About the Panelists

Celia Economides has served as Gritstone Bio’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since June 2021. Previously, Ms. Economides served as Senior Vice President, Strategy and External Affairs at Kezar Life Sciences, Inc., a public company targeting immune-mediated diseases and cancer. Prior to joining Kezar in 2019, Ms. Economides served as Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a public company that delivered the first FDA-approved oral treatment (an immunotherapy) for lupus nephritis. Previously, she served as Director of Global Medical Affairs and Director of Clinical Operations at BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. after the company’s acquisition of Prosensa where she led IR and Corporate Communications. Earlier in her career, Ms. Economides led Investor Relations and Program Development at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and worked at a healthcare-focused hedge fund and in financial services focusing on the biotech sector. Ms. Economides received a B.A. from McGill University and an M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University.

Marian Nakada has >30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, starting her career at the laboratory bench at Centocor and moving to a research leadership role before Centocor’s acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. She later transitioned to Janssen business development and eventually joined JJDC in 2013.

Marian has a A.B. in Biology from Harvard and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pennsylvania. She has authored 62 peer reviewed publications and 14 book chapters and is a past reviewer for the NIH Pharmacology Study Section.

She is currently on the Boards of Navitor and a stealth NewCo and is a Board Observer for ONL Therapeutics, Aetion, Iterative Health, Ribon and Rome. Marian is also on the Board of the New England Venture Capital Association and co-founder of IgniteVC where she is working to champion change through its diversity & inclusion efforts. Outside work, Marian is a Board Member at InnerCity Weightlifting whose mission is to amplify the voice and agency of people who have been most impacted by systemic racism and mass incarceration.

Ramlah Nehring, Ph.D. is the Vice President and Head of Roche Diagnostics Partnering, Strategy and Transactions. She is based in San Diego, California and leads a global business development team across APAC, North America and Europe, supporting partnerships, licensing and M&A for the Roche Diagnostics portfolio. Her team delivers on the growth and expansion of the Roche portfolio through access to external innovation for the benefit of patients and customers. Ramlah has a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of California San Diego and did her graduate studies in molecular genetics at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. Ramlah’s professional experience includes the ability to drive strategy and partnerships, with a significant experience in deal sourcing, structuring transactions, leading mergers and acquisitions and licensing. Prior to working at Roche Diagnostics she led the Corporate Development team at Foundation Medicine. She has spent much of her time in the startup industry in San Diego and has focused her career on improving oncology patient care through access to novel diagnostic solutions.

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