Board of Directors

Christian Hoyer Millar, MA, Hons (Oxon) - CEO

Hoyer Millar was awarded a scholarship to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford. His career started at the Boston Consulting Group where he worked both in Europe and USA. He then moved to the UK Holding Company of the German/Dutch Conglomerate, Hoogovens, as a director of a number of the subsidiaries in the UK, winning the Queen's award for exports. Hoyer Millar then became a Vice President of Fox Pitt Kelton, where he worked on the mergers and acquisitions of US Regional Banks until the company went public at which point he was head-hunted to run a venture capital firm in conjunction with Ensign Trust PLC, owned by the Merchant Navy Pension Fund.

Since then Hoyer Millar has worked in venture capital including as a founder of an Ofex listed company and a founding shareholder in an AIM listed company. He is additionally a director of TQP Technology Limited, a plant-based pharmaceutical standardization company and has extensive commercial experience in the USA and Asia.

Dr Alexandre Akoulitchev, MA (Oxon), PhD (UCL), FRSM - CSO

Akoulitchev read mathematics, physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biophysics at PhysTech (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology). In 1989, he was selected by the George Soros Foundation to study for a year at the University of Oxford along with 20 top Soviet graduate students. He then obtained his PhD in cell biology from University College London (with his research based at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund). Akoulitchev spent six years at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, NJ, USA as a research assistant funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Upon his return to England, Akoulitchev has established a research laboratory at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology at Oxford University with funding from the Wellcome Trust.

He was a University Academic Fellow (Research Council UK) and a Senior Fellow of Exeter College, sponsored by Cancer Research UK, Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. He now works exclusively with Oxford BioDynamics as Chief Scientific Officer. Akoulitchev is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Alison Caroline Kibble, BA, Hons (Oxon) - Director

Kibble read Biochemistry at New College, Oxford. Her career stared as a product manager of R&D Systems Europe Limited in 1992 after which she moved on to become General Manager of Quantum Appligene and a consultant to Actigen Limited. In 2000, Kibble became the Sales Director of eLabs Europe and in 2001 became the CEO of Molecular Sensing plc. She transitioned Molecular Sensing plc from the R&D phase through project development to launch of their first commercial product and was instrumental in technology transfer and eventual license of the technology to Roche, before sale of the company to Osmetech plc.

In 2005, Kibble was recruited as the CEO of Femeda Ltd and raised funds totalling £2.5 million. Through her company, Lobes Ltd, she acts as a Board advisor and Non-Exec to a number of companies, ranging from start-ups to more established businesses. She specialises in commercialisation strategies and fund-raising. Alison represents Oxford University on the board of directors for Oxford BioDynamics.

Dr Heiner Dreismann , PhD (Westfaelische Wilhelms University) - Director

Dreismann read biology and gained his PhD in microbiology and molecular biology at the Westfaelische Wilhelms University. His career started as a post doctoral fellow in the French Centre for Nuclear Research in Saclay, Paris. Dreismann later moved to Roche Diagnostics in 1985 and held several top management positions - Head of the Integration Office, Head of the Business Unit PCR Europe, Head of the Business Unit microbiology and Vice President of Manufacturing. In 2000, Dreismann became the Head of Global Business Development for the $7 billion Roche Diagnostics in vitro diagnostics business.

Between 2000 and 2006 Dreismann was the President and CEO of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. Under his leadership, the Roche Molecular Systems in vitro diagnostics business doubled its value and the business grew to $1.2 billion annually. Dreismann led 1,600 staff and expanded the PCR business into new areas attracting $1 billion of investments.