Meet the Team

Botanix Pharmaceuticals has attracted respected global leaders in dermatology, clinical research and commercialisation. We have a lean, multidisciplinary team, committed and empowered to work at the highest industry standards.

Board

Vince Ippolito

Executive Chairman

Vince Ippolito is Executive Chairman of Botanix Pharmaceuticals and responsible for the Company’s commercial operations worldwide. Mr Ippolito is based in Phoenix USA, where Botanix is building its commercial operations functions. Mr Ippolito also currently sits on the Board of Suneva Medical, a privately held regenerative aesthetics company. Mr Ippolito is a leading pharmaceutical expert who has over 30 years of experience in the industry, including more than 20 years in dermatology.

Throughout his career, he has launched more than 20 brands in dermatology and aesthetic medicine and played a leading role in two of the largest dermatology acquisitions completed in the past decade with combined valuations of $7.8 billion. He served as the Chief Commercial Officer Executive Vice President of Anacor Pharmaceuticals, a dermatology based biopharmaceutical company, until September 2017, where he was responsible for developing marketing and sales functions, as well as strategising the company’s product portfolio. Previously, Mr. Ippolito was Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Medicis, an industry leading dermatology and aesthetic company.

Matt Callahan

Executive Director

Mr Matt Callahan is the founding executive director of Botanix. Matt is an experienced life sciences and health tech executive based in Philadelphia, USA. He has been the founding CEO or Executive Director of a number of pharmaceutical and health tech companies including iCeutica Inc, Churchill Pharma Inc. Dimerix Biosciences, Emerald Clinics and Orthocell. He has led the development of four products that have received FDA approval and he has more than 25 years legal, IP and investment management experience. Mr Callahan has worked as an investment director for two venture capital firms investing in lifesciences, technology and other sectors, and was general manager of Australian listed technology and licensing company ipernica (now Nearmap ASX:NEA), where he was responsible for the licensing programs that generated more than $120M in revenue.

Dr Stewart Washer

Director

Dr Stewart Washer is a respected senior executive with more than 20 years of experience at Board and senior executive levels across medical technology, biotechnology and agrifood companies. He has an established track record and has overseen acquisitions and strategic partnerships in the pharmaceutical and cannabinoid medicine sectors, with some of the world’s leading companies. Dr Washer is currently active as an ASX board member with Orthocell (ASX:OCC), Zelda Therapeutics (ASX:ZLD) and Cynata Therapeutics (ASX:CYP). Previously, Dr Washer has been an Investment Director at Bioscience Managers, a leading life science investment firm and was a Venture Partner with the Swiss Inventages Fund, a €1.5bn life science fund, funded by Nestle. Dr Washer has held a number of Board positions previously including Chairman of Hatchtech which sold for A$279m in 2015 and as a Director of iCeutica, which was sold to US-based Iroko Pharmaceuticals in 2011.

Dr Bill Bosch

Non-Executive Director

Dr Bill Bosch is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of experience in the industry, focusing on applications of nanotechnology to drug product development. Dr Bosch worked with iCeutica Inc. as Chief Scientific Officer and is co-inventor of the SoluMatrix™ drug delivery technology, and has been instrumental in the development and scale up of the platform and development of three FDA approved products that use the SoluMatrix™ technology.

Before iCeutica, he was Director of Pharmaceutical Research at Elan Corporation where he managed the development activities for four commercial products which incorporate nanotechnology. Dr Bosch was a co-founder of NanoSystems LLC in 1995 and a co-inventor of NanoCrystal® Technology.

Danny Sharp

Non-Executive Director

Mr Sharp is a respected investment banker with more than 30 years’ experience and strong networks within global capital markets, institutional investment and private wealth. Healthcare and technology are his speciality areas of expertise.

Most recently, Danny was Corporate Finance Executive Director of Canaccord Genuity, and he has previously spearheaded the Corporate Finance departments at both Shaw and Partners and Lodge Partners.

He is currently a Non-Executive Director on the Board of health informatics Company Alcidion Corporate (ASX ALC) and on the Investment Committee of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and Law, and is a CFA Charter Holder.

Management

Howie McKibbon

Chief Executive Officer

Howie has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including working as Senior-Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Anacor Pharmaceuticals; Senior Vice-President, Worldwide Commercial Operations at Dermavant Science; and Vice-President, Dermatology and Immunology at Medicis Pharmaceuticals. Howie has launched 15 products including 11 in dermatology, and managed over 30 dermatology products. He also played a significant role in two of the world’s largest dermatology acquisitions with combined valuations of $7.8 billion. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of South Florida, an MBA from Mercer University’s Stetson School of Business and Economics and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Mercer University’s Southern School of Pharmacy.

Anthony Robinson

Vice President of Development

Anthony Robinson was recently Vice President, Head of Clinical Operations, Program Management and Regulatory Affairs at Advicenne Inc and previously held similar positions at Aquestive Therapeutics and Intrommune Therapeutics, and developed extensive expertise in drug development, clinical operations and regulatory affairs at Shire (acquired by Takeda) and global contract research organization, Covance. Anthony holds multiple qualifications including Masters degrees in Science and Business Administration from Penn State and Drexel Universities and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.

Dr Jack Hoblitzell

Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development

Dr Hoblitzell has over 30 years of extensive experience in leading world-class technical operations to manufacture and deliver branded, specialty and generic pharmaceuticals, previously holding senior leadership roles in the US with companies including Pfizer, King Pharmaceuticals, Ivax Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals. This includes expertise in areas such as M&A due diligence, manufacturing technology transfer and integration in addition to manufacturing for pivotal studies and regulatory submission documentation. Dr Hoblitzell has a depth of experience in supply chain management and operational excellence delivery having successfully led sales and operations planning and distribution for both marketed and new products, including implementation and oversight of technical contract manufacturing and packaging. Dr Hoblitzell is Registered Pharmacist and member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), and International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (IPSE). He holds his PhD in Pharmaceutics and BS Pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island.

Advisers

Dr Patricia Walker

Chief Medical Adviser

Dr Walker is a board-certified dermatologist specialising in medical and aesthetic dermatology. She is an industry expert and has served in various leadership roles, including President and head of R&D for Brickell Biotech; Chief Medical Officer for Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.; Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for Allergan Medical Aesthetics; and Vice President and Dermatology Therapeutic Area Head at Allergan. Dr. Walker completed her medical degree and dermatology residency training at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. She also completed a research fellowship at the National Institute of Health’s Dermatology Branch.

Dr Ira Lawrence

Medical Adviser

Dr Lawrence has over 30 years of senior level leadership experience within the global pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He currently serves as a senior‐level consultant, with numerous clients worldwide. Previously, he has served as the Chief Medical Officer of Alphaeon Corporation; Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation; President and Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors at SciClone Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Astellas Pharmaceutical Company and Fujisawa Healthcare; and Senior Vice President of Research and Development at GenDerm Corporation. Dr Lawrence has had significant experience in the development and launch of numerous pharmaceuticals and devices and has played significant roles in over 75 INDs and IDEs, as well as, 17 NDAs, BLAs and PMAs. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and has received numerous awards and honors. He is a member of several scientific and medical professional societies; the author of numerous scientific publications and textbooks; and has presented at several national and international scientific and medical meetings on a variety of subjects.

Lynda Berne

Commercial Adviser

Lynda Berne is a founder of BAL Pharma Consulting, LLC, a Princeton, NJ Management Consulting firm providing Commercial Advisory Services to Biotech and Specialty Pharma. Lynda has held several senior and executive roles in pharma encompassing broad commercial experience and including 13 years at Bristol-Myers Squibb where she held the roles of Vice President, Infectious Disease Marketing, managing a $600M business unit and Vice President, Managed Health Care Sales. Other senior commercial positions held include General Manager, Hospital/CV Portfolio, a $1B business unit, Abbott International, and Executive Director, Gastroenterology/Nephrology Marketing, a $200M business unit, Shire Pharmaceuticals. Lynda has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana University, and Master of Science in Nursing from DePaul University and an MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Our Partners

Botanix works with a range of partners for the supply of synthetic CBD; the manufacturing of GMP material in a licensed facility; and the conduct of controlled and ethical human clinical trials. Our Company works within a heavily regulated industry which requires specific licensing and product handling, so we work closely with experienced FDA advisers and our partners to maintain relevant legal compliance

Become a partner