Optimum Strategic Communications to Host 15th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference

Biotech & Healthcare leaders to share valuable insights on investment priorities and future outlook 

LONDON, Oct. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimum Strategic Communications (Optimum), the international strategic healthcare communications consultancy, will be hosting its 15th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference on Wednesday, 11 October 2023 at the Wellcome Collection, London.

15 years of annual conferences have established the event as a prominent forum for the sector's largest investors and industry experts to discuss and debate their current thinking and vision for the Biotech & Healthcare sector.  This year, there will be a special focus on Life Sciences in the UK, with the chance to hear from the country's leading investors and advisors, including Professor Sir Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, who will be giving the Keynote.  Panels will also include discussions with leading investors on market outlook and investment priorities as the industry continues to navigate the disparity between the funding available through private investment and the weakness of global public markets. 

Commenting on the event, Mary Clark, CEO of Optimum Strategic Communications, said: 

"Despite continued market uncertainty, companies in our sector are managing to find ways to fund remarkable and exciting innovation.  Never has it been more important to harness the power of strategic communications to facilitate this. As we mark a 15-year milestone in hosting our investor conference, we are delighted to bring together some of the industry's most experienced and respected individuals to discuss the funding conundrum and how the UK can best utilise its talent and resources to drive healthcare and life sciences innovation forward."

- AGENDA -

Welcome

Mary Clark, Optimum Strategic Communications

How can the UK better capitalise on its life sciences prowess?

With world-renowned universities pursuing cutting-edge science, a deep pool of talent, and great infrastructure, the UK has long been a hotspot for innovation. But is it truly capitalising on its brainpower? What hurdles does it face? And can it maintain its position as a top-tier life sciences hub amidst growing competition from around the globe? A panel of industry leaders will discuss what needs to be done to ensure the UK fulfils its potential.

Chair:    Dan Mahony, UK Life Sciences Investment Envoy & Chair of UK BioIndustry Association

•  Annalisa Jenkins, Non-Executive Director, Genomics England
• Allan Marchington, Managing Director, ICG
• Gil Bar-Nahum, Managing Director, Jefferies

Fireside chat with Clive Cookson & Kasim Kutay

As CEO of Novo Holdings, responsible for managing the assets and wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Kasim discusses the trends driving the Company's investment strategy and its commitment to investing in companies that contribute to the sustainability of society and the planet. 

Chair:    Clive Cookson, Science Editor, The Financial Times

• Kasim Kutay, Chief Executive Officer, Novo Holdings 

Keynote with Professor Sir Chris Whitty KCB, FRS, Chief Medical Officer for England

Professor Whitty, UK Government's Chief Medical Adviser and head of the public health profession, as well as a practising NHS Consultant Physician and epidemiologist, will share his insights on the biotech industry and its relationship with the UK Government. He will present a Keynote speech, followed by a fireside chat with Optimum's Nick Bastin and a Q&A session.

Navigating turbulent markets

Over the last few years, the pace of world class innovation has quickened, supported by a boom in private investment - yet this has not translated through to public markets. Instead, 2023 has seen weaker global public markets, where life sciences companies have struggled. Our panel of experts discusses what this means for companies looking at how to fund the next stage of their development.

Chair:   Stephen Hansen, Director of BioPharma Intelligence, BioCentury

•  Linden Thomson, Fund Manager, AXA Investment Managers
•  Geraldine O'Keeffe, Partner, EQT Life Sciences
•  Naveed Siddiqi, Senior Partner, Novo Holdings
•  Joe Anderson, Partner, Crossover Strategy Sofinnova, Sofinnova Partners

Optimum's featured charity: Ariana Smiles – a Special Named Fund at the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group

Ariana Smiles is raising funds to support the journey of children who experience a leukaemia diagnosis.  Already halfway towards its initial target of raising £100K, the charity's aim is to fund a study into genome research that will use targeted immunotherapy to treat blood cancers in a way which is more patient friendly with fewer long-term side effects. 

The detailed agenda and registration details can be found at the 15th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference website, here.

If you would like to receive summaries of the panel discussions at the conference or speak with the Optimum team, please email contact@optimumcomms.com.

About Optimum Strategic Communications

Optimum Strategic Communications is an international healthcare communications consultancy which specialises in strategic investor relations, corporate and financial communications. Our senior team of healthcare specialists, based in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Zurich, and New York, are experienced and trusted advisors to some of the world's most exciting public and private companies, both large and small, across pharmaceuticals, biotech, medtech, health tech, healthcare services and industrial biotechnology.

Over the last 25 years, our team has worked with over 300 healthcare companies, advising them on financial communications and investor relations, including major corporate activity such as fundraising, IPOs, M&A, as well as corporate reputation and crisis scenarios.

We have an exceptional network of contacts across the international investment community in Europe and the US; contacts we have built and maintained over the last three decades. The Optimum team includes ex-fund managers and analysts, as well as financial and corporate communications specialists.

For more information please visit www.optimumcomms.com