Dr Fox is focusing on translation of early stage pharmaceutical technologies to development candidates with commercial potential. He is supporting nascent new companies in UK and Ireland after returning to UK from Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, an Irish drug delivery company where he was Chief Development Officer and subsequently Chief Executive. He has 30 years experience of drug development gained in both multinational and biotech companies. After serving in Shire Pharmaceuticals in increasingly senior R&D roles, culminating as Director of Planning, he left to co-found a start-up in order to take a portfolio of university technologies into development focused on neuroprotection. Hunter Fleming raised venture funds enabling it to take several compounds to Phase I/II clinical trials before it was acquired by Newron Spa of Milan in 2008, at which time Dr Fox joined Merrion. Dr Fox has served as a non-executive director for Southampton Innovations, and has conducted a number of commercial evaluations of new projects from both industry and academic sources. His career has covered a number of therapeutic areas, including CNS (dementia and neuroprotection), oncology (Breast, Prostate and Multiple Myeloma), Metabolic Bone Disease (osteoporosis) inflammation and renal disease (hyperphosphataemia). This has involved directing all relevant development functions from translational activities to Phase III and coordination of activities across a portfolio in support of strategic objectives.Dr Fox obtained his PhD from Queens University Belfast, and his MBA from Henley Management College. He is a member of the Royal Society of Medicine, the American Society for Clinical Oncology and the Institute of Directors (UK).