We help clients navigate complex product development and commercialization issues to make sure innovative treatments find their way to market and to patients in need. Our deep content expertise, combined with our collaborative and hands-on approach, results in practical solutions that drive internal alignment.
Rachel heads the European activities of Bionest, bringing more than ten years of scientific and consulting expertise to Bionest and its clients.
Rachel supports pharma, biotech, and diagnostic companies on strategic assignments encompassing new product planning and go-to-market strategy. She collaborates with her clients to foster creative and innovative thinking, drive cross-functional alignment, and deliver pragmatic and actionable solutions to help grow and develop the business.
Rachel has a specific expertise in and passion for oncology and diagnostics, owing to her scientific background. She leads the Oncology and Precision Medicine practices at Bionest and is a recognized thought leader in the space.
Prior to joining Bionest, Rachel completed a Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles, where her work focused on immuno-oncology and non-invasive imaging biomarkers. Rachel also holds an M.S. in Neuropharmacology from the University of Oxford and a B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from UCLA.
Melinda heads the New York City office of Bionest Partners, leading an outstanding team of consultants and analysts.
Melinda joined Bionest in 2011 and has led numerous client engagements, working with large pharma companies, leading biotech firms, and diagnostic companies in areas such as stakeholder engagement strategy, competitive positioning and differentiation, Go-to-Market strategy, portfolio/franchise strategy and implementation, and commercial landscape and assessment. Melinda’s areas of expertise include, among others, oncology, diagnostics and precision medicine, CNS, metabolic and CV, respiratory, and orphan diseases.
Melinda received a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University, where her research was focused on the development of an in vitro microelectrode array tool to investigate cortical and spinal cord neuron functionality after injury. Melinda also holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University.
Julius is a Managing Director in the New York office. Prior to joining Bionest, Julius worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry on the consulting (ZS Associates) and the operating side (Pfizer).
Much of Julius’s work is focused on supporting the commercial planning efforts of emerging biotech companies. This can start as early as the pre-clinical stage. Julius works with clients in the US and Europe to develop effective go-to-market strategies. This can include early opportunity assessments, pricing and reimbursement strategies, evaluation of deployment options, organization design, tactical launch planning, and financial modelling. Julius has worked on assignments across a broad range of geographies including Europe, the US, APAC, the Middle East and Africa.
In recent years, Julius has led a lot of Bionest’s work in the emerging field of cell and gene therapies (CAR-T, gene editing, HSCT, vector based GT approaches, etc.) helping companies think through the unique commercialization challenges that come with this transformative class of therapies.
Julius holds an MSc in Economics which he obtained during studies in Berlin, New York, and London.
Kevin is a Managing Director based in the US, bringing nearly 30 years of commercial and consulting experience to his clients. Combining nearly 20 years of commercial leadership roles in biopharma with over 10 years of hands-on senior leadership in consulting, Kevin supports innovative biotech, pharma, and rare disease companies with commercialization strategy and go to market planning.
Kevin has supported numerous companies in developing and refining their corporate strategy, working side-by-side with senior leadership, promoting alignment, exposing gaps, and pressure-testing ideas. In addition, Kevin has led cross-functional marketing and commercial teams during the development and launch of pharmaceutical products. His expertise includes global commercial planning and market strategy, analytics, market simulation, lifecycle management, launch planning, and competitive gaming. His time in the pharmaceutical industry spans multiple senior commercial roles in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Sophie brings ten years of experience in strategy consulting for biopharma clients. Prior to joining Bionest, Sophie worked for Deloitte’s Life Sciences strategy consulting practice both in the US (San Francisco, New York) and in Europe. She advised large and small biopharma clients primarily in matters of portfolio / TA strategy, go-to-market strategy (US / EU), market access and pricing strategy as well as commercial / sales excellence. Sophie completed her studies in the field of Economics and Management at the London School of Economics in the UK (BSc Economics and Economic History, MSc Management).
Jean-Baptiste is a Principal in the Paris office. Prior to joining Bionest, Jean-Baptiste worked with Sanofi in business development for emerging markets.
At Bionest, Jean-Baptiste has mainly advised biotech and large pharma on portfolio / TA prioritization, go-to-market strategy (US / EU), market access and pricing strategy as well as launch readiness. Jean Baptiste’s areas of expertise include, among others, gene & cell therapies, oncology, diagnostics, and orphan diseases.
He holds a Pharm. D from Université Paul Sabatier and a Master in Science of Management from EM Lyon Business School.
Alessia holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Cornell University, where her doctoral research focused on regulation of protein synthesis, degradation, and clearance in neurons. Prior to joining Bionest, she was Senior Scientist and Project Leader at The Rockefeller University working in the areas of stem cell biology, neurodegenerative diseases, and reproductive biology.
Since at Bionest, Alessia has been involved in a variety of assignments across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, oncology, orphan diseases, and specialty markets. Her project work has focused on portfolio strategies, opportunity assessments, diagnostic strategies, and commercial launch strategies.
Josh is a Senior Manager based out of San Francisco, CA. Prior to joining Bionest, he worked for Eversana Life Science’s management consulting arm. At Eversana, he focused in commercial and market access strategy, change management, and influence mapping, primarily in the immunology therapeutic area.
Prior to consulting, Josh spent 10 years in the pharma industry. He performed coronavirus antiviral therapeutic research at Alios Biopharma, and led a business strategy and operations team for Janssen’s infectious disease and vaccines unit.
Josh holds a Bachelor‘s degree in Neuroscience from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Masters of Business Administration in strategy and analytics from the University of California, Davis.
Mary has more than 25 years of health care experience in both operating companies and in consulting. She has worked in senior management in biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical device companies, in Marketing, Strategic Planning, and Operations.
Mary brings a combination of scientific knowledge, operating experience, and strategy consulting experience to assignments in a broad range of therapeutic areas, with a concentration in CNS and orphan diseases. She has worked in every Bionest practice area, from go-to-market to companion diagnostics and EU market entry.
Based in California, Mary has extensive contacts and clients on the West Coast, and networks with both medical companies and academic research institutions. Mary has a BA and MBA from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Yale University.
Alain co-founded Bionest Partners 15 years ago after a 30 year career in the life sciences and healthcare industry.
Over this time, Alain worked in a number of top executive management positions around the globe with large pharma and device companies, such as Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic. He has also led innovative companies at the development stage, notably as European founder President of Biogen, where he was responsible for the launch of Avonex®, a biotech breakthrough treatment for MS, as well as European founder of IDEXX Labs Inc., which is involved in veterinary, diagnostic, water, and food contaminant testing products.
At Bionest, Alain leads the inception and execution of sales and marketing, product launches, and international deployment, applying his skills in managing large organizations spread throughout the world. He is most involved in the operational side, sharing his vast experience to support strategic teams.
Alain offers the unique combination of experience as a leader and manager of businesses in a cross- section of pharma, medical devices, and diagnostic areas. He has served on the boards of several small biotech companies, mainly in Europe.
Bob has been recognized as a thought leader in healthcare business consulting for almost 40 years. He has led strategy development and supervised opportunity assessments for hundreds of clients on 4 continents, including large and specialty pharmaceutical companies, early-stage through publicly traded biopharmaceutical companies, and diagnostics businesses.
Prior to Bionest Partners, Bob built and led two consulting firms, The Wilkerson Group and Easton Associates. He brings powerful analytical skills to bear on projects to ensure insightful and actionable results. Bob applies his deep domain knowledge to influence the decision-making of medical industry leaders and support client executives around the world.
Over his long career, Bob has written and spoken about multiple industry issues in scores of venues. He is past-Chairman of the New York Biotechnology Association, and has served on 10 medical company Boards. He also serves as past-Chairman of Gilda’s Club of New York City, which provides social and emotional support to people living with cancer.
Bob holds 2 degrees in Chemical Engineering from Rice University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.