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Dr. Mirko Stange
Born in Bremen, Germany in 1974, Dr. Mirko Stange is a diagnostics and life sciences expert with a proven track record in turning around and commercializing innovations. He possesses extensive executive management experience, having led diagnostics and biotech startups, as well as developing and conducting consulting products. Following the completion of his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Stange began his career in 2004 at the strategy consultancy McKinsey. Subsequently, he worked with the turnaround-specialized advisory firm Droege & Comp., primarily serving clients from the pharma and chemistry industry in Germany and Switzerland.
In 2008, he founded an independent Life Sciences consultancy in Germany where, to date, he leads and directs a team of international experts. This team identifies and funds SMEs with high potential for national and international leverage. In addition to his over ten years of experience in independent corporate finance and management consulting, Mirko Stange provides interim management services to selected clients. To date, three companies co-founded and managed/advised by Dr. Stange have been successfully exited. Leveraging his scientific background, he is also a named inventor on several granted and pending patents.
John Riddle
John Riddle is a Managing Director and member of the BGL Executive Committee. He has more than 30 years of investment banking and capital markets experience, advising clients across a broad spectrum of mergers and acquisitions, capital markets activities, and strategic assignments.
John leads BGL’s advisory activities in the Healthcare & Life Sciences investment banking group, which comprises both corporate investment banking and real estate capital markets capabilities. Together with his team, John maintains an ongoing coverage effort with broad activity across several sectors, including health facilities, physician services, and ancillary providers; diagnostics and research tools; medical device and products; and select healthcare technology verticals, including payor services, data analytics, and clinical automation.
Christoph Brandenberger is a Managing Director at BGL and a leader in the firm’s Diagnostics, Research Tools & Medical Devices investment banking group. He has more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, commercialization and partnering agreements, and private placements.
A native of Austria and fluent in German, Christoph’s investment banking experience, coupled with his background in international business, has made him a sought-after advisor in both the domestic and international healthcare markets.
Prior to joining BGL, Christoph served as managing director for Healthios Capital Markets, LLC. Christoph started his career as a financial analyst for Bank of America Securities.
Oliver Dick
Oliver brings 30+ years of experience in the life sciences industry, has worked in pharma, biotechnology and in vitro diagnostics. His areas of expertise fall under Supply Chain Management, Planning, Production, QC, QA, Engineering, Technology Transfer and Process Improvement. Amongst his vast experience, Oliver held functions such as Vice President of Global Manufacturing at QIAGEN, Chief Operating Officer at Miltenyi Biotec or Chief Operating Office of Resolve Biosciences. He demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in driving manufacturing excellence on a global scale.
Oliver has a proven ability to streamline processes, optimize production efficiency, and foster a culture of innovation. He was responsible for strategy development, scaling, cost control and quality and was part of multiple M&A projects and transfer of many new products from acquisition or own development. Today Oliver offers his expertise mainly through his own Consultancy Service Company ODICON.
Klaus Dieter Langner
Born in Bayreuth, Germany, in 1956, Dr Klaus-Dieter Langner is a life sciences expert with more than 30 years experience in the development of new biological and new chemical entities.
After completing his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at the University of Cologne (Institute of Genetics) in 1986, he started his career at Behringwerke AG (a subsidiary of the former Hoechst AG), where he focused on the production of recombinant human plasma proteins and the development of the first recombinant immunomodulators.
From 1992, he held various management positions including Head of the Corporate Coordination Office of the Executive Board, where he was responsible for leading the strategic reorganisation of the company.
In 1998, Dr Langner was appointed Head of Research at Grünenthal GmbH, responsible for all pre-clinical activities related to Grünenthal´s programmes in the areas of pain and certain neurological diseases.
In 2010, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer for the Strategic Business Unit Grünenthal Innovation and joined the Executive Committee as Chief Scientific Officer in 2013. Dr. Langner has been an active board member of several international start-up companies. Today he is an investor and business angel for healthcare and technology companies.
Seppo Mäkinen
Born in Sweden 1952 and educated in Finland, after his MSc degree ( physical chemistry ) in 1979 Seppo Mäkinen was running an analytical laboratory and became expert in chromatography. After R&D he jumped from customer to Sales & Marketing creating successful business in the Nordics for the Waters liquid chromatography company.
In 1987 he started his career in financing/ investment business, first as Director / Biosciences generalist fund called Sitra, after that co-founder of venture capital company BioFund, which he sold 2008 to a Danish banking group Capinordic. Since then he has acted as serial entrepreneur, investing in early stage medtech, diagnostic, digital health companies and at the same time working as partner / regional partner for the funds Merieux Developpement, France and Pathena, Portugal.
Seppo Mäkinen has been active board member/owner in about 50 international companies with active role in companies like Pharming healthcare, Exiqon, Ginolis, Kone Instruments (ThermoFisher), Wallac (PerkinElmer), Merlin Diagnostica and many others. He has been member of the board in many listed companies like Bittium Oyj and Optomed Oyj, ValiRx plc and always had an active role in building the international business. Since 2018 he has successfully exited about one company p.a. from his own portfolio. His main expertise these days is in telemedicine, digital health / AI and healthcare services combined with diagnostics and therapeutics.
Thomas Schweins
Dr. Thomas Schweins is a Senior Vice President at QIAGEN, a leading Life Science Tools and Diagnostic company that specializes in the development and manufacture of advanced Sample and Assay Technologies for molecular biology. During his 20-year tenure, the company grew from about 250 MUSD to more than 2 BUSD in Sales1. At QIAGEN, Thomas was involved in the acquisition and integration of more than 50 biotech companies for total value of more than 3 BUSD.
Thomas joined QIAGEN’s Executive Committee in 2004 as Senior Vice President Marketing & Strategy. In this position, he played a key role in steering the global business towards Life Science and Diagnostic customers. In addition, Thomas has been the global Head of HR where he and his team introduced a new operating system to maximize the human capital of the company. Since 2016 he is responsible for the Life Science Business of QIAGEN, which generated in 2023 one billion USD in revenues with an EBIT margin of more than 40%. Prior to working at QIAGEN, Thomas Schweins worked at The Boston Consulting Group as a Principal in the Health-Care and Corporate-Development Practice before joining QIAGEN. Prior to that, he worked for Hoechst / Aventis as a Technology Manager and later as an Assistant to the Management Board.
Thomas earned his M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Hanover and his Ph.D. from the Max Planck Society, where he was awarded in 1995 for his work with the Otto-Hahn medal1. He also received an M.Sc. from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he studied from 1991 to 1994 Business Administration and Chemistry in Arieh Warshel lab, who was awarded the Nobel prize for Chemistry in 2013.
Thomas has a passion for science, innovation, and entrepreneurship, which is evident from his extensive experience in the biotechnology industry. He is also an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys mountain and road biking, among other sports. Thomas will join SLS Ventures following his retirement from Qiagen.
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