Managing Director - Jim S Freeth, PhD
Jim is a co-founder of Retrogenix, following 10+ years in management within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. He is biologist by training, and obtained his PhD at Manchester University, UK, in 1997.
Following two years at the gene therapy company Oxford Biomedica (Oxford UK), Jim moved to AstraZeneca pharmaceuticals in 2000. At AstraZeneca, Jim led multi-disciplinary technology development projects and managed several external biotechnology collaborations, delivering valuable technologies into the business. Subsequently, Jim worked in the Osteoarthritis and Analgesia therapeutic areas, where he introduced and progressed numerous projects within AstraZeneca's Discovery portfolio.
Jim has a thorough understanding of the drug discovery process and its key challenges, and has developed an excellent network of contacts across the pharmaceutical industry.
Executive Director – Jo Soden, MPhil
Jo Soden is also a co-founder of Retrogenix. Jo has a strong scientific background, with 17 years research experience at Manchester University, UK, where she also obtained her M.Phil.
Jo has a track record of delivering high-quality and reliable scientific data in a broad range of complex biological techniques, and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Investor Director and Business Consultant – Mark Woodward
After acquiring a degree in Computer Science at Liverpool University in 1974, Mark entered the world of technology sales with NCR.
After receiving an excellent training and valuable experience at NCR, Mark joined Solicitec, a small software house specialising in the legal sector, as a sales executive. Quickly promoted to Sales Director and then Managing Director, Mark guided Solicitec (later renamed Visualfiles) to become the largest supplier of its kind in the UK.
In 2006 Visualfiles was acquired by Lexis Nexis (part of the Reed Elsevier group) and after a handover period, Mark left to become a founder member of Ewin Woodward Development (EWD). EWD invests in start up and early stage businesses providing a package of resources designed to support new companies through the first few years of growth.
Mark specialises in market analysis and development ensuring that new products and services meet the market needs and are communicated in the most appropriate way.