cobra:bio

Danny Chapchal has a 30 year track record in commercialising early stage British technology. Under Danny's direction, technology companies such as Camcon, Cambridge Display Technology and SQL Systems International have thrived. Danny is an investor alongside Lord Young of Graffham in digital valve developer Camcon and security specialist TSSI. He is a Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman of Camcon and Executive Chairman of TSSI. He has previously served as a Non Executive Director of Scipher Plc and Non Executive Chairman of Trace Plc.

Simon Saxby has 25 years experience in the biotechnology industry, latterly as CEO of Alpha Biologics Sdn Bhd, a Malaysian contract manufacturing organisation with an office and laboratories in Cambridge,UK. Simon was a founder of Murex Diagnostics, which was sold to Abbott Laboratories for $350m, a co-founder and Operations Director of Quantum Biosystems Ltd, he led the development of a CMO business for Unisyn Technologies in Massachusetts, USA for 5 years and has held appointments with KS Biomedix Plc, Xenova Group PLC and Synexis Ltd.

Peter has 13 years experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry and has been Cobra's Finance Director since its floatation on AIM in June 2002. Prior to Cobra he was employed in a variety of senior financial and corporate development roles. Peter qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant in 1996 and in 2001 was awarded an MBA with distinction jointly from the Manchester Business School and the University of Wales.

Paul was appointed Cobra’s Corporate Director of Quality Assurance in October 2005. He holds a degree in Biological Sciences and a PhD in fermentation and is registered as a Quality Person (QP) under the Permanent Provisions of the EU directives.

Paul has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. He spent 23 years with Eli Lilly in the UK, the first 10 years of which were in fermentation development and production before transferring to the QA department. During the following 13 years he gained extensive experience in QA with responsibility for projects, quality systems, engineering, clinical trials API manufacture and recombinant biotechnology products. He acted as a Senior Quality Advisor for Eli Lilly and travelled frequently to the US and globally in connection with these activities. In 2002 he moved to Aventis Pharma where he was Head of Quality Operations at their Holmes Chapel site.

Tracey gained an honors degree in Business Economics from the University of Leicester in 1995. After graduating, Tracey worked for ICL Sorbus Ltd and then Spiral Packs (London) Ltd where she obtained commercial experience as an Account Manager. She later went on to complete the Chartered Institute of Management Accountancy examinations whilst working for Elkes Biscuits Ltd, an operating division of Northern Foods Plc.

Tracey was appointed as Director of Commercial Services after six and a half years with Cobra, having previously headed the Planning function.  Prior to this Tracey worked with the Finance Team as Financial Controller.

After completing a management training course with a large retail organisation , Sheena was seconded to a training role with the responsibility for the training of over 100 staff and management. During this time she decided to specialise in the field of human resource management and spent the next 14 years in various training and personnel roles within two large retailing organisations.

In 1997 Sheena joined Cobra to set up a Personnel Department providing advice to staff and management on a wide range of personnel and training issues. She has spent the last nine years in the role and during this time has completed an NVQ Level 4 in Personnel Management. During this period, Sheena has played a fundamental role in the recruitment and selection of employees as part of the Group’s expansion plan.