the University of Houston.

Devan joined Pii in 2012 and was recently appointed Site Vice President (General Manager). Over the years, he has held leadership roles in Business Operations and Sterile Manufacturing, experiences that provide him with both a technical and strategic foundation to guide the site forward. In his current role, Devan’s primary objective is to support client success and advance patient outcomes through reliable, high-quality execution.

Known for his collaborative style and ability to anticipate challenges, Devan works to create an environment where teams are empowered to solve problems, innovate, and deliver with excellence. He places strong emphasis on mentoring and developing talent, believing that cultivating people is central to sustaining long-term success. By fostering a culture of accountability, transparency, and teamwork, he ensures that employees feel both supported and challenged to grow.

Devan is deeply committed to ensuring that Pii not only meets client expectations but also strengthens its impact on the patients who depend on the medicines manufactured at the site. His leadership philosophy centers on alignment — aligning people with purpose, teams with strategy, and execution with patient needs.

Devan earned his Bachelor’s degree in Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.

Shawn Marcell is a Founder of SemPresto and serves as the company’s Executive Chairman. He has nearly three decades of diverse executive, commercial, and operational experience in life science and technology businesses. Previously, while serving as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Wyss Institute, he co-founded and spun-out Torus Biosystems in 2020 and ReadCoor in 2016, serving as Chairman & CEO for both companies. ReadCoor was acquired in 2020 by 10X Genomics. Shawn has founded and chaired several other early-stage venture-backed life sciences companies including RedPoint Bio which went public in 2005, Sensigen which was acquired by Sequenom, Lifecodes division of Hologic acquired by Immucor/TPG, and Metamark Genetics acquired by LabCorp. Mr. Marcell earned a BA degree in Economics from The George Washington University.

Dr. Steven Cohen is Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Akyso Therapeutics, a biotechnology company advancing long-acting, bioabsorbable subcutaneous drug delivery implants. He leads the company’s flagship program developing iSTEP-N, a sustained-release naltrexone implant for opioid use disorder, designed to provide therapeutic drug levels for 6–12 months with a single minimally invasive procedure. Under his leadership, Akyso has progressed from concept to clinical stage, completing IND-enabling studies, securing NIH funding, and completiong a first-in-human Phase 1 trial that has demonstrated safety, tolerability, and efficacy.

A surgeon, inventor, and clinical researcher, Dr. Cohen has over 30 years of experience translating innovations from bench to bedside. He has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to over 100 FDA registration trials as a principal or sub-investigator, and is an inventor on multiple U.S. patents in drug delivery and surgical devices.

In parallel with his entrepreneurial work, Dr. Cohen is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of South Florida and a partner at Retina-Vitreous Associates of Florida. His dual career as a practicing physician and biotech founder informs his commitment to developing patient-centric therapies that address major gaps in care.

At Akyso, Dr. Cohen is spearheading efforts to leverage polymer science and device engineering to expand the reach of long-acting implants into addiction medicine and beyond, with the goal of improving adherence, reducing relapse, and ultimately transforming outcomes for patients with chronic conditions.

Sean Michael Carroll is Director of Business Development at Manifold Bio, where he supports external partnering and portfolio development for the company’s drug discovery engine and tissue-targeted medicines. Prior to Manifold, Sean advanced portfolio strategy and business development at Axcella Health and Corbus Pharmaceuticals. A PhD scientist by training, Sean specializes in translating scientific advancements into strategic opportunities that bring novel therapies closer to patients.

Mary C. Hames is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BioLogic Pharma Solutions, where she leads the company’s mission to help pharma companies bring innovative, patient-centered pharmaceutical strategies to pharma companies, driving faster and more cost effective drug launches. With more than two decades of experience spanning drug development, clinical strategy, and biotech partnerships, she has built BioLogic into a trusted collaborator for advancing novel therapies from concept through commercialization.

Under her leadership, BioLogic Pharma Solutions has earned recognition for its tailored approaches to complex medical challenges, bridging scientific innovation with practical implementation. Mary’s career has been marked by a commitment to improving patient outcomes, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, and guiding organizations through pivotal stages of growth.

As a speaker and advisor, she regularly engages with industry leaders on topics including clinical innovation, regulatory strategy, and the evolving role of biotech in addressing unmet medical needs. At the 2026 Chief Medical Officer Summit, she will share insights drawn from her work at the intersection of science, business, and patient care.

Dan Deaton is Executive Director and Head of Device Development and Innovation at AstraZeneca, where he leads a global team of scientists and engineers developing innovative therapies. Under his leadership, the team has successfully brought breakthrough products like Breztri AEROSPHERE® and AirSupra® to market, contributing to AstraZeneca's respiratory business that serves millions of patients worldwide. This includes AstraZeneca's industry-leading propellant transition initiative, a groundbreaking effort for environmental sustainability of inhaled products.

His expertise spans the complete product lifecycle from innovation and strategic portfolio planning to global market implementation, with particular focus on next- generation drug delivery platforms including inhaled biologics. With over 25 years of leadership in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, Dan combines a deep engineering focus with strategic business acumen. His innovation-driven approach has resulted in over 30 published patents across diverse device technologies and connected digital health solutions.

Before joining AstraZeneca, Dan held senior roles at multiple successful companies including Oriel Therapeutics (acquired by Sandoz) and Kos Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Abbott), where he managed device development and supported commercialized products. He holds an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at UNC Chapel Hill and MS/BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University. Dan remains active in innovation ecosystems as a Techstars mentor and angel investor, continuing to advance patient-focused healthcare solutions.

Farid Seddighi, PhD, joined Haselmeier, a medmix Brand in august 2025 and leads the Technology and Operations department. In the past he has been Head of the Device Project Group at Gerresheimer  Advanced Technology and was responsible for the development of medical devices in the regulated area. Dr Seddighi studied Physics in Kiel (Germany) and Bern (Switzerland). He has experience in development processes in basic research (NASA), as well as in the laser and semiconductor industry (Carl Zeiss AG), and in the development and lifecycle management of insulin pens and autoinjectors for biologics (Sanofi).

Konstantinos Tzortzakis is a Co-Founder and the Chief Business Officer of Anodyne, where since the company’s inception in 2019 he has led pharmaceutical partnerships across multiple modalities and built a pipeline of next-generation cardiometabolic treatments.

An engineer-turned-entrepreneur, Konstantinos holds a Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens and an M.Sc. in Innovation and Management from Tufts University. He is also one of the key inventors of Anodyne’s proprietary technology.

Jake Lombardo has been Co-Founder and CEO at Anodyne since its inception in early 2019, leading the company through its first successful clinical trial and into clinical development for its lead GLP-1 asset. He brings a unique combination of biomedical engineering expertise and entrepreneurial acumen. Under his leadership, Anodyne has also secured substantial venture capital funding and advanced from concept to a platform company developing multiple, next-generation cardiometabolic treatments.

He holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Union College and an M.Sc. in Innovation and Management from Tufts University. Jake is also one of the key inventor of Anodyne’s proprietary technology.