Jumar Mentoring Program
The Jumar Mentoring Program offers both Peer Mentors and Consultant Mentors, giving Jumar biotech startups access to targeted, practical advice at critical stages of their journey.
Each mentor commits to providing an in-kind 1-hour session to address a specific technical, commercial, or strategic question, from clinical development and regulatory strategy through to manufacturing, partnering, and scale-up. This program is open to all (C-suite, L-suite, Team Member).
To request a warm introduction, please fill out this mentor form. If there isn’t a mentor who matches your specific need, we’ll reach out to our broader network to find the right person for you.
Please see curated list of our select mentors below.
| Name | Title & Organisation | Areas of Expertise |
| Jason Lickliter | Medical Oncologist and Chief Medical Officer, Nucleus Network | Phase 1 first-in-human oncology trials, clinical pharmacology, early clinical development, global trial operations, US–Australia clinical strategy |
| Rosie Stramandinoli | Special Counsel, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney (AU, NZ), Pearce IP | Leadership and intellectual property |
| Emma van Embden | Associate Principal, FPA Patent Attorneys | Intellectual property (patents) |
| Fiona Seddon | Consultant, Regulatory Strategy and Alignment (Quality, Manufacturing and Control), JustPartnering | Vaccine development from proof of concept to regulatory approval; regulatory alignment for protein, RNA, and cell therapies |
| Janette Dixon | Managing Director, JustPartnering | Executive management, founding biotech startups, business development and licensing, partnering, financial and commercial strategy |
| Steven Haken | Managing Director, Odelle Technology | Profile raising (podcast), EU/UK/US market entry pathways, reimbursement and adoption strategies |
| Gerhard Rank | Biopharmaceutical Development Consultant | Biologics and vaccine development, scale-up and manufacturing with CDMOs, outsourced development partnerships, operational and technical challenges |
| Thomas Ulmer | CFO, COO, CEO, Cell Therapies Pty Limited | General management and finance |
| Steven Rockman | External Innovation, CSL (20 years with CSL) | Vaccines |
| Anand Gautam | Founder, G2OME Consulting Pty Ltd; Former Head of APAC Emerging Science & Innovation, Global R&D, Pfizer | R&D strategy, translation, and commercialisation |
| Rachelle Kirk-Burnnand | CRA; Project Manager (CRO); Global PM (USA, Europe, APAC); Director Clinical Operations | Clinical operations, trial delivery, vendor procurement |
| Helen Poliviou | Founder and Managing Director, PureCDM | Early-phase clinical development, Phase 1 strategy, protocol and dose-escalation design, trial execution, translational planning, global development |
| Michael Fitzgerald | Director Biostatistics APAC, PureCDM | Clinical trial strategy, biostatistics, data analysis and problem solving |
| Michelle Papadimitriou | Research and Commercialisation Associate; R&D Project Manager | Early- to mid-stage drug development, management of pre-clinical, non-clinical, and CMC contracts |
| James Posnett | General Manager, Listings at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) | Capital markets in Australia and internationally |
| Grant Lester | Over 10 years as Executive Director at Social Research Centre. As a coach, 8 years. | Leadership, management, operations, business operations, coaching, high-performance, people management, culture, building teams, scaling, driving engagement, delivering results, reporting, strategy and recruitment. |
| Joanne Hilderbrand | Medical Science Liaison, Eli Lilly, Cardiometabolic Health | Cell Biology and preclinical models of disease, navigating academia, career moves to industry |
| Jeremy Gale | 30 years + ex-Pfizer, ex-GSK, Biopharma Executive and Clinical Drug Development Consultant | Clinical stage drug development (pre-FIH through Phase 2) including translational research |
| Guillaume Lessene | Associate Director Therapeutic Discovery, WEHI; Cofounder exteRNA; CSO Anaxis Pharma | Accomplished leader with more than 20-years’ experience in the biomedical research and translation sector |
| Andrew Kelly | Executive Director and Co-Founder of BioPacific Partners | 35 years of experience spanning science, commercialisation, and investment across pharma, food, agriculture, and health. Leds international R&D at major research institutes in Australia and New Zealand, working closely with emerging ventures and funding pathways |
| Perdita Cheshire | Senior Director, Early Partnerships & Transactions Lead, CSL | Experienced life sciences leader specialising in research strategy, external innovation, and global partnering. She has a strong background in early-stage partnering, with prior experience in biotechnology business development and advisory. |
| Owen Tatford | Consultant, Centre for BioPharmaceutical Excellence (CBE) | 25 years in the diagnostic and pharmaceutical industry, as a scientist and leader in R&D, process development and manufacturing support. Owen can advise on bioprocess development and scaling-up R&D processes to commercial GMP production |
| Charles Lindall | R&D and Commercialisation Specialist - Medical, Biotech, Manufacturing; GAICD/MBA | Commercialisation strategy, particularly navigating complex deals with third-party complications (university partners, investors, competing rights) - Working with university IP and university-affiliated investor funds - International licensing and partnering considerations - Development of medical products and some experience of regulatory issues - Capital raising |
| Ewan Robertson | Partner, Pinsent Masons | Qualified in Australia and the UK and with US and other international experience, Ewan's expertise covers national and cross border mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactional matters including joint ventures and strategic partnerships as well as equity fundraisings and private equity, reorganisations and reconstructions and general commercial advisory work. |
| Greg Roger | Medical Device Advisor | Medical Devices, QMS, Regulatory, Innovative company building, patents, design optimisation. |
| Bob Soh | Senior Investment Manager | Clinical strategy and execution, asset prioritisation & market positioning, investment and funding insights, mentorship and ecosystem connectivity |
| Mara McDonald | Experienced biotech consultant, former Brandon Capitial Investment Manager | Within therapeutics and diagnostics: Building the business case, investor point of view, market assessment that will stand up in diligence, building a team on a budget, mentoring C-suite professionals, connections to US. For medical devices I can help with broad strokes but some finer regulatory points or development path may not be my sweet spot. |