From seed funding and grants through to growth equity and strategic investment, animal health companies rely on multiple forms of capital over their lifetime. Panellists explore how and when different investors engage, and the criteria they use to assess commercial readiness, including regulatory planning, routes to market, manufacturing decisions, and long-term strategic alignment.
Panellists
Spencer Swayze
Managing Director
Osiris Growth Capital
Nicky Deasy
CEO
ALTA Corporate Finance
Rob Readnour
Managing Director
Mountain Group Capital Partners
Dr. Readnour currently serves on or has visitation rights to the following companies: AgTech Accelerator, a unique startup accelerator focused on discovering and developing emerging agricultural technology companies, Skyline Vet Pharma, a company that is developing veterinary pharmaceuticals using proven delivery technologies to reformulate drugs with established animal health markets, and Boragen, a company that is developing small molecule approaches focused on leveraging the unique chemical properties of boron chemistry, both in crop protection and animal health.
Prior to joining MGP, Dr. Readnour worked at Elanco Animal Health for 27 years. During his Elanco tenure, he held several senior management positions in which he was responsible for developing and executing Elanco’s Research and Development strategies for entering several new business areas (companion animal pharmaceuticals, vaccines and enzymes). In 2017, these new business areas accounted for nearly 50% of Elanco’s $3.0 billion in sales. Dr. Readnour played an important role in Elanco’s acquisition and integration of Novartis Animal Health, Lohmann Animal Health, ChemGen and Janssen Animal Health. Within Elanco, Dr. Readnour led several initiatives to transform Research and Development through the piloting of new approaches to developing animal health products. He developed and led Elanco’s new technology scouting, acquisition and due diligence efforts. He pioneered a lean product development model which allowed Elanco to enter new areas of business without significant capital investment. He led initial efforts for Elanco to invest in early stage companies and partner with external funding sources to develop products with minimal initial investment from Elanco. Dr. Readnour served as a member of the Food and Agriculture Section of Bio International Board and as an External Advisory Board member for University of Illinois Animal Science Department.
Prior to entering management in Elanco, Dr. Readnour was an internationally recognized expert on animal health product development, analytical chemistry, human food safety and drug residues with 11 publications and 14 external presentations. Throughout his career, Dr. Readnour was responsible for the development and commercialization of 10 animal health products. Dr. Readnour received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from University of Illinois in 1990.
Progress in animal health depends on the ability for Innovation and Regulation to work in parallel. This fireside chat explores how regulatory frameworks can enable responsible innovation, support timely market access, and maintain public trust.
The discussion will examine how regulators and industry can engage earlier and more effectively across the innovation lifecycle, from development through commercialisation, to better serve veterinarians, producers, and pet owners. Panellists will share perspectives on current priorities, emerging technologies, and the practical realities of aligning scientific progress with regulatory expectations.
Panellists
Kristin Peck
Chief Executive Officer
Zoetis
Dr. Timothy Schell
Director for the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
FDA
Hugo Denton
Chief Growth Officer
Devcos
Hugo Denton is the Chief Growth Officer at Devcos and the third generation driving his family’s legacy in the beauty industry. He works with brands around the world to bring new products to life across skin, color, SPF/OTC, personal care, and haircare. Focused on innovation, speed, compliance and quality, Hugo is passionate about helping brands grow while building on Devcos’ 60-year legacy.
Robert Zolynas
Head of Clinical Operations NA
Clinaxel
- By registering your interest to these sessions, you are agreeing for your information to be shared with the host.
- The host of the workshop reserves the right to refuse entry to any organisation that they feel may be competitive.
- You will receive confirmation of workshop registration via email prior to the event.
An exploration of how illicit compounding intersects with patent protections, market exclusivity, and the proposed EU pharma package revisions shaping the future of pharmaceutical innovation.
Raquel Frisardi
Associate Corporate Counsel
Novo Nordisk
With the UPC now established, its impact on national litigation in key life sciences jurisdictions is becoming clearer. This session examines how the UPC’s decisions intersect with proceedings in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the US. Speakers will explore recent cases, including BSH v. Electrolux and Fujifilm v. Kodak, assessing the reach of the UPC, divergence in substantive law, and the evolving balance between national and supranational enforcement.
- Discuss the impact of early UPC rulings on litigation strategies in the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands
- Analyse the long-arm reach of the UPC and lessons from cases such as BSH v. Electrolux and Fujifilm v. Kodak
- Compare how national courts and the UPC apply substantive law in overlapping disputes
- Evaluate strategic considerations for coordinating litigation in the UPC versus national and US courts
Mike Gilbert
Partner
Marks & Clerk
Mike Gilbert is a partner at Marks & Clerk in London. He is an Intellectual Property (IP) lawyer who advises clients in a wide variety of business sectors on issues including litigation and dispute resolution, IP strategy and risk limitation, due diligence projects and commercial and licensing transactions involving IP. His primary focus and expertise, however, lies in life sciences patent litigation where he is considered to be one of the UK’s leading practitioners. He has represented some of the world’s leading biopharmaceutical corporations in complex patent and technical disputes including Genentech, Roche, Chugai, Pfizer, Wyeth, AstraZeneca, MedImmune, Daiichi Sankyo, AbbVie, Amgen and Illumina to name but a few. Mike is well known for his strategic and creative vision and is consistently recommended in various legal directories including the World IP Review, Legal 500, Who's Who Legal and the IAM Patent 1000 guide, which describe him as “always at the top of the pile, especially for pharmaceutical matters”. Mike graduated from Cambridge University in 1989 with a degree in chemical engineering.
Daniel Hoppe
Partner
Bonabry
Denis Schertenleib
Partner
Schertenleib Avocats
Daan De Lange
Partner
Brinkhof
This 20 minute session unpacks the implications of G1/23 and explores how recent Board of Appeal decisions are reshaping product launch strategies in Europe. Gain practical insights into how these rulings affect exclusivity, regulatory interplay, and the timing of market entry.
James Horgan
Chief IP Counsel- Policy & Litigation
MSD
Carsten Richter
Head of IP
Euroimmun
Maria Balestriero
Of Counsel
Portolano Cavallo