Board of Directors

Joern Aldag

Chairman, Director

Joern Aldag is Chief Executive Officer of Hookipa Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of immunotherapeutics targeting infectious diseases and cancers based on a proprietary arenavirus platform that is designed to reprogram the body’s immune system. Before joining Hookipa in June 2016, Joern was CEO of NASDAQ-listed uniQure N.V, a company pioneering adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy. Under his leadership from 2009-2015, uniQure received the first-ever approval of a gene therapy product by the European Medicines Agency, built a pipeline of gene therapy products across several disease areas, obtained approximately $200M through its NASDAQ-listing and follow-on, and closed a multi-billion dollar collaboration in cardiovascular gene therapy. From 1997-2008, Joern was President and CEO of Evotec AG, where he designed many alliances with leading pharma and biotech companies, listed the Company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, and managed the acquisition of LSE-listed Oxford Asymmetry and NASDAQ-listed Renovis Inc. In 2013 Joern co-founded GPCR-company G7 Therapeutics, which was successfully sold to Heptares in 2016. From 2007 to 2018 Joern was Chairman of SIX-listed Molecular Partners, Zurich Switzerland. He is a Non-Executive Member at Idorsia. He holds business degrees from the European Business School and Harvard Business School (AMP).

Karen Aiach-Pignet

Chief Officer

Karen Aiach-Pignet joined Genespire as Chief Executive Officer in September 2024. She has an outstanding track-record in gene therapy applied to genetic neurodegenerative diseases having founded and led Lysogene, a global leader in the field. During her tenure, she pioneered the development of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector for patients with the rare neurodegenerative condition Sanfilippo Type A, initiated and executed an international Phase 3 gene therapy clinical trial, developed a gene therapy product portfolio and raised funds via partnering deals and by listing the Company on the Euronext Stock Exchange.

She is a founding executive member of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium, was a member of the Paediatric Committee at the European Medicines Agency and served on the Ethical Review Board at Ambroise Paré Hospital. She has supported several not-for-profit organizations engaged in advocacy and research in the field of rare diseases. Acknowledgements of Karen’s work include the Ordre National du Merite, a French order of merit with membership awarded by the French President.

Karen recently studied Digital Health at Harvard Business School, is a graduate from the ESSEC Business School and majored in Economics at the Institut d’Études Européennes of University Paris 8.

Dr. Francesca Pasinelli

Fondazione Telethon, Director

Francesca Pasinelli is CEO of the Fondazione Telethon since 2009. FondazioneTelethon is a non-profit organization that funds research projects aimed at finding a cure for genetic diseases.

After her University degree in Pharmacology, in 1986, she moved into clinical research and subsequently held different managerial positions in multinational pharmaceutical companies (SmithKlineBeecham S.p.A.; ScheringPlough S.p.A). In 1997 she moved to the non-profit sector with Fondazione Telethon. There, as part of her first appointment as Chief Scientific Officer, she introduced a grant selection process according to international best practices for peer review evaluation of research. In the same years she also set up a portfolio management system allowing to develop breakthrough therapies for severe genetic diseases, also relying on effective technology transfer programmes.

In 2007 Francesca Pasinelli was awarded the Commendatore al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, honour best owed by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano. In 2008 she was awarded the Sonia Skarlatos Public Service Award by the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy.

Dr. Graziano Seghezzi

Managing Partner

Graziano Seghezzi, managing partner, joined Sofinnova Partners in 2006 and is an active member of the investment team for the Sofinnova Capital Funds.

Graziano serves on the Board of Directors of several companies he helped create and finance, including GlycoEra, Enthera, HotSpot Therapeutics, Erydel, Inotrem, Mission Therapeutics, and Crescendo Biologics. He is responsible for a number of substantial exits, including Corvidia Therapeutics, which was sold to Novo Nordisk for €2.1 billion in 2020; Hookipa Pharma, floated on the Nasdaq in 2019; GlycoVaxyn, sold to GlaxoSmithKline in 2015, and Omthera Pharmaceuticals, which went public on the Nasdaq in 2013 and was then sold to AstraZeneca the same year.

He has also been the main driver behind Sofinnova Partners’ growing presence in his native Italy, establishing the country’s first biotech accelerator, BiovelocITA, in 2015, and the Sofinnova Telethon Fund in 2018.

He started his career in venture capital in 2001 at Sofinnova Partners and was at Index Ventures from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, Graziano spent five years working in academic research at New York University’s School of Medicine, studying oncology and cardiovascular diseases. Graziano holds a degree in genetics and microbiology from the University of Pavia, Italy, and an MBA from RSM-Erasmus University, The Netherlands.

Dr. Lucia Faccio

Partner, Sofinnova Telethon Strategy

Lucia joined Sofinnova Partners in 2018 as a partner in the Sofinnova Telethon Fund, bringing her extensive experience in technology transfer and business development in the life sciences sector.

Prior to joining Sofinnova Partners, Lucia was the director of research & development at Fondazione Telethon, an Italian charity whose mission is to develop therapies for patients affected by rare and genetic diseases. Fondazione Telethon is Sofinnova’s partner in the Telethon Fund, Italy’s largest biotechnology fund.

Lucia has over 20 years of experience in business development in life sciences, with an exceptional track record for identifying projects with strong translational potential, and developing them through solid intellectual property positions, technology transfer, regulatory affairs, and license agreements with industry partners.

Before she joined Fondazione Telethon, Lucia was the director of technology transfer of San Raffaele Hospital, the largest private hospital in Italy and a leading national research center.

Lucia has a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Padua in Italy and a Ph.D. in biotechnology from the University of l’Aquila, Italy, in association with the Harvard Medical School and conducted at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Paolo Fundarò

XGen Venture SGR, Director

Paolo Fundarò is Managing Partner of XGen Venture SGR, a Life Science venture capital firm he co-founded in 2021. He was formerly the CEO of Genextra, a Life Science investment company where he worked since its inception in 2004. Paolo serves as a member of the board of directors of various XGEN and Genextra’s portfolio companies, including as a chairman of Intercept Pharmaceuticals until the company was acquired by Alfasigma in 2023.

In addition, Paolo is also a founder and a Board Member of the Italian Angels for Biotech. Before joining Genextra, Paolo was in charge of finance and strategic planning for FastWeb from 2000 to 2004, after starting his career in London working for investment banks. Paolo has a degree cum laude in Business Management from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.

Dr. Marco Dieci

CDP Venture Capital, Director

Career
CEO at Simis part of NMS Group and previously CEO in Evobiotech, Holostem, and XellBioGene, Executive Director at the facility of Children Hospital Bambino Gesù in Rome, and Operations Director at MolMed.

Education
Master’s degree in chemistry, University of Parma and recognised as Qualified Person within EU, in accordance with Directive 2011/83/EC.

Expertise
More than 25 years of management experience in the life science industry, specifically in clinical operations management, pharma business development and market access. Covering different role as CEO, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for the management of biotech products & advance therapies medicinal products in the fields of clinical and operation development, technology transfer, scale up & industrialization and regulatory affairs procedures for clinical trial application and market access.

Dr. Elizabeth Robinson

Indaco SGR, Observer

Elizabeth (Betsy) Robinson is a co-founder and Vice Chairman of Indaco Venture Partners SGR.  Previously she served as Investment Director of Venture Capital at Quadrivio SGR from 2014 to mid 2018 when she left to found Indaco.  Previous she was a Venture Consultant for Sofinnova Partners in Paris from 2005-2008. She has been an active Angel investor for over 10 years.

Elizabeth has broad experience in life sciences and the development and licensing of innovative pharmaceutical products. She was a co-founder of NicOx S.A. (1997) and served as President of NicOx Research Institute Srl from 2006 to November 2022. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Brembo S.p.A. a publicly listed company.  Previously she has served on the Board of Directors of several life sciences companies in Italy including MolMed SpA. She served as member of the Fulbright Commission in Italy from 2007 to 2020.

In her career, Elizabeth has served as Director, Product Development, at Recordati Italy (1990-1996); Consultant, Technology Development, at Techint Engineering Company (1988-1990); Vice President, New Technology Ventures Europe, at Genzyme (1985-1988); Visiting Scientist at MIT (1984-1987); and Post Doctorate Research Associate at MIT (1982-1984).

In December 2023, she was awarded the “Certification Program ESG Analysis and Investing” certificate. Dr. Robinson was a member of the Fulbright Commission in Italy and is currently a board member of Penta Foundation, a nonprofit corporation.

Elizabeth graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College in 1977, received her M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979 and her Ph.D. in biotechnology from MIT in 1982.

Dr. Svetlana Vashkel

CDP Venture Capital, Observer

Svetlana Vashkel is a venture capital professional with expertise in the biotech and medtech sectors. Currently serving as Senior Investment Manager at CDP Venture Capital, she brings over eight years of experience in VC investments, portfolio management, and value creation.

Vashkel holds board positions at several biotech and medtech startups, reflecting her active involvement in shaping their growth strategies. She holds a degree in Finance and an MBA, providing her with a solid foundation in financial management and business development.