How diversity & inclusion matter in the workplace

Research has shown that a more diverse and inclusive work place improves team performance, productivity and profit. An inclusive and diverse environment allows more wider perspectives to be integrated when brainstorming, problem solving and developing new ideas in business.

In this panel discussion, four professionals will highlight this topic from different angles, share personal stories and discuss their experiences regarding diversity & inclusion in the workplace.

Juliane Bernholz | COO, AM Pharma

Dr. Juliane Bernholz has over 27 years’ experience working in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry in a variety of senior R&D and business development roles. She joined AM-Pharma as Chief Operating Officer in October 2019.

Prior to joining AM-Pharma Juliane was a Compound Development Team Leader at Janssen R&D LLC in New Jersey, US, where she was responsible for leading the development of a next generation anticoagulant and CRISPR-Cas3 enhanced bacteriophage therapy. Before her time at Janssen, Juliane held a number of international leadership roles in big Pharma and Biotech companies. These included Lead for International Partnering in the Diabetes Division at Sanofi-Aventis in Frankfurt, Germany where she successfully executed a cell therapy and drug discovery collaboration deal. She also served as Senior Global Program Head of the Critical Care Franchise at Novartis Pharma, where she led work on its cystic fibrosis projects. Her prior career included a variety of senior roles at Actelion, Novartis, Ciba and Sandoz.

Juliane holds a PhD in Cell biology from the Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Erik van den Berg | CEO, AM-Pharma

Erik van den Berg serves as CEO at AM-Pharma from 2011 and has over 25 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Previously he was a Senior Executive at Organon where he was responsible for global biotechnology business development. Prior to joining Organon, Erik worked in business and corporate development at the biotechnology company IsoTis, and as a Management Consultant at Arthur D. Little. Erik has been involved in the execution of over 20 transactions and partnerships, including a $600M alliance with Pfizer, $290M partnership with Kyowa Kirin and raised close to €500M in equity and debt financing for biotechnology companies from seed through IPO. Erik is co-founder and board member of Lava Therapeutics (NASDAQ listed company) and board member of Lead Pharma, Step Pharma and previously the Dutch biotechnology organization.

Ellen Lefever | General Counsel, AgomAb Therapeutics

Ellen Lefever joined Agomab as General Counsel in 2021. She is responsible for the company’s legal affairs and advises on the company’s transactional matters. Ellen also acts as secretary to the Board of Directors. She previously served as Deputy General Counsel at Galapagos, where she led the corporate law department. Prior to this, she worked at corporate law firms Linklaters, Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett and Eubelius where she focused on M&A and capital markets transactions. Ellen holds an LL.M. in Corporate Governance & Practice from Stanford Law School and a master’s degree in law from the University of Leuven.

Tim Knotnerus | CEO, AgomAb Therapeutics

Tim Knotnerus is CEO and member of the Board of Directors of AgomAb, a clinical stage biotech company translating a deep expertise in growth factor biology to develop novel treatments that aim to resolve fibrosis, repair tissue structure and restore organ function. The team raised around $100M financing from top US and EU investors. Prior to AgomAb, Tim held the position of VP Corporate Development at AM-Pharma where he and the team executed a Phase IIb trial in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury, secured an option-to-buy deal with Pfizer and raised significant private financing rounds.

Prior to that, Tim was a Senior Associate at Aescap Venture, a VC fund investing in European medical companies. Tim is a Henri Termeer Fellow and holds an executive MBA from IMD, where he was named Valedictorian. He earned a Science and Innovation Masters and a Drug Innovation Masters from Utrecht University.