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The International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA) is a coalition of non-profit, national biotechnology trade associations formed to promote public understanding of, and to advocate for, public policies that support the growth of the innovative biotechnology industries. The ICBA represents the global voice of the industry in international fora with the goal of promoting continued innovation in the human health, agriculture, and industrial and environmental sectors.
Oliver Schacht (Chair, ICBA)
CEO and President, OpGen, Inc. and Chair, BIO Deutschland
Mr. Oliver Schacht, a corporate finance professional and expert in the molecular diagnostics industry, is the CEO of OpGen has been CEO of Curetis since April 2011 and prior to that was a Supervisory Board Member of Curetis AG from mid-2010 to end of the first quarter in 2011. He was a co-founder and CFO of Epigenomics AG (Berlin, Germany) and the CEO of Epigenomics Inc. (Seattle, USA). Mr. Schacht has extensive experience in developing and implementing commercial strategies and financing measures (including two IPOs), as well as corporate finance, investor relations, PR, marketing and business development. Mr. Schacht also serves on the Board of BIO Deutschland e.V. as its president and previously as treasurer.
Mr. Schacht obtained his Diploma in European Business Administration at the European School of Business in Reutlingen and London in 1994 as well as a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge (UK). During his time at Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman) from 1995 to 1999, he worked on projects in M&A, growth strategies and re-organization in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other industries.
He has co-founded several start-up companies in biotech, clean tech, IT and education in Europe and the USA.
Claire Skentelbery (Vice-Chair, ICBA)
Director General, EuropaBio
Claire holds a PhD in biochemistry and has worked in the development of scientific networks and associations for over 15 years. She started her career as part of the Cambridge biotech cluster in the UK within the cluster business network and was a founder of the Council of European BioRegions, a network of biotech clusters across Europe. She brought herself and CEBR to Brussels in 2009 where she also took on the role of SG for the European Biotechnology Network, working across sectors, organisations and countries as part of the EBN mission to facilitate partnerships. In January 2017, Claire took up her role as DG of the Nanotechnology Industries Association which she successfully led until recently.
John Murphy
Chief Policy Officer, BIO
Executive Director, ICBA
John Murphy serves as the Chief Policy Officer at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). BIO is the largest trade association in the world representing biotechnology companies. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, and environmental biotechnology products, thereby expanding the boundaries of science to benefit humanity by providing better healthcare, enhanced agriculture, and a cleaner and safer environment.
Mr. Murphy leads the policy functions, both domestic and international, for all healthcare, agricultural, and environmental biotechnology advocacy across the Organization. BIO’s policy and advocacy centers on developing and implementing legislative and international policies that foster a robust ecosystem for novel biotechnology development throughout the world. Biotech innovation focuses on the development of first-in-kind medicines to treat unmet medical needs, climate technologies to address global climate change issues, and groundbreaking agricultural developments that seek to strengthen and expand the global food supply.
Additionally, Mr. Murphy directs the legal functions of the Organization’s healthcare division. This role encompasses all legal issues impacting healthcare biotechnology across the country, with responsibilities including oversight of Congressional legislation, FDA, CMS and various other federal agency regulatory issues, litigation, and support on state-developed biotechnology laws and regulations. Mr. Murphy is a frequent speaker on issues associated with patient access to prescription medicines, prescription drug abuse, drug pricing, and more general issues impacting medicine approvals and innovation in the United States.
Mr. Murphy is a graduate of Villanova University and the Catholic University Columbus School of Law. Previously, he worked on healthcare regulatory and enforcement issues at Hogan Lovells, LLP, and served as Assistant General Counsel for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
Hilary Stiss
Program Director, International Council of Biotechnology Associations
Senior Manager, International Affairs, Biotechnology Innovation Organization
As Senior Manager for International Affairs at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), Ms. Stiss is responsible for managing the industry association’s program of international advocacy and outreach for Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and South Africa regions. In this position, she engages with foreign officials in these regions to promote policies that support a strong biotechnology industry as well as to resolve policy issues relevant to the industry. Hilary also works on issues at the multilateral organizations as well as acts as program director for the International Council on Biotechnology Associations (ICBA).
Before taking this position at BIO, Hilary was a Graduate Fellow in the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Department at the trade association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Prior to this appointment, Hilary received her Master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she studied international political economy and international trade. During her studies, Hilary worked as a research associate in Amgen’s Washington, DC office.
Hilary completed her undergraduate degree cum laude with honors from Colgate University in 2009, where she studied conflict resolution and history.
International Council of
Biotechnology Associations
1201 New York Avenue NW
Suite 1300
Washington, DC 20024
icba@bio.org
International Council of Biotechnology Associations
1201 New York Avenue NW Suite 1300
Washington, DC 20005
icba@bio.org
