Show notes
What compels a scientist to leave academia for the high-stakes world of finance and then become the CEO of a publicly-traded biotech company?In this episode of Oxford+, host Susannah de Jager sits down with Zandy Forbes, the CEO and co-founder of MeiraGTx. Zandy shares her fascinating career journey, explaining how her experience as a hedge fund analyst shaped her unique approach to building a resilient, multi-asset genetic medicine company.They discuss MeiraGTx's pioneering work, from developing a mind-blowing technology that turns the body into a drug manufacturing facility to their successful clinical trials that are changing the lives of patients with inherited blindness, Parkinson’s, and other diseases. (00:00) - Welcome to Oxford+(00:58) - Meet Zandy Forbes: From Academia to CEO(02:08) - Transitioning to Wall Street(03:57) - Discovering the World of Biotech(07:15) - Founding MeiraGTx(09:45) - Innovative Gene Therapy Approaches(13:04) - Breakthroughs in Genetic Medicine(14:46) - Success Stories: Transforming Lives(19:59) - Challenges and Strategies in Biotech(27:04) - Navigating the Public Markets(30:50) - The Future of Biotech in the UKZandy Forbes: The CEO and co-founder of MeiraGTx, a NASDAQ-listed clinical-stage genetic medicine company. She holds a double first in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Oxford. Before co-founding MeiraGTx in 2015, she spent over a decade as an analyst and portfolio manager at a healthcare-focused hedge fund.Connect with Zandy on LinkedInSusannah de Jager: Susannah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in UK asset management. She has worked closely with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and government officials to shape the conversation around domestic scale-up capital.Connect with Susannah on LinkedIn / Subscribe to the Oxford+ Newsletter for exclusive contentOxford+ is hosted by Susannah de Jager and supported by Mishcon de Reya and Oxford North.Produced and edited by Story Ninety-Four in Oxford.