OCB appoints James Otter as new CEO

Oxford, UK, 15th July 2019:    Oxford Cancer Biomarkers has appointed James Otter as Chief Executive Officer.

This represents a key growth milestone for the company which aims to benefit cancer patients through the implementation of advanced precision oncology diagnostics to improve screening and enable better treatment decisions for people affected by cancer.

Oxford Cancer Biomarkers applies molecular insights into disease and pathological processes to develop innovative oncology screening and diagnostic tests, commencing with colon cancer, a disease affecting 1.2 million patients every year, presenting a major global burden of morbidity and mortality.

“We are at a pivotal point in the growth of Oxford Cancer Biomarkers, with validated and commercialised transformational technology platforms as we accelerate our progress to become leaders in precision medicine for cancer” said Oxford Cancer Biomarkers Chairman David Oxlade.  “We are delighted that James Otter will be able to apply his considerable bioscience knowledge and network to lead our team to enable improved cancer screening and in making precision oncology diagnostics and intervention an accessible daily reality for millions of patients”.

James is currently Chairman of Renovos, a bioscience start-up commercialising orthopaedic technology from the University of Southampton.  He is also the Royal Society’s Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Southampton and is NED on Octopus Apollo VCT.  He has a broad base of experience in bioscience companies.  He chaired Hygea VCT, where he led the successful turnaround of Hallmarq Veterinary Imaging.  He worked in the health IT sector with Oxehealth and Oxford Biosignals and also was interim CEO at Glide.  Whilst a Director of Spectris plc, he turned around their largest subsidiary in Denmark, which was the world leader in sound and vibration products and services.  His earlier corporate career included international commercial roles with Zeneca agrochemicals (formerly ICI).  James has an MBA from INSEAD and a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge.

James said “Oxford Cancer Biomarkers has developed innovative genomic and IT tools to support a step change in the screening and treatment of cancer.  I look forward to leading the team and developing our partnerships to accelerate the implementation of improved standards of care and health economic outcomes in cancer medicine and in realising the maximum value for our customers and stakeholders”.

For more information please visit the Oxford Cancer Biomarkers website at www.oxfordbio.com.

Contact:

Oxford Cancer Biomarkers Ltd
Tel:  +44 1865 784743
[email protected]

Editors’ Notes

About Oxford Cancer Biomarkers

Oxford Cancer Biomarkers translates ground-breaking scientific discovery into predictive biomarker diagnostic products that allow medicines to be personalised for the benefit of the cancer patient. Oxford Cancer Biomarkers is a spin-out of the University of Oxford and has strong links with the Medical Sciences Division in Oxford University. The company was founded by Nick La Thangue, Ph.D., Chair of Cancer Biology at Oxford University and David Kerr, CBE, D.Sc., M.D. FMedSci, Professor of Cancer Medicine at Oxford University. Investors in OCB include Longwall Venture Partners LLP, Esperante BV, Ningbo My-BioMed Biotechnology Co.,Ltd., CancerRop Co. Ltd., Kwangdong Pharmaceutical Co Ltd and the University of Oxford.