Speaker Bios:  (back to Event Summary)

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Bettina is passionate about people, digital transformation and loves transforming traditional setups into future fit companies. In her current position, Bettina is responsible for the strategy and evolution of the open digital business platform, Siemens Xcelerator, designed to accelerate the digital transformation of industries.
Bettina was born in Essen, Germany into a region that at the time was in full transformation from coal mining and heavy industry into service and technology hubs which deeply shaped her understanding of the need for change. She received a Masters Degree in publishing & communications, media science and social psychology from the Ruhr-University of Bochum before starting her career in marketing and sales at companies like Sony and Sony Ericsson. She soon changed to management positions in strategy and business development at IBP and BMW where her passion for transformation unfolded. She joined Siemens in 2018 where she helped building Siemens Advanta, the digital transformation branch of Siemens, moving onward in 2020 to drive the strategy for Siemens Xcelerator, where she is currently bringing together partners, developers, customers and Siemens to build a thriving ecosystem of players and solutions, tackling the big challenges of our industries today and in the future.

For more than 20 years already, Frank has been working for SAP in consulting, pre-sales, product management, business development and partnership roles. Since April 2022, he co-leads SAP’s industry partner management team and have the ability to cover a broad field of partner activities across all industry verticals that SAP serves with its line of business and industry-specific solutions. Earlier he focused on Energy and Natural Resources includes Chemicals, Mill Products & Mining, Oil, Gas & Energy, and Utilities. But now this larger variety in industries allows him to work with many different and highly experienced teams, working on numerous topics from strategy and ideation to monetization and go-to-market.

Frederic Bonfils is the Corporate Alliance Management Director for the Pierre Fabre Group, a position he has held since 2014.

He has been awarded the Certification Strategic Alliance Professional (CSAP) by the ASAP (Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals). He is an active member of the ASAP French chapter.

Frederic Bonfils joined the Pierre Fabre Group in 2005, and prior to taking on his current role in Alliance Management, he held various positions in marketing, international key account management and marketing/development. During this period, he worked in a wide-range of business units and therapeutic areas, including Oral Care, OTC, Urology, Respiratory and CNS. In all of these activities, the management of external partnerships played a prominent part of his responsibilities. Before joining Pierre Fabre, Frederic worked for Sanofi during 15 years, in Finance, local and international marketing and management of a profit center abroad. 

Thomas is Director at Bosch Management Consulting Innovation for Business & Digital Strategy. He works for more than 8 years "hands-on" on Business Model Innovation and especially Ecosystem approaches. Thomas had been Co-Founder of 2 Bosch Ecosystem approaches  (NEVONEX and Susteco) and had been responsible  - as part of the leadership team - for the business model & biz development as well as for partner acquisition and orchestration. Currently, he is deeply involved in Catena-X, an Ecosystem for the automotive supply chain. Furthermore, he is the initiator and lead of Ecosys@Bosch. Ecosys@Bosch is an internal Ecosystem approach that helps to unleash the power of ecosystems for Bosch's business.

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Catriona Hansbauer works as Director, Alliance Management in the Alliance Management Department in Business Development & Licensing. She manages priority and complex alliances across the BioPharma R&D Therapy Areas.

Prior to her current role, Catriona worked as External Innovation Manager in the Strategy and External Innovation Department within the CV, renal and metabolism area (CVRM). In that role, she managed key collaborations and supported the enhancement of the CVRM portfolio through in-licensing opportunities.

Before joining AstraZeneca in 2015, Catriona worked as a patent paralegal for the patent law firm Mitscherlich in Munich supporting patent attorneys in all phases of the patent prosecution process. Catriona has a MSc from the University of Gothenburg and a BA from the University of Regensburg in Germany. She is CA-AM (Certification of Achievement – Alliance Management) certified.

A recognised global leader in digital technology and business strategy with 27 years of experience building digital ecosystems for the leading FTSE100 and Fortune 500 companies. A successful leader with a robust track record and reputation for his energetic multinational team leadership, sales, technology background and strategy, value-based & consultative selling, business development and strategic marketing abilities. Extended expertise in the enterprise space across different industries and technology, with strong international experience, working in a matrix and complex environments and a proven track record of improving company performance and exceeding company sales revenue and targets through strategic business initiatives, marketing activities and customer relationships.

Ard-Pieter de Man PhD is a board room consultant and professor of Management Studies at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He is an internationally recognized thought leader in the areas of organizational forms, ecosystems, platforms, and alliances. As a consultant he advises organizations on these issues on a strategic level. He is the author of over a hundred articles and fifteen books: How to survive the organizational revolution, that helps managers make sense of new organizational forms, and the widely used Alliances: An executive guide to designing successful strategic partnership.

Colette, a Pharmacy Doctor and a Six Sigma Black Belt certified professional, is a strategic leader in the pharmaceutical industry with a successful track record spanning over 30 years. She is a member of The Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) and holds a Certificate of Achievement – Alliance Management certification (CA-AM). In 2021, Colette assumed the role of Senior Director of Alliance Management at Eli Lilly and Company, a position created to oversee the execution of the alliance strategy within the International Business Unit. Her responsibilities are multifaceted and centered around maximizing value creation. This includes streamlining governance and processes, enhancing alliance management capabilities within the affiliates, and resolving conflicts and business issues.

Prior to her current role, Colette spent over 7 years in Business Development, during which she gained a deep understanding of the selection process for alliance partners, the company’s guidelines for managing partnerships, and the structuring of complex deals. Her strong negotiation skills have been instrumental in positively influencing alliance teams and delivering the expected value.

Adam Kornetsky is a partner at Vantage Partners, where he focuses on life sciences and healthcare. Adam helps clients unlock the value of collaboration and achieve breakthrough results in a changing healthcare landscape. His experience includes advising organizations on building and executing alliance management capabilities, designing and implementing change management and organizational design initiatives, conducting partnership launches and health checks, and facilitating negotiation and conflict management training. Adam has also supported many clients in their goal of creating a more innovative business environment. Adam has co-authored several articles on navigating complexities in healthcare partnerships, on topics that include virtual alliance launches and engagement model due diligence. He speaks regularly at Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP) conferences and frequently leads workshops at the Strategic Alliance Management Congress, exploring topics such as “Managing and Executing Pharma-Digital Partnerships” and “Alliance Managers as Interventionists.”  

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Martijn’s career spans over 14 years including strategy, business development and partnerships, marketing, global sales and innovation roles. His current role is in the digital team of ZF’s Commercial Vehicles division. He is responsible for the digital alliances and eco system strategy for the Commercial Vehicle division. Overall, his goal is to drive long term business growth globally, through impactful strategic partnerships, M&A and the (co-) creation of innovative industry solutions.

Maarten’s career spans over 25 years in corporate innovation, business design, and ecosystem development across the banking and mobility industries. His current role is head of the innovation lab of ZF’s Commercial Vehicle division, where he is responsible for driving long-term innovation strategy through foresight, ideation, and cross-regional collaboration. At ZF, Maarten focuses on translating future trends and customer needs into scalable innovation fields, iPrograms, and technology-driven partnerships. Prior to ZF, he held several leading roles at Rabobank, where he built and led the bank’s open innovation efforts, corporate-startup programs, and intrapreneurship initiatives.

Overall, his goal is to shape sustainable, future-ready solutions by connecting ecosystems, empowering teams, and turning bold ideas into business impact.

Nicolas Becker, based in Berlin, DE, is currently a Senior Director Business Development and Licensing and and and Alliance Management at Bayer. Nicolas Becker brings experience from previous roles at Bayer China Co. Ltd., Bayer Pharma AG and Bayer Thai Co. Ltd

Katherine Kendrick is the Executive Director and Head of Alliance Management at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, a global biopharmaceutical company that develops life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases, who often have limited or no options. Katherine leads the Jazz Alliance Management team and department, delivering alliance portfolio management and value for global partnerships in development and commercial life cycle phases. Prior to joining Jazz in 2019, Katherine was with Eli Lilly & Company and Elanco Animal Health, where she established and led the Alliance Management organization. For more than 20 years, Katherine has focused on global clinical development and strategic alliance partnering in the human and animal health pharmaceutical sector. She is passionate about building and optimizing alliance teams and advising alliance leaders, enabling challenging decision-making with a patient-focused, alliance value-driven approach. Katherine holds a BS in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University and has been an active member of ASAP since 2011 holding a CSAP certification. It’s not all about work for Katherine—in her personal time, she is a veterinary nursing student at Purdue University and volunteers with the veterinary team for Save Elephant Foundation in Thailand, rescuing and rehabilitating endangered Asian Elephants.

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Ulf Engelbrecht, based in Munich, BY, DE, is currently a Director Brand Portfolio Management and Global Strategic Alliances at BSH Home Appliances Group. Ulf Engelbrecht brings experience from previous roles at BSH Home Appliances Group. Ulf Engelbrecht holds a 1992 - 1997 Masters in Geography @ Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München.

Deborah is currently responsible for developing activities under the Industrial/Innovation Strategy across the University of Oxford and is a senior member of the Innovation & Business Partnerships Team,where she engages with industry to build strategic partnerships that leverage the research strengths from the University.

Deborah has now been in Oxford for 5years and has been involved in a range of large initiatives that involved growing a consortia. She is currently project managing a relatively new programme that brings together 2 different sectors (Quantum Computing and Drug Discovery) and has 6 partner organisations, called the QuPharma programme. Then in 2021 she co-founded The Oxford Water Quality Centre that brings together under one umbrella, research from across the University to solve a myriad of problems related to water. Some of the themes that impact on human, animal and plant health, include AMR, hormones and pharmaceuticals in wastewater.

Developing strategic alliances and partnerships is an important part of the work she has done in the last 15years and she will be presenting some of the learning gained along the way.

Gordon Thompson is currently VP of Corporate Development and Partnerships at E.ON ONE. Gordon comes from a private equity back ground focused on Venture Capital and early stage technology companies. He joined innogy Innovation in 2017, where he worked as a Portfolio Manager before joining E.ON after E.On acquired innogy. He was part of the deal excitation teams which acquired gridX and envelio last year, which both are key strategic assets for enabling the energy transition. In his current role at E.ON ONE, he helps structures both Strategic Partnerships and M&A transactions with forward-thinking companies and technology developers. His team’s mission is to secure access to technologies and capabilities needed for E.ON ONE to lead the energy industry toward a greener, more connected, and sustainable future; while continuing to provide their customers and partners with reliable, cost-effective and sustainable energy solutions. Gordon has spent most of his career in the Berlin technology space, but as also made Private Equity investments into technology companies in North America, the UK and Eastern Europe. Gordon will be discussing, Tactics for securing key technologies needed for the energy transition, via the structuring of well-balanced Strategic Partnerships, that work economically for all parties involved.

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Bo Skaaning Jensen is Senior Alliance Director at Novo Nordisk A/S and holds a PhD in Molecular Physiology. Dr. Jensen is a father of two, and enjoys leisure activities such as reading novels, trekking and he is a passionate marathon runner. His career has involved basic science, drug discovery project management, line management, business development, alliance management and several C-suite positions. Since his first position as research scientist at the Danish CNS-focused Company, NeuroSearch, Dr. Jensen has been actively involved in collaborations and partnerships with academia, biotech companies and big pharma. With a track record from small start-ups, listed biotech companies and big pharma, Dr. Jensen has been involved in most aspects of alliance management from the early deal making discussions, via kick-offs and alliance execution to terminations

Louis Rinfret is a highly educated professional with a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, a Masters in Business from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, and a Bachelors in Business from the University of Victoria. He has a diverse academic background with a strong emphasis on technology and business studies.

In terms of professional experience, Louis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Allianceboard, showcasing his leadership and entrepreneurial skills. Prior to this role, he held various positions including Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Université du Québec, Digital Strategy Lead at CMC Research Institutes, Lecturer in Strategy at the University of Southampton, Senior Director at Expedia Cruiseshipcenters, Director at Business Objects, Product Manager at Infowave, and Research Professional at the Research Institute for SMEs. This demonstrates his broad expertise across academia, research, strategy, innovation, digital technology, and business management.

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Jan Twombly, CSAP, is president of The Rhythm of Business, a service provider with expertise in partnering, alliances, and collaboration offering consulting, education, data-rich assessments, and workflow automation. For over 20 years, she has been a leader in advancing the practice of alliance management. Her current emphasis is on ensuring alliance professionals focus on delivering the services of greatest value to stakeholders; upskilling alliance managers, alliance leaders, and team members, and digitizing alliance management workflow. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP), overseeing its editorial and content strategy. She is a frequent contributor to Strategic Alliance Quarterly, regularly speaks on collaboration and partnering, and is co-author of The Partnering Guide™ blog and numerous whitepapers. Visit rhythmofbusiness.com/insights for our most recent publications.

Harsh Raghava is a global pharmaceutical leader with +14 years of expertise in Alliance/Business Development (including out-licensing, in-licensing and st. sourcing), P&L ownership, Commercial strategy, B2B Sales, Project Management, and Portfolio Optimization. He has worked with global pharmaceutical leaders like Novartis (in drug development and strategy), Pfizer (in API and FF manufacturing), and Glenmark (AM, P&L & commercial strategy; a $1.5B, research-led pharmaceutical MNC company), excelling across both innovator and generic sectors.

With over 25 years of global and EMEA regional alliance and channel leadership experience across enterprise and growth market segments, Stefan specialises in ecosystem-led transformation, enterprise sales growth, and partner success. His expertise lies in driving turnaround and transformation initiatives, delivering governance, strategic enablement, and operational excellence through partnership, innovation, and collaboration.

Ivan serves as Strategic Alliance Director at SAP since 2019. He was previously a Director of Alliances and Partners at WoltersKluwer and KPN. He has an MA in Geographic Information Systems University Utrecht and lives in Amsterdam.

Julian Kawohl is a Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Applied Sciences (HTW Berlin). Over the past nine years, Julian Kawohl has assisted numerous international clients in reinventing their businesses and identifying new growth opportunities from an ecosystem perspective.

Previously, Julian Kawohl served as Head of Corporate Development at the multinational insurance company AXA in Germany. In May 2022, he published his first management book, Ecosystemize Your Business, which presents frameworks, concepts, and a process for intuitively engaging with business ecosystems.

Today, he is a leading figure in the field of business ecosystems, known internationally for his Ecosystem-to-Human (E2H) approach. He now advises SMEs and large companies worldwide

Asja is an alliance manager with over 15 years of expertise in academic and pharmaceutical research and public-private partnership management. She has deep expertise in drug discovery, contract negotiations, and managing complex collaborative projects. She has successfully implemented strategic partnerships in both academic and industrial settings, driving the translation of basic research into innovative therapeutics.

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