Management Team

Following a career in vertically integrated production agriculture, farming over 85,000 hectares in UK and Europe as CEO of Spearhead International, Tom is now focussing on the theme of ‘Agritech to drive farm performance and sustainability’. Continuing as an NED at Spearhead, Tom holds roles at UK agriculture companies including Metos UK, Cambridge Agritech, Hummingbird Technologies, as well as with the charity LEAF.

Jane Theaker has a strong track record in precision medicine and novel diagnostics technologies. Her experience includes genomics with AstraZeneca and the co-invention of a new quantitative PCR technology. She headed up a team at Qiagen developing diagnostics kits to FDA standards before joining LGC as VP of R+D within genomics and establishing a precision medicine consultancy DataGC Solutions Ltd.

As Professor in Microbiology at the University of Nottingham, Prof Rees leads research into the applications of bacteriophage against cattle pathogens Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) and Mycobacterium bovis (bovine TB). This work led to the creation of the Actiphage diagnostic and forms the basis for its continued development.

Ben is currently a Research Fellow in Antimicrobial Resistance at the Royal Veterinary College. His work, in collaboration with Cath Rees led to the creation of the Actiphage diagnostic. He continues to be involved in developing rapid detection methods for mycobacterial diseases, with a special interest in the transmission of mycobacterial pathogens between humans and animals, working closely with both vets and medical doctors.

Jonnie joined PBD Biotech as its Commercial Director in 2020 and has held a number of commercial roles in other industries. He ran a farm in North Devon and as a dairy farmer he understands the challenges of the industry and has first-hand experience of the devastating impact bTB and Johne’s disease.

Tomas is a highly cited researcher specialising in the development and optimisation of molecular diagnostic assays. He has previously led the design and validation of multiplex qPCR and RT-qPCR kits for the veterinary diagnostics market and has experience of managing large research projects. One of Tomas’ specialist areas is DNA replication, and he has sole first author publications in Nature and EMBO.

Mondana has a significant track record of managing complex projects and translating new technologies into successful commercial products. Her previous positions include COO at precision medicine company Kinomica, and Director of Program Management at QIAGEN, where she led the R&D of blood biomarker companion diagnostics, delivering projects (+$100M) with multiple product approvals. She has a deep understanding of the TB challenge - as Program Manager for the Oxford Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium (OETC) she was involved in the development of a novel TB vaccine.

Joely has more than 25 years' cancer research experience at the Christie Hospital and University of Manchester, and she has 16 years’ experience in developing, validating, and delivering hypoxia-associated biomarkers. She is a technical expert in clinical biomarker platform discovery, co-founding university spin-out company ManTRa Diagnostics Ltd, for which she also served as CEO, to deliver a genomic test for precision cancer treatments and improved patient outcomes. Joely is also involved in a steering group (Biomedical research Engagement Academic clinical healthcare – BREACH) to encourage academic/industrial engagement, helping to drive academic science across the translational gap for cancer patient benefit.

Berwyn is a specialist in personalized medicine, companion diagnostics and the application of novel diagnostics both to central laboratory and point-of-care utilities. He has worked in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry for over 30 years occupying senior management positions and Board level appointments. He is now a commercially focused entrepreneur with multiple corporate appointments.

Luis heads up PBD Biotech’s Canadian headquarters in Saskatoon. The company, in collaboration with industry and academic partners, is currently validating the use of Actiphage for cattle and for other species, such as bison, elk and deer, that are also important to the country’s economy. Luis previously headed up the PanProvincial Vaccine Enterprise (PREVENT) as well as taking leading roles in a number of diagnostic and life science

Bob leads PBD Biotech’s efforts in the U.S. in the business, outreach, strategic alliance and management domains. He is an early member of PBD and has connected the company into the mainline US agencies such as the USDA and NIH in both the animal and human paths. Bob had his own tech firm for 12 years that worked in the US healthcare arena and has continued to be part of the greater Los Angeles/San Diego bioscience community, which offers PBD multiple opportunities in collaboration.

Originally a veterinary scientist, Tom has a strong track record in diagnostics and animal health and has been involved in TB and Johne’s testing for fifteen years, including licensing the AsureQuality skin test tuberculin in the USA. Tom has joined PBD Biotech to provide technical and customer support for the Actiphage diagnostic and to advise on regulatory affairs. He is based in Tampa, Florida, and works closely with Bob Lyons, Director of North American operations.

Dougie McKechnie started his career as a molecular biologist in contract research before joining ICI Pharmaceuticals to set up DNA fingerprinting business Cellmark Diagnostics. He then moved into quality assurance, gaining ISO 9001 and ISO 17025 for Cellmark. Moving to human tissue banking, he gained experience in HT Act and NRES in AstraZeneca’s Global Biobank. Latterly, he gained ISO 15189 accreditation for the Alderley Park Lighthouse Lab, one of the UKHSA’s largest COVID-19 testing facilities. Dougie has now joined PBD Biotech as Quality Assurance Manager and will be working towards accreditation for ISO 13485.