ADVISORS
Roger Ashby
Roger has a background in physical sciences and since 1995 has been involved
in transferring technologies from universities. Whilst working on a program partly
funded by The Gatsby Charitable Trust he proposed the establishment of The University
Challenge Fund. He has founded several university spin out companies and negotiated
a wide range of licensing agreements.
He is a member of UNICO (a Group that represents the Technology Exploitation companies of UK Universities) and AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) as well as a member of the Royal College of Medicine and The International Licensing Executives Society.
Mike Spencer
A former partner in Accenture's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Products practice, Mike has extensive experience of the pharmaceutical industry.
Since leaving Accenture, Mike has been involved in a number of entrepreneurial companies, as an investor and in executive and non-executive senior management roles. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for two UK based healthcare companies, one developing a range of new rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests; the other a regulatory software and IS consultancy business. His senior level experience with Accenture means that he is particularly strong in the areas of process and business improvement, utilizing these skills to good effect in helping companies to achieve their full potential.
Mike is a leading exponent of the 'virtual' management model, an approach which Nine-TZ believes can bring many benefits to emerging pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies when properly applied.
Cynthia Ekberg Tsai
Cynthia Tsai is Executive Vice President for Business Development for Executive Action, a unique business solutions and decision-support firm. Tsai spent 16 years on Wall Street as a Vice President with Merrill Lynch and Kidder Peabody, involved in venture funds, IPOs, and investor relations. Tsai is the founder and CEO of HealthExpo, the largest consumer healthcare event in the U.S. In seven years she grew the enterprise from concept to execution, attracting more than 50 million consumers to HealthExpo.
Cynthia has achieved international recognition for her expertise in private equity financing and development of high-growth companies by securing private capitalization from high-net worth investors. Previously, she was a General Partner in MassTech Ventures, a multi-million dollar equity fund focused on technology development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
She is an advisor to several publicly traded and privately held biotechnology companies focused in the area of cancer therapy. Her leadership includes the Board of Directors of the TJ Martell Foundation, the music industry’s 31 year old foundation for cancer. She has previously established a new investment fund in conjunction with M.D. Anderson cancer center that focuses on investments in emerging technologies and treatments in oncology.