After graduating from Rhodes University with a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree, Kim Hulett completed a Higher Diploma in Accounting. She qualified as a chartered accountant after completing her articles with Price Waterhouse in Johannesburg. Kim joined Hambros Bank in London, focusing on cross border corporate finance. After returning to South Africa, Kim set-up her own consulting business in corporate finance, structured finance, tax, and black economic empowerment transactions, and was actively involved in the incubation of a number of businesses in the media, entertainment, technology, security and medical industries. Kim is a trustee of the Oliver & Adelaide Tambo Foundation and also a member of Abundance 360, an international entrepreneurial programme set-up by Peter Diamandis, which aims to turn success into significance using disruptive exponential technologies.

Kim founded Next Biosciences together with Netcare Limited in 2005 and is responsible for the overall strategy and management of the business.

Yvonne Holt graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand 1997 with a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery (MBBCH Wits). Yvonne worked as a Medical Officer in the departments of Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology for 4 years after graduation, and obtained a Diploma in Child Health (DCH) during this time.

In 2006, Yvonne’s interest in the fields of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics and stem cell technology brought her to a new career path when she joined Next Biosciences as Medical Director. In this capacity, Yvonne is responsible for the medical development of the stem cell program at Next Biosciences and highlighting the benefits of this new technology. In 2011, Yvonne completed a 2 year, internationally recognised Diploma in Transfusion Medicine through the University of Bloemfontein.

With Next Biosciences expanding services, Yvonne remains responsible and oversees all medical development and laboratory management of the new services.

Spencer James completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree, majoring in Accountancy and Commercial law, from Rhodes University in 1995. He then joined Hambros Bank as a research assistant, and in 1998, joined Pricewaterhouse (now PwC) as an article clerk. In 2000, Spencer graduated with a BCompt Honours from the University of South Africa, and in January 2001, qualified as a Chartered Accountant (SA). Spencer’s passion for technology lead him from Audit into Business Technology Management where he was responsible for the conceptualisation and implementation of numerous systems, business process improvement and innovation projects, and the overall business intelligence strategy. In 2014,

Spencer was appointed as the Chief Information Officer of PwC Africa where, under his leadership, he restructured the IT function of the South African organisation and led the rejuvenation of the firm’s operational infrastructure.

Spencer joined Next Biosciences in January 2016 as the head of operations and technology where he is jointly responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company and associated enabling technologies.

After matriculating from St John’s College, Andre graduated from Rhodes University with a Bachelor Degree in Commerce. He started his career at Ivor Jones Roy & Co (IJR) on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1994. In 1998 he became a partner before IJR was sold to Deutsche Morgan Grenfell and subsequently moved to the UK in 2002, where he ran numerous businesses for the bank including a European proprietary fund as well as the Emerging market and European Equity trading businesses. Andre relocated to New York in 2010 to run the bank’s US trading business. In 2012, he became the Global Head of Equity Trading for Deutsche Bank.

Andre is a member of Abundance 360, an international entrepreneurial programme set-up by Peter Diamandis of Singularity University.

Andre has investments and interests spanning artificial intelligence, computational finance, disruptive ecommerce start-ups and biosciences.

After completing her Bachelor of Commerce, Carina obtained a Bachelor of Accounting Honours Degree from The University of Johannesburg in 2007. She then joined RSM Betty & Dickson (Johannesburg) in 2008 under a training contract and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in January 2011. Carina has audit experience in retail, manufacturing, property and investment companies and also gained extensive experience in the audit of retirement funds. Carina joined Next Biosciences as Financial Manager in October 2010 and is responsible for the financial management, accounting and related taxation and administration functions of Next Biosciences’ operations.

Catherine matriculated from St Mary’s D.S.G in Kwa-Zulu Natal in 2004, and then graduated from the University of Cape Town in June 2009 with a Bachelor of Business Science and Honours in Marketing.

After obtaining her BSc in Medical Sciences (2008), Celeste completed her Honours degree in Human Anatomy with specialization in Cell Biology (2009) and was awarded academic honorary colours by the University of Pretoria. During this time, she had the privilege of interning at Dundee University’s Welcome Trust Biocentre in Scotland, working on cellular signalling and inhibition.

Celeste started as an intern at Medika SA, and worked her way up to the position of Head of Research and Development developing products for use in large scale burn wounds and chronic wound care, including biologicals and tissue engineered products. Celeste joined Next Biosciences in 2013 as a Medical Scientist, and currently holds the position of Laboratory and Quality Manager.

Fikile has recently joined the Next Biosciences team as the Biologics Manager.

Her interests are in the field of medical biotechnology, bioethics, policy matters, social justice and harmony of biotechnology research and developments and patents.

She has been instrumental in a number of research projects: Chloroform residual in bone as well as bioburden analysis of cadaveric tissue in 2007-2008; Ethics Educator Course presenter (October 2016) and organising member for the 6th Conference of The International Association of Education in Ethics (IAEE) for 2018 in South Africa.

Senior Lecturer (Biochemistry), University of KwaZulu-Natal, SA, Carola Niesler is an established NRF-rated scientist who leads a Stem Cell Research laboratory in the Department of Biochemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal. She started her stem cell research career analysing adipose-derived stem cells during her PhD at the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, UK, and subsequently spent two years in a Centre of Excellence for wound healing research at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester.

In 2001 Carola joined Stellenbosch University to establish a Stem Cell Biology Group in the Department of Physiological Sciences. During this time, she also acted as a Director of Virtus Clinical Development, a clinical research organization based in Cape Town.

In her current position as Senior Lecturer at UKZN, her research area centers on understanding how the extracellular environment influences stem cell activities such as proliferation, migration and differentiation. She has published 27 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and has graduated 15 PhD/MSc students over the last 10 years.

Dr. Musa Mhlanga is a cell biologist who holds a PhD in cell biology & molecular genetics from the New York University School of Medicine (2003). He began his PhD at Rockefeller University and upon completion of his doctoral work he was awarded a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at the Institut Pasteur in Paris to work in the laboratory of nuclear cell biology.

Prof. Marco Weinberg is a biochemist and molecular biologist whose research career has focused on the study of gene regulation and the role of engineered nucleic acids as novel therapeutics. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, South Africa and concurrently an Assistant Professor at the Scripps Research Institute, California, USA.

After an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis (1982-84), Dr Gimble completed a Medical Staff Fellowship in the Laboratory of Immunogenetics, NIAID, NIH (1984-87). Dr. Gimble began studying the differentiation properties of bone marrow stromal cells, now known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in 1987 as a faculty member at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. His laboratory was among the first to investigate the molecular biology of bone marrow stromal adipogenesis.