Executive Board
Andreas Grassauer is Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer. He co-founded Marinomed in 2006 and since then has been CEO of the Company. Prior to founding Marinomed, he built up several other companies and was involved in raising more than EUR 30 million from private and public sources. In the last fifteen years, he executed a series of deals for Marinomed. Andreas Grassauer holds a doctoral degree (PhD) in virology from the Institute of Applied Microbiology at the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
Eva Prieschl-Grassauer is Chief Scientific Officer. She co-founded Marinomed in 2006 and since then has been CSO of the Company. Eva Prieschl-Grassauer has more than 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical drug development. Prior to her appointment at Marinomed, she was head of the allergy program of Novartis in Vienna, Austria. In this position, she discovered the mechanism of action of FTY720 (fingolimod), Novartis’ novel immunomodulatory drug against multiple sclerosis. Eva Prieschl-Grassauer has published more than 50 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals in the fields of immunology, molecular biology and medicinal chemistry. She holds a doctoral degree (PhD) in immunology from the University of Vienna, Austria. In 2022, she was awarded the Golden Decoration of Merit of the Republic of Austria for her excellent scientific work and its translation into commercial success.
Pascal Schmidt is Chief Financial Officer. He took over as CFO of the Company in August 2018. Pascal Schmidt has more than 25 years of experience in corporate finance, corporate development and M&A, including positions as managing director of Raymond James Financial Inc. and as a partner at the consultancy firm Mummert & Company. Before that, he was a member of the investment committee at Infineon Ventures GmbH. Pascal Schmidt holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Bayreuth, Germany.
Supervisory Board
Simon Nebel is founder and Managing Partner of Viopas Venture Consulting GmbH. He is also a venture partner of Aravis, a private equity firm for which he has participated in financing a number of life science companies and M&A transactions of the Aravis portfolio. Moreover, Simon Nebel is currently a Supervisory Board member of SynAffix (NL), Bird Rock Bio (US) Digital Doctor House (CH) and Bio-sensing Solutions SL (DyCare, ESP). He is a former Supervisory Board member of Borean Pharma (DK), ImVision (CH), MerLion Pharmaceuticals SA (CH) and was secretary of the Supervisory Board of Evolva (CH). Simon Nebel holds a PhD in biophysics from the Biocentre of the University of Basel, Switzerland, and an MBA with distinction from the London Business School. Simon Nebel is a member of the Company’s Supervisory Board and has been its Chairman since 2017. He was previously Chairman of the Company’s Advisory Board (from 2008 onwards).
Brigitte Ederer was a politician from 1983 to 2001, during which time she was a member of the Austrian National Assembly, Secretary of State for European Affairs and a city councilwoman with responsibility for finance and business in Vienna. From 2001 to 2013, she held various management positions at Siemens Group. Brigitte Ederer is also a member of several supervisory boards, including Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG, ÖBB-Holding AG and Schoeller-Bleckmann Oilfield Equipment AG. Brigitte Ederer holds a degree in economics from the University of Vienna, Austria. She has been a member of the Company’s Supervisory Board since 2018.
Elisabeth Lackner is an entrepreneur and well-networked pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive with more than 20 years of experience combining growth, business strategy & innovation, marketing, business development and international expansion, regulatory and operations in life science with full P&L responsibility, thereof 10+ years as CEO. She excels through the combination of an entrepreneurial mindset with high creativity and cultural agility, combined with extensive experience in leading multicultural teams. Elisabeth Lackner is a member of several boards, and respected consultant and speaker in the industry. Since 2022, Elisabeth Lackner has been CSO and member of the Operating Board of Element in London. Elisabeth Lackner has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2022.
Ulrich Kinzel is a managing director at the advisory firm goetzpartners, responsible for the healthcare industry group. Previously, he was a founding partner of Code Securities, London, a specialist life science investment bank acquired by Nomura in 2005. Ulrich has extensive financing and capital markets experience and has advised leading international healthcare, life sciences and digital health companies in more than 70 successful M&A and ECM transaction, including cross-border European, US and Asian public and private takeovers as well as IPOs and secondary offerings on all major European Stock Exchanges. Ulrich Kinzel has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2022.
Having graduated in biochemistry from the University of Vienna, Eva HOFSTÄDTER-THALMANN spent more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry, working for Johnson & Johnson and Janssen in several commercial and medical affairs leadership positions. Working in Austria and the USA, her professional responsibilities covered a global perspective including the US and then – over the last 20 years - Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Her tasks extended to the areas of oncology, hematology and virology. A focal point of her work over the last years included chairing the EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) Working Group on Lifelong Learning in Healthcare, aligning the industry on a quality framework in medical education. Eva HOFSTÄDTER-THALMANN was a committee member of ESMO’s Women4Oncology publishing on the Leadership of Women in Oncology. Currently, she is President of the Global Alliance of Medical Education (GAME) and member of the Board of Directors of the Journal of European Continuing Medical Education (JECME). Eva HOFSTÄDTER-THALMANN is currently starting an independent consultancy business in healthcare with a focus on strategic stakeholder management, working with the pharmaceutical industry and international medical companies.
Scientific Advisory Board
Professor of Ophthalmology & Director of Cornea Research at the Moran Eye Institute at the University of Utah, ophthalmologist at Pacific Clear Vision Institute and co-founder & President of iVeena. Experienced in cornea transplants, cataract extraction, keratoprosthesis (artificial cornea), LASIK, and other complex procedures of the cornea and anterior segment of the eye. Globally recognized as the world's youngest person to graduate from medical school, at age 17.
Talin Barisani-Asenbauer has studied Medicine at the University of Vienna, Austria. She started her career in 1987 at the Department of Ophthalmology as scientific coworker and from 1990 to 1997 she completed her residency in ophthalmology with special emphasis on ocular immunology and infectiology. In 1997 she became the director of the Uveitis unit and the working group “ocular immunology & infectiology”. In 2001 she was awarded the habilitation degree by the University of Vienna.
Director of Research at the Wellington Asthma Research Group, University of Otago, New Zealand. The Group's research program covers clinical, biomedical, and public health aspects of allergy, asthma, and respiratory research, including studies to understand the causes and investigate novel treatments.
Founder and Director of the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University, Wales UK 1988-2017. Expertise in the physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and therapeutics of the upper airways for diseases such as common cold, influenza and allergy. Expertise in the mechanism and treatment of upper airway disease symptoms and conduction of clinical trials.