Senior Management Team - EnVivo

Kees Been | President and Chief Executive Officer

Prior to joining EnVivo, Kees was CEO of Bionaut Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company using a proprietary cell-based discovery platform to advance drug candidates for cancer and inflammation. Prior to joining Bionaut, Kees spent four years at Biogen where he directed the Oncology Business Unit and, as Senior Vice President of Business Development, led all of Biogen’s deal-making efforts and portfolio management activities. Major deals he oversaw include the collaborations with Elan on Antegren (now Tysabri), with ICOS on the oral LFA-1 antagonist, and with EOS Biotechnology on breast cancer target discovery. Prior to joining Biogen in 1999, Kees held executive positions with Monsanto Life Sciences Company and was mainly involved in corporate change projects and large growth strategies in Latin America. From 1988-1995, Kees worked at Gemini Consulting where his last position was Vice President, responsible for building the pharmaceuticals practice. He began his career as a scientist on the Interferon-gamma project at Biogen in Geneva, Switzerland. He holds an MBA degree from INSEAD in France and graduated from the University of Agriculture in Holland, majoring in Molecular Biology and Process Engineering.

Dana M. Hilt, MD |Sr. Vice President, Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer

Dana Hilt has had more than 15 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry. After receiving his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston he trained in Internal Medicine at Harvard and Neurology at Johns Hopkins. He was then on the staff of the NIH for five years performing both basic molecular neurobiology research and clinical studies at the NIH clinical center. Dana then was in the Neurology and Molecular Biology Departments at the University of Maryland School of Medicine before joining Amgen to establish a clinical neuroscience group that focused on the potential therapeutic applications of neurotrophic factors in degenerative neurologic diseases. He subsequently held senior development and management positions as Chief Medical Officer at Guilford Pharmaceuticals, Ascend Pharmaceuticals, and Critical Therapeutics. During this time Dana was involved in the development of a variety of potential therapeutics including drugs for Parkinson’s Disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease, oncologic diseases including malignant glioma, chronic pain, metabolic disorders, and inflammatory conditions.  At Envivo Pharmaceuticals Dana is responsible for the development of a drug candidate after it is nominated into development from basic research. Dana has co-authored more than 75 publications and book chapters in basic and clinical neuroscience and has participated, chaired, or organized a number of national and international symposia

Gerhard Koenig, Ph.D. | Chief Scientific Officer

Gerhard Koenig brings more than 15 years of research and development experience to EnVivo Pharmaceuticals, with an important focus on neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s Disease. As Chief Scientific Officer, Gerhard is focusing on the daily scientific and operational management of the company. He has co-authored major scientific publications, patents and reviews of new research findings in prestigious journals. Previously, Gerhard spent 10 years at Bayer Corporation in West Haven, CT and at Bayer AG, Germany in various functions, including Director of the Dementia Research Department at Bayer AG, Germany. In his last function, he was responsible for the pre-clinical dementia research pipeline and that work resulted in the introduction of several compounds into development. Gerhard received his M.S. and his Ph.D. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology, graduating Suma Cum Laude from the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Michael Palfreyman, Ph.D., D.Sc. | Vice President, Program Management and Drug Development

Dr. Palfreyman is a seasoned leader in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries with over 30 years experience.  In 2003, he co-founded NOVACE Corporation, a network of entrepreneurs providing scientific, and strategic management solutions to the biotechnology industry and venture capital community; in 2000 he joined Psychiatric Genomics, where he was Founder, CSO and President of a biotechnology company developing genome-based approaches to drug discovery for the treatment of Mental Illness. From 1994-2000 he was Senior Vice President of Research & Development at Scriptgen (Anadys) Pharmaceuticals, that developed a genomic-based drug discovery platform in infectious diseases. From 1975 to 1994, Michael held a number of senior positions at Marion Merrell Dow Research Institute (Aventis), including Vice President Research, North America. From 1970 to 1975 Michael was Head of Biochemical Pharmacology at Beecham Pharmaceuticals (GlaxoSmithKline) where he pioneered rational biochemical approaches to drug discovery with three compounds demonstrating clinical effectiveness. Michael received both his Ph.D. and D.Sc. from the University of Nottingham in neuroscience and rational drug design of CNS active drugs, respectively.  He has been an invited speaker and chairperson for a number of international and national conferences, is co-inventor on 35 issued US patents, 3 pending patents and co-author of over 150 scientific articles and book chapters.

Michael K. Ahlijanian, Ph.D. | Vice President, Research

Dr. Ahlijanian has worked in Neuroscience for over 25 years with 15 years in CNS Discovery at Pfizer rising to the level of Executive Director.  Ahlijanian has broad experience in small molecule drug discovery in both Neurodegenerative and Psychiatric diseases and has led or contributed to teams that have generated multiple compounds for clinical development.  He also has significant experience in preclinical and clinical development. As VP of Research Michael is focused on the delivery of preclinical candidates.  Michael received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota (A. E. Takemori) and received post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado (D.M.F. Cooper) and the University of Washington (W.A. Catterall).  He has published in key scientific and Neuroscience journals, is co-inventor on several issued US patents and has been an invited speaker to domestic and international meetings and symposia.

Jean-Marie Vallet, Ph.D., MBA | Vice President, Business Development

Dr. Vallet joins EnVivo from Cyrma Consulting, LLC. Dr. Vallet has over 20 years experience in a variety of research, marketing and business roles in life sciences, including in 14 years the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to founding Cyrma, Dr. Vallet most recently served as Vice President of Business and Commercial Development at Guilford Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led the company’s business development initiatives. Prior to Guilford, Dr. Vallet held senior level business development and marketing positions at Pierre Fabre (France), Parke-Davis (Germany), Warner Lambert (USA) and Bristol Myers Squibb (USA), completing numerous R&D, commercialization and M&A agreements with global pharmaceutical and life sciences companies in Europe and the US. Dr. Vallet started his career as a genetic engineer at the Geneva Branch of Battelle Institute, an American research contract and consulting organization. Progressing through a number of domestic and international positions, Dr. Vallet retired from BMS as a Vice President of Business Development for the European Region. He holds a Master of Biochemistry from University of Orsay Paris XI, France and a D.E.A. of Quantitative Genetics from the same university. He was a Research & Teaching Assistant in the Molecular Biology Department of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, which sponsored his doctoral work. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology in 1985 and a Masters of Business Administration from IMD in 1988 (International Management Development, Switzerland). Dr. Vallet is a member of the Licensing Executive Society and a member of the Business Development Group of the US Bio-industry Association.