GBSH Dragons' Den Final - Live Pitching Event

Paul Tomasic

Head of European Healthcare, Managing Director

Houlihan Lokey

Paul has been in active in healthcare advisory, including M&A and Advisory, for 25 years, currently heading up the European effort at Houlihan Lokey.  Previously, he held the same role at Citi and Royal Bank of Canada, having started his career at UBS.  Prior to entering investment banking, Paul obtained a law degree from the London School of Economics and holds B.S. from the Stern School of Business at NYU.  

Dr Vanessa Dekou

Managing Director

Clinical Services International (CSI)

Vanessa is the Managing Director of Clinical Services International (CSI), a leading biopharmaceutical service provider of clinical trial supplies. With over 20 years of experience in drug development, market access, and commercialization, she leads a team of experts who offer a fully integrated service for comparator sourcing, reference listed drugs, regulatory advice, and supply chain management.

As a scientist-entrepreneur, Vanessa has a passion for advancing immuno-oncology studies with world-leading access to branded medicines, generics, and biosimilars. She has secured product registration for several orphan and first-in-class drugs, and has worked with some of the largest biopharmaceutical and biotech companies to provide innovative solutions. She is also a board member at Cambridge Judge Business School, a fellow at Royal Society of Medicine, and an advisor to Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. Vanessa holds a PhD in Cardiovascular Genetics from UCL, an MBA from Cambridge, and a Masters in Market Access from University of Lyon.

Dr Ruth Weir

Head of Entrepreneurship

UCL

Ruth’s distinguished career began in academic research, earning her PhD in Neuroscience from University College London (UCL). She subsequently served five years as a post-doctoral researcher at the renowned MIND Institute in Sacramento, California, furthering research into the neuropathological underpinnings of autism.

In 2020, Ruth transitioned to UCL’s Innovation & Enterprise division, where she now leads the Entrepreneurship team. In this capacity, she oversees UCL’s comprehensive extracurricular entrepreneurial programming, which encompasses the building of entrepreneurial mindsets to enhance employability outcomes, facilitating ideation processes, and supporting startup development. Her leadership extends to the competitive Hatchery programme, operated at BaseKX-UCL’s dedicated incubator facility situated in the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter.
 

Jamal Butt

Entrepreneur in Residence

Cambridge University

Jamal has over 30 years’ experience in healthcare service transformation, digital technology and commercial operations. He is currently the Entrepreneur in Residence at Cambridge University, where he promotes the commercialisation of spin-out companies, and sits as a NED roles on several life science companies. He is also a Venture Partner at Plutus Investment Group and Commercial Director at Wello2. He is a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a Vice Chair at NHS SWL ICB. He was previously the CEO of MedAdvisor UK, one of the world’s largest SaaS medication management platforms, and was also on the Pharmacy board of both Boots UK and Lloyds Pharmacy UK. He studied Pharmacy at UCL and Finance and Management at Oxford University.