Leadership Team

Joe Dupere is a founder of Ixaka and has served as Chief Executive Officer since February 2015. Joe has more than 25 years of drug development, operational and research management, M&A, business development and fund-raising experience in the biopharmaceutical and healthcare investment banking sectors. Joe was previously an independent business development and finance advisor for the healthcare sector and Head of Business Development at Riemser Pharma GmbH. Joe has also held senior healthcare investment banking positions at Deutsche Bank and Bear Stearns in London and New York. Prior to joining Bear Stearns he led early-stage drug development programs in neurology and psychiatric disease research at Glaxo Wellcome.

Joe received his B.Sc. in Neuroscience (First Class) from the University of Manchester, Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Bristol and MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

Chris has more than 15 years’ experience as a finance professional. His career started in audit for Grant Thornton UK LLP where he gained his qualification as a Chartered Accountant (ACA – ICAEW). Post qualification he moved into Private Equity and Venture Capital specialising in fostering fast growing technology start-up companies. He joined ORA Capital Partners Ltd, an AIM listed investment vehicle specialising in early stage technology companies. In 2013 he joined Oxford Pharmascience Group Plc as Chief Financial Officer where he had full responsibility for all financial, legal and HR functions in the AIM listed group.

He is currently Finance Director of OxSonics Therapeutics, a privately held medical device company, CFO and board director of Oxford Advanced Surfaces, an industrial surface modifications company and also a founder director of Connexin Therapeutics Limited, a start-up biotech focussed on the ophthalmology sector.

Chris Hill graduated in Economics and Public Policy in 2001 from Leeds Metropolitan University where he combined his studies with a professional rugby career.

Gilbert Wagener, M.D., has served as Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer of Ixaka since July 2020. Gilbert is an expert in immunological based drug development, cardiovascular and orphan diseases with three decades experience leading clinical research in cardiovascular, immune-mediated and CNS indications, including biopharmaceuticals, antibodies and cell and gene therapies. Prior to Ixaka, Gilbert was a Senior Partner at TranScrip acting in an interim CMO capacity including cell and gene therapies most recently for Sonsorion S.A. Previously Gilbert served as VP for cardiovascular clinical research at Genzyme Europe responsible for stem cell and gene therapy and dual biologic therapy proof-of-concept trials in cardiovascular, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis indication as well as European medical due diligence. Prior to Genzyme, Gilbert was Director of Global Clinical Strategy Cardiovascular at Bayer Healthcare AG where he led late-stage development, life cycle management, phase 1 and proof-of-concept studies with a particular interest in clinical trial design and adoption of new products into medical practice.

Gilbert studied and practiced human medicine at Marburg University Hospitals, Germany with an MD thesis in pharmacology and clinical practice in Neurophysiology and clinical Neurology. He also earned an MBA in Pharmaceutical Medicine from the University of Basel, Switzerland and a PhD in Epidemiology/Public Health at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Gilbert is a fellow of the European Society of Hypertension and a member of the European Society of Cardiology cardiovascular pharmacology and drug therapy working group; BIA Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine Advisory Committee; German Society of Pharmacology and Toxicology; and the German Society of Physiology.

Renaud Vaillant holds a Master in Computer Science from the Ecole Centrale. One year before graduation, he completed an entrepreneurship program which allowed him to acquire business skills, and gave him the opportunity to create his first biotech company, Cryolog, a company that develops and markets traceability solutions for the Healthcare market and the Retail sector.

He then joined Theravectys at the end of 2009 and became Chief Executive Officer in 2010 to accelerate the company’s structuring efforts. In less than 6 years, he provided the company with €74 million in financing, including €42.6 million in fundraising.

In 2015 he left Theravectys and decided to put his business and entrepreneurial expertise at the service of aratinga.bio of which he is the founder.

Renaud VAILLANT is also involved in the creation, development, and financing of other start-ups in the field of energy (DualSun), Tech (Stootie) and Fintech (Mooncard, Finfrog). He was also for 12 years an independent director of SES-imagotag, a company listed on Euronext.

Cécile Bauche completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Paris University at the Institut Gustave Roussy. She then joined the Institut Pasteur for a 4-year post-doctoral fellowship where she worked on therapeutic developments of procaryotic proteins (adenylcyclase).

She then joined the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Cachan where she coordinated for 2 years a European network of excellence (Clinigene) dedicated to viral vectors and their applications in gene therapy. In 2007, she joined Theravectys a spin-off of the Institut Pasteur, at the inception of the company; in 2011 she became the Chief Scientific Officer. In 2012, the authorization of a phase I/II clinical trial was granted for a therapeutic vaccine using lentiviral vector technology to treat HIV- positive patients. Following the success of the clinical trial – (first in production, first in man), the company, under the leadership of Cécile BAUCHE, embarked on an ambitious development program in the oncology field (incl. a novel CAR T program) and the construction of a GMP bioproduction unit dedicated to the manufacture of lentiviral vectors. Since January 2016, she decided to put her scientific expertise in immuno-oncology and gene therapy at the service of aratinga.bio of which she is the founder.

Juan Jesús joined the company in February 2020 as Managing Director for the Iberian region. JJ is an experienced senior executive manager highly skilled in leading human teams to reach corporative goals. JJ has more than 25 years in executive managing positions, 20 of them in the Health Sector. JJ started his career in Price Waterhouse. Prior to joining Ixaka, JJ was Managing Director of VIDIA group, Managing Director of the Andalusian Foundation for Health Research, Director of the Andalusian Health ICT Strategy, Technical Director in the Andalusian Agency for Health Quality Assessment, among other Executive management positions.

JJ received a degree in Economics from the University of Málaga, as well as a Master in Health Business administration from the University of Granada and an Expert Degree in Health services Management from ESADE Business & Law School.

Sadia joined Ixaka in January 2021, bringing 23 years of manufacturing and supply experience, the majority of those in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.  Most recently at Sangamo Therapeutics where Sadia served as Senior Director Manufacturing and Supply Chain. In this role, Sadia managed the relationship and technical transfer activities with Sangamo’s Contract Manufacturing Organization (CMO) for Clinical Trials Supply. Sadia was also responsible for the set-up of the supply chain for the CARTreg programs, working closely with the clinical teams to ensure provision for clinical supply.

Prior to Sangamo Therapeutics, Sadia spent 17 years at GlaxoSmithKline in the UK, where she held several leadership and management roles in technical support to Commercial Manufacture, she was also Plant Manager for Clinical trials API manufacture, and managed large Clinical supply chains. Sadia spent her last 6 years at GSK as part of the CGT platform. In her last role as Supply Chain Director, Cell & Gene Therapy, she implemented a global supply chain for autologous cell and gene therapy products for Rare Diseases and Oncology and established the supply chain aspects for the launch of Strimvelis. Prior to GSK, Sadia worked in France for nearly 5 years designing and commissioning fertilizer plants worldwide.

Sadia is a senior manufacturing and industry leader who brings with her a substantial level of international business experience and is bilingual French and English.

Sadia holds an MBA from the Warwick Business School, UK and a Master’s in Chemical Engineering (Ingénieur Génie Chimique) from the Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC), France. Additionally, Sadia is also a qualified development Coach from the Coaching Academy, London.