Christopher Bird is a Board Member at Stealth Mode Startup Company. He possess expertise in molecular diagnostics, leadership, biotechnology, business development, commercialization and 10 more skills. He is proficient in German and Spanish. Colleagues describe him as "I had the privilege to interact with Dr. Chris Bird since 2006 when we were in graduate school at Oxford University where we studied immunology together. We also worked on a few projects together at Roche where he served as the head of medical and scientific affairs (MSA) in North America. There are many fine qualities in Chris, and I would like to focus on four in my recommendation. First and foremost, he is one of the most perspicacious leaders in Roche Diagnostics, where I was fortunate enough to interact with most of the senior leaders thus able to compare them in several ways. He has a genuine interest in people, who are both above and below his rank. He constantly coaches and develops people in his team and beyond. I myself benefited from this tremendously - he spent many hours in helping me prepare for interviews, connecting me with people in the organisation, introducing me to senior leaders, etc. I recall that he took economy class in intercontinental flights, for example, in order to save budget (probably influenced from his biotech start-up days) so as to fly his team for training and developmental workshops in international locations. He also sent personal greeting cards every year to his team members on important holidays. Meanwhile, he leads people with a clear vision. As a result, he has the magical charisma to move people in a complex matrix towards that vision. Secondly, he leads a team with a sharp focus. The focus is sacrificial - it means he says no in some cases, even though some of the ideas or projects are extremely tempting; it means he at times disappoints people, but explains clearly “the why”. He decides to take the heat in order to focus on the things that were aligned upon and committed. This is a remarkable quality of leadership, especially in an organisation where people are inclined not to say no, where we tend to spread too large and too thin, where we sacrifice excellence of few for mediocrity of many. Thirdly, he is one of the finest communicators I have ever encountered. He understands the importance of body language, posture, tone, in addition to the content of his speeches. He usually gives the most engaging presentations in the organisation by constructing beautiful storylines - it is a joy to sit in on his presentations. Last but not least, he is fun to work with. I don’t mind being stranded in an airport with him for hours, because he knows fine arts, political science and business, in addition to his deep knowledge in medical sciences and management. As a result of these qualities, his vision led to some very innovative measures which turned MSA from the conventional cost-centre to a significant financial contributor, while building the best MSA team in the diagnostics industry in any commercial organisation in the world. " and "I've had the pleasure of working with Dr. Bird for the last four years. He has been one of the best employees with whom I have worked. Certainly, his technical skills are without question. As the Roche portfolio continues to grow and evolve, he effortlessly incorporates knowledge of the new technologies. That said, what impresses me the most is his strategic vision and his ability to build high functioning teams around the vision. He pays meticulous attention to his employees with not only an emphasis on their technical skills, but also he emphasizes the broader skills that enable an employee to have a successful career. He has successfully incorporated teams from acquisitions without deterioration of the groups during the transition. He ceaselessly advocates for the welfare and capabilities of his people. He is the first to volunteer for new tasks while simultaneously proposing sensible budgets and timelines. He thrives in dynamic, evolving business. "