Board of Directors

Mark was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and Board member of Silence Therapeutics in September 2020. Mark has three decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry including driving the transition of multiple emerging biotech companies from R&D stage to commercialization. During his career, he has focused on bringing novel therapies to patients with rare diseases and has launched seven orphan drugs.

Mark previously served as CEO of Orchard Therapeutics, where he oversaw its transformation from a small U.K.-based, privately held company with two clinical-stage programmes into a leading gene therapy company with seven clinical-stage programmes and fully integrated capabilities. Prior to that, Mark served as chief commercial officer of PTC Therapeutics, where he successfully launched two rare disease therapies and helped lead the company’s transition from a private, U.S.-based R&D biotech to a public company with a global commercial footprint. Mark’s previous roles include serving as head of the EMEA region of Shire Human Genetics and Commercial Director for EMEA region for Chiron/PathoGeneis. Mark holds an M.A. in natural sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Iain was appointed Executive Chairman of Silence Therapeutics plc in December 2019 after serving as Non-Executive Chairman since April 2019. Iain has over 40 years’ experience in the international life sciences and technology sectors, where he has completed multiple financing transactions, and over 25 years in cross-border management as Chairman and CEO. He has led and participated in six Initial Public Offerings (“IPOs”) and has direct experience of M&A transactions in Europe, the USA and the Pacific Rim. Currently he is Non-Executive Chairman of Redx Pharma plc (LSE), and Kazia Therapeutics Limited (ASX & NASDAQ) and was responsible for leading the turnaround of all three companies before appointing new executive management. He is a qualified Chartered Director and former Vice Chairman of the Council of Royal Holloway, London University. Previously, he has held significant roles in multi-national companies including Sandoz, Hoffman La Roche, Reed Business Publishing and Celltech Group plc. He has advised banks and private equity groups on numerous company turnarounds including, as CEO of Quadrant Healthcare (1996-2000), taking the company public and signing numerous collaborations before selling the business to Elan in 2001. As Chairman and CEO at Allergy Therapeutics (2001-2002) he restructured the company prior to its IPO and as Chairman at Silence Therapeutics plc (2004-2010) he turned the business around through M&A and established numerous big pharma collaborations. As Executive Chairman at Ark Therapeutics plc (2010-2015) he successfully restructured the business and disposed of the manufacturing assets and reversed in Premier Veterinary Group.

James Ede-Golightly is chairman of DeepMatter Group Plc, Gulfsands Petroleum Plc, East Balkan Properties Plc and Oxford Advanced Surfaces Ltd and has extensive experience as a non-executive on the boards of AIM-quoted companies with international business interests. James was a founder of ORA Capital Partners in 2006, having previously worked as an analyst at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and Commerzbank. He is a CFA Charterholder and holds an MA in economics from Cambridge University. In 2012, he was awarded New Chartered Director of the Year by the Institute of Directors.

Alistair brings a wealth of strategic consultancy and business experience. Having trained as an accountant, his early career was in senior management positions with Unilever and John Wood Group PLC. Alistair was a Director of Arthur Young (now Ernst and Young) Management Consultants and PA Consulting Group for over ten years. Alistair previously chaired the Audit and Remuneration committees of AorTech International PLC and Highland Distillers PLC, as well as the Pension Trustee Board. Alistair also served as a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and Institute of Consultants. Having previously chaired the Audit & Risk Committee at Silence, as of December 2019 Alistair has taken on the the key role of Senior Independent Director at the company.

Dave has over 20 years of US and international business experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, having served in executive management and non-executive board roles in multiple US and European private and publicly-traded companies. Dave is presently Principal & CEO of LEMAX LLC. Previously he served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Medigene AG, and prior to this as Chief Executive Officer of Sigma Tau Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dave was also Chief Financial Officer and Executive VP of MorphoSys AG, taking the Company public in 1999 in Germany's first biotech IPO and has held various positions at leading pharma companies including at Hoffman La Roche. As of December 2019 Dave has taken on the key role at Silence of Audit & Risk Committee Chair.

Dr. Steven Romano is a board-certified psychiatrist and seasoned pharmaceutical executive with 25 years of research and development experience across a wide range of therapeutic and disease areas. Dr. Romano currently serves as executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals where he has responsibility for research and development, regulatory and medical affairs, pharmacovigilance and device engineering. Prior to joining Mallinckrodt, Dr. Romano spent 16 years at Pfizer, Inc. where he held a series of senior R&D and medical roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his most recent position as SVP, Head, Global Medicines Development, Global Innovative Pharmaceuticals Business. Prior to joining Pfizer, he spent four years at Eli Lilly.

Giles is an expert in translational medicine, and a highly experienced biotech and pharmaceutical professional across all therapeutic areas, most recently in orphan neuromuscular disorders. He has held senior global R&D roles in large pharmaceutical, diagnostics, and biotech companies, including responsibility at Board level. He served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice-President of R&D at Prosensa from 2009 to 2016, during which time the company signed a collaborative agreement with GSK worth up to $680 million with double digit royalties on product sales and co-commercialisation rights in certain territories. Prosensa went on to list on NASDAQ in 2013, raising $89.7 million in an offering nine times oversubscribed, and was eventually acquired by Biomarin in 2015 for $680 million.

Most recently, he served as Chief Medical Officer for Albumedix , Advisor to Myotherix, and a co-founder of PepGen, all companies focusing on therapies for rare diseases. At Albumedix his remit was to build a development portfolio based on the company’s recombinant albumin platform and his work was instrumental in product development and an eventual financial exit for the owners of the company.

Giles holds a medical degree and doctorate from Bristol University and is Board certified in Rheumatology.