2022 Spring Senior Executive Conference

One of ALDA’s semi-annual meetings directed to presidents, CEOs, COOs and senior executives, the Conference will be held on May 1-3 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Cell and gene therapies (CGT) are a transformative new category of medicines whose full potential is beginning to emerge. The ability to address complex diseases, as well as many rare disorders for which there are no effective treatments, makes CGT poised to transform the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.

There is little doubt that cell and gene therapies are a promising new segment, but market entry is not straightforward, and established pharma & biotech companies must develop new strategies to enter the market and become respected players. What role can ALDA member companies play in this expanding field? How did we get to where we are, and what’s coming next? Join your ALDA colleagues as we explore the CGT impact on our industry moving forward.

As always, this intimate event is for C-suite and senior executives from our member companies.  If you have questions about who should attend this event please contact Carol Starke (cstarke@thealda.org).

The Mandarin Oriental

Boston, MA

May 1-3, 2022

Sunday, May 1, 2022

6:00-9:00 PM                   Opening Reception & Dinner

Chip Heath
New York Times Best-Selling Author and Professor,
Stanford Graduate School of Business 

ALDA events typically kick off with a business-oriented speaker at the opening dinner; this event is no exception. Chip Heath is a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, teaching courses on business strategy and organizations. Chip’s latest book Making Numbers Count was just released on January 11 and joins his other books on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller lists: The Power of Moments, Decisive, Switch, and Made to Stick. Chip will share relevant, impactful findings and takeaways from his work with ALDA attendees.

Monday, May 2, 2022

9:00 AM to 4:15 PM     General Sessions

Carl June
Professor in Immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
University of Pennsylvania

Renowned cancer immunologist Carl June wears many hats and holds many titles, including pioneer of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cells, Perelman School of Medicine tenured professor and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2018. Dr. June will lead off our CGT programming by providing an overview of the decades of research that have gone into his incredible advancements and therapies, and also paint the picture of what else is being researched and developed in this area and what’s to come.

Pharma Perspective on CGT

Stefan Wildt, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer, R&D
Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Stefan Wildt will dive into what is currently taking place, what’s next, and what’s needed from the customer’s perspective. How is pharma looking at the next phases of these exciting therapies, and what types of sophisticated tools will be needed to navigate the complex research, development, and commercial phases to further advance this promising science?

Financial Overview of CGT Market

Two financial analysts from Morgan Stanley, who are well-versed in the CGT market, will discuss trends and opportunities for tools companies in this space. 

Valerie Dixon
Managing Director, Investment Banking Division
Morgan Stanley

Arek Kurkciyan
Managing Director, Healthcare Investment Banking
Morgan Stanley

Executive Roundtables

Topic-based small group discussions, chosen by attendees in advance of the conference

Senior Executive Panel: Dynamic CGT Tools Companies

CEOs of tools companies in this space will discuss their status as well as their plans in the years ahead. Confirmed speakers include:

Doug Doerfler                              Stephen Gunstream                Sean Mackay                             Aby J. Mathew
President & CEO                          President & CEO                     CEO & Co-Founder                    Senior Vice President & CSO
MaxCyte                                       Teknova                                   IsoPlexis                                    Biolife Solutions

Moderated by:

Valerie Dixon
Managing Director, Investment Banking Division
Morgan Stanley

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

8:00-9:15 AM               Understanding Risk and Mastering the Unknown

Stanley A. McChrystal
Retired four-star general

A retired four-star general, General McChrystal is the former commander of US and International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) Afghanistan and the former commander of the nation’s premier military counter-terrorism force, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). He is best known for developing and implementing a comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, and for creating a cohesive counter-terrorism organization that revolutionized the interagency operating culture. General McChrystal  is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, where he teaches a course on Leadership. General McChrystal is also a best-selling author including Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World which he will discuss along with his latest, Risk: A User’s Guide. All attendees will also receive a copy of his latest book. The fireside chat style session will also provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of General McChrystal.

See you in Boston!

**REGISTRATION CANCELLATION POLICY: No refunds of meeting registration fees will be made for registration cancellations after Wednesday, April 20.

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