Board of directors

< Back

JÉRÔME VAN BIERVLIET

Managing Director of VIB

Board member

JÉRÔME VAN BIERVLIET

Jérôme Van Biervliet is Managing Director of VIB and head of the VIB Innovation and Business office of VIB. VIB is an excellence-based, life science research institute with a long track-record in entrepreneurial commercialisation of scientific discoveries. VIB has started 24 biotech start-up companies, many developing novel therapeutics. Jérôme serves on the board of Confotherapeutics, Oncurious, Augustine Therapeutics and Vbio Ventures.

Prior to becoming Managing Director at VIB, he was Head of Business Development and Head of VIB Discovery Sciences, VIB’s early drug discovery unit. Jérôme was a consultant at Bain & Company, a strategic business consultancy, and Clinical instructor in veterinary internal medicine at Cornell University. He holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the KU Leuven, a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine degree from Gent University and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

In his free time, Jérôme enjoys his family, his animals, outdoor activities and woodworking.

Read bio

ERICA WHITTAKER

VP & Head of UCB Ventures

Board member

ERICA WHITTAKER

Erica is Vice President & Head of UCB Ventures, a €150 million strategic corporate venture fund which was set up to invest in innovative, longer term and higher risk therapeutic and digital health opportunities beyond UCB’s current focus areas. She is Chair of the Board of Rinri Therapeutics, and on the Board of Directors of two other UCB Ventures’ portfolio companies, StrideBio and Ally Therapeutics.

Prior to joining UCB, Erica spent 10 years as a top-ranked biotechnology equity analyst for Merrill Lynch in London (1999-2009). Erica received BA degrees in Biology and in Comparative Literature from Brown University (Rhode Island USA). She obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Edinburgh, and later an MBA from Heriot-Watt University Business School in Edinburgh.

She enjoys running, cycling & family holidays, especially spending time with her two daughters, aged 13 and 16 years.

Read bio

STEF HEYLEN

Represents SFPI-FPIM

Board member

STEF HEYLEN

Stef Heylen representing SFPI-FPIM on the board, brings over 30 years of pharmaceutical drug development and executive management experience over a wide range of therapeutic and functional areas. He has previously held senior positions as Managing Director of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Belgium, and Chief Operating Officer, Development, Janssen R&D globally. Stef was a member of the Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Group Operating Committee. Stef obtained his M.D. at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and the Prince Leopold Institute for Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium.

Read bio

Halina Novak

Represents Fund+

Board member

HALINA NOVAK

Halina Novak, PhD, is a Partner at Fund+. Halina brings extensive experience in technology innovation, investment and alliance management and is currently serving on multiple Biotech boards across Europe. Formerly, Halina held several leadership positions at VIB, the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology and worked at the intersection between industry, pharma and academia, leading large multi-stakeholder collaborations. Notably, she headed the Tech Watch Program and established the Technology Innovation Lab, where unique strategies were developed to identify, invest in, and evaluate breakthrough life science technologies in collaboration with start-ups and pharma. Many of these early-stage investments in disruptive tools have since revolutionised the Life Sciences. Halina started her career at Unilever on a fellowship that developed novel applications of industrial enzymes after having graduated from the University of Exeter with a PhD and BSc in Biological Sciences and Biological and Medicinal Chemistry, respectively.

Read bio

KATJA ROSENKRANZ

Partner at V-Bio Ventures

Board Observer

KATJA ROSENKRANZ

Katja is a Partner at V-Bio Ventures, a pan-European venture fund dedicated to investments into early stage medicines and therapeutic platforms with breakthrough potential. Katja is on the Boards of AgomAb and dualyx. She previously served on the Boards of Omeicos and amcure.

Before joining V-Bio Ventures in 2016, Katja spent more than 12 years in the life science venture business, worked as an analyst at PolyTechnos Venture-Partners and as CBO/CFO at Hepa Wash. Subsequently, Katja was a senior investment and project manager at Ascenion, where she managed the Spinnovator initiative to progress early academic inventions into spin-offs (a.o. Omeicos, Cardior, HepaRegeniX, amcure). Katja holds a PhD and MSc in Biochemistry and an Executive MBA in Medical Devices and Healthcare Management.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking/climbing, dancing and Ashtanga yoga.

Read bio

PHILIPPE DURIEUX

Partner at VIVES

Board Observer

PHILIPPE DURIEUX

Philippe joined Sopartec/VIVES in 2006 as CEO of Sopartec, the management company of the VIVES fund. He brings more than 15 years’ experience in venture capital and more a decade in the technology transfer activities.

In 2011, he participated in the creation of Europe's largest university seed fund, VIVES II, with €43m in capital. Philippe's expertise in creating high-tech companies, recruiting coherent teams and carrying out various exit/MBOs has been the driving force behind the positive results achieved since 2011.

Philippe is a Non-Executive Director in various companies invested by VIVES. He is also Chairman of a number of boards of directors and audit/remco committees.

Before joining Sopartec, Philippe was Senior Investment Manager at Dexia Ventures and Credit Analyst at WestLB.

Philippe has a master's degree in Economics from UCLouvain and a post-master's degree in Financial Management from Facultés St Louis.

Read bio