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).


Ute Lassnig was part of the healthcare investment banking team at Goldman Sachs in London, where she advised companies in the biotech, pharma, medtech and agrochemical sectors on mergers and acquisitions, divestments as well as financing. She also served as Managing Partner at Mummert & Company and headed its Vienna office for ten years. Since 2015, Ute Lassnig has been responsible for the Corporate Development and Innovate division at Evotec SE. Ute Lassnig is Managing Partner and sole owner of Laureo Corporate Finance Ges.m.b.H. She holds a master’s degree in computer science and business administration from the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Ute Lassnig has been a member of the Company’s Supervisory Board and its Vice Chairwoman since 2017. She was previously a member of the Company’s Advisory Board from 2016 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.


Gernot Hofer has been a member of the managing board of Invest Unternehmensbeteiligungs Aktiengesellschaft since 2014 and is currently a member of the supervisory board of Raiffeisen KMU Invest AG. Prior to this, he acquired international experience at a business consultancy in Hong Kong and at a venture capital fund based in Vienna. He holds a degree in economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria, and was awarded a doctorate in venture capital and private equity by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where he is currently employed as a lecturer. Gernot Hofer has been a member of the Company’s Supervisory Board since 2017. He was previously a member of the Company’s Advisory Board from 2016 onwards.


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.
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.