SpyBiotech, a biotechnology company with a vaccine platform technology targeting infectious diseases, cancer and chronic diseases, has appointed Simon Jones as VP of Finance and Operations, and expanded its scientific team with four new hires.
Jones takes up the permanent position from Vien Phan, who held the role of Interim Finance Director, steering the company through its Series A fundraising in February 2021. Phan will continue to serve as a strategic advisor to SpyBiotech for a transitional period.
Jones has served as a CFO in the life sciences sector for 18 years, working with early- to mid-stage, high growth healthcare and medtech businesses ranging from drug development and drug delivery through to marketing licensed products. Most recently, Jones spent eight years at Karus Therapeutics, an Oxfordshire-based clinical-stage biotech company developing small molecule enzymatic inhibitors for the treatment of haematological and solid-tumour cancers. He is currently a member of the Bioindustry Association’s Finance and Tax Advisory Committee.
In addition to Jones’ appointment, SpyBiotech has strengthened its scientific expertise with the addition of four new hires in virology, immunology and protein production. The company will continue to build out its scientific resources with further appointments planned.
Sumi Biswas, Co-founder and CEO of SpyBiotech, said: “I am pleased to welcome Simon Jones as our new VP of Finance and Operations. Simon brings a wealth of experience from across the UK life sciences industry which will be invaluable as we embark on the next phase of the Company’s development. SpyBiotech is at the forefront of medical innovation in vaccinology and Simon’s appointment, as well as the expansion of our scientific team, reflects the progress we are making in scaling up our scientific and operational resources.”
Simon Jones said: “I am delighted to be joining SpyBiotech at this exciting time. Its unique platform technology has broad applicability and the scope to tackle some of the biggest challenges in healthcare. I look forward to working with the team to ensure we are future-ready as we expand our operations and advance our pipeline of innovative vaccine candidates.”
