Management

Martyn Coombs - Chief Executive Officer
Martyn Coombs was appointed as CEO and Director of Asterand plc in March 2007. Prior to joining Asterand, Mr. Coombs worked for Amersham plc for nine years in various senior roles. He led global logistics during Amersham's period of rapid growth and merger activity in which the company's revenue tripled in size to £1.4 billion. Subsequently he served in Japan for five years as President Amersham KK and concurrently as Executive Vice President of Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd, a $300m revenue Joint Venture between Amersham and Sumitomo Chemical. Mr Coombs served on the Board of Nihon Medi-Physics Co. Ltd as Amersham's only Executive Director. Mr. Coombs has also served as President of PerkinElmer Japan, a subsidiary of PerkinElmer, Inc. He holds a first degree in Mathematics and an MBA from Warwick Business School.

John Stchur, CPA - Chief Financial Officer
John Stchur joined Asterand, Inc. in 2002. He's led the Company through two rounds of funding and its listing on the London Stock Exchange by means of a reverse merger (with Pharmagene plc) to form Asterand plc in January 2006. In 2007, he became the Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary of the new Group. Prior to joining Asterand, Mr. Stchur served as Vice President of Finance for Big Net Holdings, a telecommunications company and as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. Mr. Stchur holds a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Maryland, a M.S. in Professional Accountancy from Walsh College in Troy, Michigan and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Victoria Blanc, Ph.D. - General Manager - US Operations
Victoria Blanc joined Asterand in 2002 and was appointed to General Manager, US Operations in 2007. Prior to her appointment as General Manager, Dr. Blanc held positions of increasing responsibility within the company. Her previous responsibilities include: Director of Product Development, Director of Research Services, Business Development Representative and Applications Specialist. Prior to joining Asterand, she worked for Genomic Solutions, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Through her work there, she gained experience in the applications, sales and marketing of high technology genomics and proteomics instrumentation. Dr. Blanc holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Tony Brown, Ph.D. - General Manager - UK Operations
Tony Brown joined the company in 1998 as Pharmagene's Head of Pharmacology. He was appointed to General Manager, Asterand UK Ltd in 2006. His responsibilities include daily operations for Asterand's UK facility in Royston and the scientific leadership of Asterand's Drug Discovery Services division. Prior to joining the company, Dr. Brown worked for SmithKline Beecham for 10 years, where he led the Receptor Pharmacology Group within Neurosciences Research in the UK. In this role his responsibilities included biochemical and pharmacological drug screening and applied genomic approaches to identify novel drug targets. Dr. Brown also lectured in Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Nottingham Medical School. Dr. Brown holds a first degree in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, a M.S. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD in Physiology from the University of Cambridge. Dr. Brown is widely published in the areas of ion and neurotransmitter transport and receptor pharmacology and biochemistry.

Terry Reilly - Vice President of Sales & Marketing
Terry Reilly joined Asterand in November 2004 and was promoted to Vice President of Sales & Marketing in 2007. Mr. Reilly has over 15 years of proven success in leading teams, developing new products and services, and delivering bottom-line performance. He has an extensive background in diagnostic and drug discovery contract research services, anatomic pathology and diagnostic testing services. His commercial experience includes sales and marketing in Europe and North America. Prior to joining Asterand, Mr. Reilly held sales and sales management positions with Genzyme, CR Bard and Tufts Health Plans. Mr. Reilly holds degrees in History and Economics from Michigan State University.

Carol Cawston - Human Resources Director
Carol Cawston joined Asterand as Interim Director of HR in February 2008 and was appointed to Head of Global HR in June 2008, her responsibilities extending to cover both sites in the US and UK. Prior to joining Asterand, Mrs Cawston has spent some 26 years in the Human Resources arena and has an extensive generalist background covering all aspects including acquisitions and divestments. She was more recently Managing Director of her own Company HR & Development Solutions Ltd, having previously spent over 6 years as the HR Director of Organon Laboratories in the UK. Ms. Cawston holds qualifications gained at the University College in Suffolk , in Business Studies, and Teaching. She is qualified to practice Psychometrics, and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Management.