A Call to Lead @LifeScience ORG

How does a United States Air Force officer end up leading a European biotech company?Is there an advantage to leading a company that’s based half a world away?And are you doing a regrets analysis as part of your decision-making?This week I’m joined by Mark Gaffney, a Boston-based CEO leading Calluna Pharma. Calluna is a Norwegian company developing therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, such as IPF – but we’ll get into the science later in the episode.First, Mark shares his story on what drew him into life science and how he got from the US air force and into C-suite.About LifeScience ORGIt’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.Timestamps1:30 - From Military Service to Biotech Leadership1:45 - Personal Motivation: Fighting Retinitis Pigmentosa3:10 - Career Transition: Law to Life Sciences5:36 - Stepping Up to CEO: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome7:49 - Leadership Lessons from the Air Force12:00 - Leading Across Continents: Virtual Leadership Strategies16:14 - The Regrets Analysis: A Decision-Making Framework20:03 - European Biotech Innovation and Efficiency22:13 - Calluna Pharma: Tackling IPF with Novel Targets24:02 - Navigating Risk in Novel Target Development25:35 - Ecosystem Support for Inflammatory Disease Research28:32 - Building and Empowering High-Performance Teams

What inspires a theoretical physicist to start a drug invention company?How do you choose the right co-founder when you're coming from academia?And, in a multi-site, multi-cultural European organisation – how does a leader manage communication with the team?I’m joined by Maximilien Levesque, physics academic turned entrepreneur, CEO and co-founder of Paris and London-based company AQEMIA. Aqemia uses a mix of physics and generative AI to invent therapeutics for poorly treated diseases.More on the science towards the end of the episode, but first Max explains what inspired him to found AQEMIA and how he's faced challenges from selecting a co-founder to communicating and maintaining team alignment as his company grows in two locations.About LifeScience ORGIt’s no secret that Europe is a global leader in generating translational science. We’re grateful at LifeScience ORG to have a community of over 400 life science CEOs – leaders driving change in biotech, medtech, techBio and healthcare.The conversations inside our community – stories of conviction, navigating challenges, and making bold decisions – inspire us every week. To hear the stories, lessons, and experiences of our life science leaders, listen to A Call to Lead @ LifeScience ORG, available on all good podcasting platforms.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and Host Welcome00:27 Max's Story05:08 Challenges and Realizations in the Leadership Journey07:09 Finding the Right Co-Founder10:32 Building a Multicultural, Multidisciplinary Company13:44 Maintaining Team Alignment14:50 European Life Science Landscape17:09 Generative AI in Drug Discovery24:42 Vision for the Future26:23 Leadership Insights

This isn't Jack O'Meara's first rodeo. As CEO of Ochre Bio, he saw the company bring in millions to develop pioneering RNA therapies for liver disease. With his new venture Aerska, he's looking at bringing the transformative potential of targeted RNA therapy to the realm of neurological disease.In this episode of A Call to Lead, David Kirk speaks with Jack O’Meara, CEO and co-founder of Aerska, about his personal story behind tackling neurodegenerative disease and the realities of leading biotech companies in Europe. Jack shares candid lessons on decision-making, context-driven leadership, and building transatlantic networks to scale innovation.

Biotech leader Avencia Sánchez-Mejías, CEO of Integra Therapeutics, joins A Call to Lead to share her leadership and entrepreneurship story, as well as her take on innovation in Europe’s fast-rising life sciences ecosystem. In this episode of A Call To Lead, Avencia shares lessons on resilience, uncertainty, diversity, and the human side of leadership in science-driven entrepreneurship. Listen to her journey from academia to biotech CEO, her vision for safer gene editing, and how resilient leadership is reshaping European biotechnology.

How do you lead a company across continents and through uncertainty?In this episode of A Call to Lead, David Kirk speaks with Samir Ounzain, CEO and scientific co-founder of Haya Therapeutics. Samir shares how a lifelong curiosity about how cells “speak” to their environment led him from academia to building a company at the frontier of RNA-guided medicine. He reflects on what it takes to lead through uncertainty, translate visionary science into tangible therapies, and build culture and alignment across continents. This conversation is a masterclass in marrying deep biology with purposeful leadership.

The birth of Alexandre Le Vert's daughter amidst a global 'flu scare put him on the path to leadership.Now, he's the co-founder and executive Chair of Osivax, a clinical-stage biotech company focusing on vaccine research and development based in Lyon, France. In this episode of A Call To Lead, Alex shares his series of fortunate events that led him to co-found Osivax, challenges he faced getting to grips with the legal obligations of leadership, and the lessons he learned from great mentors along the way.

Lisa Deschamps comes from a commercial, non-scientific background and now leads London-based CNS gene therapy company AviadoBio, following a highly successful career at Novartis Gene Therapies. In this episode of A Call To Lead, Lisa shares her story of how a chance conversation drove her from a career in fashion into therapeutics, taking her across Europe and the US, from commercialising big-name therapies to leading in life science as a CEO.

Some entrepreneurial lessons are learned early – like the power of not going it alone.In A Call To Lead, Dominik Schumacher, CEO of Tubulis shares his thoughts on the leaders’ role in European life science and why trust and partnership sit at the heart of every breakthrough.

Research is limited by our own thinking – until now.James Field, CEO and co-founder of LabGenius, reflects on becoming a first-time CEO, the challenges that came with founding a company and the contrast between traditional research and what's possible using modern tools and technology in this episode of A Call to Lead.

Ros Deegan, CEO of OMass Therapeutics, reflects on starting her biotech career in a downturn — and why that might have been the best teacher.In A Call To Lead, she shares why optionality has become central to her leadership, how she navigates constantly shifting paths, and what it takes to stay resilient when everything can change overnight.

A Call To Lead @ LifeScience ORG is our brand new podcast, showcasing the leadership, vision, and impact of European life science CEOs.  Each week, a European life science CEO and member of the LifeScience ORG community sits down for a candid one-on-one conversation about the experiences that shaped them, their defining moments, and what drives them to be a leader. Season One features eight episodes, including Ros Deegan (OMass Therapeutics), James Field (LabGenius Therapeutics), and Dominik Schumacher (Tubulis GmbH).