Team

Dr Gisela Mautner

Director

MD-PhD (TU-LMU Munich), MPH (Harvard), MBA (Kellogg), FACPE (Australia), AMCEOI, MAICD, GAICD

Dr Gisela Mautner has more than 20 years of extensive leadership experience in global pharmaceutical organisations, including operational, medical and scientific advisory roles across multiple therapeutic areas.

During her career she held senior positions at global pharmaceutical companies like MSD (Merck), Bayer and Amgen in Germany as well as Australia.

She holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and a PhD from Germany, a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Northwestern University of Chicago.

She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Gisela was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Noxopharm in 2022, previously serving as Chief Medical Officer since 2019.

Dr Olivier Laczka

Chief Scientific Officer

BSc, MSc, PhD

Olivier is a highly experienced leader in drug development, biopharmaceuticals, biotechnology and diagnostics. He serves as Chief Scientific Officer – Inflammation at Noxopharm Ltd, and as Chief Scientific Officer for Pharmorage Pty Ltd.

His skillset includes immunoassays, patents, scientific writing and grants, as well as people and project management. Olivier brings to Pharmorage diverse experience in generating both intellectual property and research funding, along with managing effective collaborations with commercial organisations, academic institutions, governments, and private entities at the international level.

Prior to joining Noxopharm, Olivier was a senior research scientist with 3M, PriME Biologics and AEGROS Innovations. He also has had international academic experience with UTS Sydney, Macquarie University, and the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona.

Olivier holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, a Master of Applied Biotechnology and Microbiology from Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieur de Luminy in Marseille, and a Bachelor degree in Biology and Environmental Sciences from the Institut Universitaire de Technology in Nantes.

Assoc. Prof. Michael P. Gantier

Scientific Advisor

MEng (Biol), PhD.

Associate Professor Michael Gantier leads the Nucleic Acids and Innate Immunity laboratory in the Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Disease at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards for both Pharmorage and Noxopharm.

Michael’s research has focused on the definition of how nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) modulate immune responses. He joined Hudson Institute in 2006, working to define the interaction of RNAs with the innate immune system, leading to the discoveries of structural determinants of RNAs which underlie their capacity to activate or inhibit immune responses by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). This is an area he continues to investigate. More recently, his laboratory discovered how immune responses could be engaged in damaged cells, with implications in infection, immunity, and cancer.

Michael was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020, has published 75 peer-reviewed publications, and is an inventor on six PCT patents. Two of these patents were recently licensed to Noxopharm subsidiary Pharmorage.

Michael's work has been recognised and awarded a number of substantial grants, his work attracting over $7 million in total grants. He has been awarded an ARC Future Fellowship and, most recently, a $1.5 million NHMRC grant and a $1.5 million Victorian Government grant for work relating to the Hudson / Pharmorage / Noxopharm collaboration.

He holds a Masters in Biological / Biosystems Engineering from the University of Technology, Compiegne, France and a PhD in Medicine and Therapeutics from University College, Dublin.

Dr Mary Speir

Senior Research Scientist

BSc Hons; PhD

Mary has built her career in medical science research in world-leading organisations, including Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School, Monash University and Hudson Institute of Medical Research.

Her background is in programmed cell death and she has highly relevant experience in infectious and inflammatory disease. She joined Noxopharm in 2021 as a Senior Research Scientist, where she leads the Noxopharm / Pharmorage in vivo research related to autoimmune diseases and mRNA vaccines.

Mary maintains a position at Hudson Institute as an Honorary Research Associate with the Cell Death and Inflammatory Signalling group. She works closely with Associate Professor Michael Gantier’s team there and acts as a valuable link between Hudson Institute and Noxopharm / Pharmorage. Her work contributes to the scientific progress being made in the development and discovery of new anti-inflammatory drugs for a range of diseases.

Mary has a PhD from Monash University and a Bachelor of Science with Honours (1st class) from the University of Otago (Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo).

Dr Daniel Wenholz

Pharmaceutical Chemist

BSc Hons; PhD.

Daniel is a pharmaceutical chemist with a broad background across academic and pharmaceutical industry roles.

His experience includes environmental science and, more recently, drug discovery. Working for UNSW and in commercial drug development, Daniel has developed technical expertise and skill in both the design and synthesis of small molecules.

Daniel joined Noxopharm in 2020 and is Director of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, taking responsibility for Noxopharm and Pharmorage projects. In this position he has driven the pharmaceutical chemistry efforts on multiple projects and oversees every aspect of the drug discovery process alongside the biology-focused Noxopharm team members.

Daniel’s expertise has been recognised with his recent appointment as Visiting Fellow at UNSW Sydney. This position maintains his close links with UNSW Sydney and allows for further collaboration between Noxopharm / Pharmorage and the University.

Daniel holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from UNSW Sydney, funded by a UNSW Research Excellence Award, and a Bachelor of Science from University of Technology Sydney.

Cameron Jones

Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary

CA, BBus, GIA(Cert)

Cameron is the Managing Director of Bio101, a financial services firm providing accounting, tax and company secretarial services specialising in the healthcare and life science sectors.

A qualified Chartered Accountant and registered tax agent, Cameron acts as CFO and Company Secretary for a number of ASX listed and Venture Capital investee companies. He has assisted multiple companies through the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process, capital raisings and M&A transactions.

Cameron is a Director and Treasurer of registered charity Cystic Fibrosis Community Care Ltd (CFCC) and Chair of the Investment Committee for CFCC.