Annette has over 20 years of experience in business development, start-up formation, corporate strategy development and alliance management, both in university technology transfer and the biotechnology industry. She studied biology at the University of Konstanz and earned her PhD at the Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich.
Linda began her career as a large animal practitioner before joining the R&D group at Merck and later leading clinical research at Merial. In 2001 she co-found AlcheraBio, a CRO specializing in helping clients develop new drugs for animals. In 2011, Dr. Rhodes became the founding CEO of Aratana Therapeutics, a company that developed dog and cat therapeutics, and subsequently, when the company went public, she served as its Chief Scientific Officer. After retiring from Aratana in 2016, Dr. Rhodes was appointed to the Board of Directors of Zoetis. She received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College, her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD from Cornell University.
Peter has more than 30 years of global leadership experience helming large organizations, and a deep knowledge of innovation processes. He is the former President & Chief Executive Officer of Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., a global leader in animal nutrition. Prior to his role at Hill’s, Peter served as Vice President & General Manager at GABA International AG, and has held several positions around the world at Colgate-Palmolive.
Tom has worked in a wide range of roles from astrophysical researcher to designer to corporate executive developing new hardware/software products and services. He's played a significant role in established projects with global reach (Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo Search, Google), and scaled new projects from conception to significance (Yahoo Answers from 0 to 90 million users).
Neal Carter is a Bio-Resource Engineer with 40 years of global experience in agriculture. Neal is thePresident and co-founder of Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF). Neal and family are apple and cherry orchardists who have lived in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia for 30 years, they are passionate about the fruit they grow and the global customer base they serve. Neal’s love for the outdoors extends beyond the orchard; enjoying hiking, mountain biking and back-country skiing.
