Dr Katie Leach (PhD, GAICD) is a drug discovery and business development professional with nearly two decades of experience across academia and industry. She completed her PhD jointly with the University of Reading (UK) and Novartis, before being recruited to Monash University as a postdoctoral researcher. At Monash, she established and led her own laboratory focused on drug discovery for endocrine disorders and rare diseases. Here, Katie secured competitive research funding, led an interdisciplinary research team and led the progression of drug discovery-related projects. Alongside her academic research, Katie undertook formal commercialisation training through the Bridge Program, the Translating Research at Melbourne (TRAM) program, and an internship with Brandon Biocatalyst. She subsequently joined an ASX-listed biotechnology company to lead preclinical pharmacology programs, gaining direct industry experience in translational development. Katie later returned to Monash University in the Business Development Office within the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, where she supports research translation, commercialisation, and industry engagement as Business Development Manager. Katie works with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to guide IP development, commercialisation and business strategy.

Sophie Stocker is an Associate Professor in the Sydney Pharmacy School. She is also an Honorary Senior Hospital Scientist in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney; an Adjunct Senior Lecturer of the St Vincent’s Clinical School, University of New South Wales; and an Honorary Scientist at the Garvan Medical Research Institute. Her research program involves clinical and experimental pharmacology, ethnopharmacology, pharmacogenomics, pharmacometrics and qualitative research on the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on drug disposition, efficacy and safety. Her research focuses on understanding variability in response to medicines and how this can be managed to optimise patient care.

Amanda Caples is Victoria’s Lead Scientist, recognised for combining strong policy leadership with substantial commercial achievement. Her career spans government, industry and research, where she has consistently delivered value by translating scientific capability into market ready outcomes. Alongside senior policy roles advising on innovation, industry development and system reform, Amanda has led and supported commercially focused initiatives that engage directly with businesses, investors and technology developers. Her commercial achievements include shaping investment ready propositions, supporting technology scale up and adoption, and enabling partnerships between research organisations and industry to accelerate pathways to market. She has worked closely with commercial partners to align regulatory, policy and funding settings with real world business needs, helping unlock growth, productivity and competitive advantage. Amanda is known for her ability to operate confidently across policy and commercial environments, delivering outcomes that advance public value while supporting viable, sustainable commercial success.

Professor Kevin Pfleger is Director, Biomedical and Health Innovation at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub, as well as Head of Molecular Endocrinology and Pharmacology at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research (UWA Centre for Medical Research). He is also Chief Scientific Advisor to Dimerix Limited, an ASX-listed spin-out company from UWA, as well as Scientific Co-Founder of RAGE Biotech. Prof Pfleger was awarded his MA and PhD from Cambridge and Edinburgh Universities respectively, and relocated to Western Australia in October 2002. He was a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Peter Doherty Research Fellow from 2005 to 2008, an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow from 2011 to 2014, and NHMRC RD Wright Fellow (Level 2) from 2015 to 2018. Prof Pfleger was elected as a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society in 2021.

Frances is Head of Clinical Pharmacology and Ethnopharmacology at GSK Australia and an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. She holds a PhD in clinical pharmacology and pharmacogenetics from the University of Leiden and has more than 25 years’ industry experience across the UK, Ireland, Japan and Australia. Frances supports multidisciplinary teams across early and late phase drug development, with expertise in Phase I clinical trials, translational medicine, clinical pharmacology strategy, and model informed drug development.