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Meet The Team

The foundation of the ESN Cleer team was established with a shared purpose to advance the treatment and prevention of heart disease. Since 2018, the team has matured into a robust collective, boasting specialized skill sets across various facets of the business, encompassing drug discovery and development, regulatory affairs, intellectual property, commercialisation and business development.

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Professor Andrew J Stewart Coats
Matt McNamara
Gustav de Bruin
Elaine de Bruin
Johnny Feng
Key Team Members
Leo De Bruin

Executive Chair of the Board,

Head of Medicine & Pharmaceutical

Professor Andrew J. Stewart Coats
President of the Heart Failure Association

President,

Heart Failure Association

2020-22

  • Globally recognized cardiologist, accomplished academic, and a prominent leader in the Cardiology-Medical and Pharmaceutical Key Opinion Leader (KOL) community

  • Held influential advisory positions with major pharmaceutical companies, contributing to the successful clinical development towards successful launch of numerous drugs in the market

  • Member of the original steering committee for ESNtx005's legacy compound

  • Prolific inventor with multiple patents, showcasing his expertise in intellectual property protection and navigating the complexities of risks while successfully leveraging opportunities

  • Honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2017, receiving recognition from the British monarch for distinguished service to Australian medical industry and humanity at large

  • Achieved multiple entrepreneurial successes over the years, with most recent Akamis Bio, Actimed and BioVentrix

  • Clinical & Pharmaceutical Expertise

  • ESNtx005 Historical Insights

  • Biotech-Pharma Commercialisation Advisory

Professor Andrew J. Stewart Coats

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Leopoldt de Bruin

Managing Director, CEO

Founder

Leo de Bruin

  • MBA, MPA, B.Com, CA (provisional)

  • Previous roles at JP Morgan, ABSA Capital (Barclays Capital affiliate), Bank of New York

  • Commercial and industry experience in creating and driving long-term strategic value of organisations and their stakeholders

  • Previously CFO of AHG (ASX: AHG) business

  • Lead M&A Activities

  • Pioneer of growth within SME

  • Experienced Entrepreneur

  • Leadership: Cultivate Team Development

  • Innovation Strategist

  • Investor-Capital Management

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Matt McNamara

Non-Executive Director,

Commercialisation

Matt McNamara

  • More than 20 years as Venture Capitalist

  • Over 30 years healthcare and medical sciences sector experience

  • Over a decade in the Pharmaceutical industry at Merck & Co. and Johnson & Johnson Medical

  • Capital Markets (Investor-Capital) Strategy

  • Corporate Governance

  • Biotech-Pharma Commercialisation Advisory

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Johnny Feng

Chief Commercial Officer,

Executive Director, Co-Founder

Johnny Feng

  • MBA (provisional)

  • Over 20 years in product lifecycle management and commercialisation for global consumer markets with novel technology

  • Executive organisational and business development and implementation

  • Since ESN Cleer’s establishment in 2018, Johnny’s role has included capital raise and strategic development support; organizational, accounting & finance management

  • Organisational Management

  • Strategic and Tactical Development

  • Investor-Capital Support

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Gustav de Bruin

Chief Operating Officer,

R&D and Regulatory

Gustav de Bruin

  • MBA

  • ICH-Good Clinical Practice certified, executive MBA, Elec Eng., PM(dip)

  • Over 20 years of R&D, program management, business development; delivering solutions program for multinational corporations

  • Experienced in data science, analytics, machine learning and generative AI

  • At ESN Cleer, Gustav’s responsibilities include research translation and commercialisation, inventor on multiple international patents, R&D leadership and supply chain management

  • Analytics and Technological Delivery

  • Strategic and Tactical Development

  • R&D Management

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Elaine de Bruin

Communications Manager

Elaine de Bruin

Elaine brings a broad range of skills and experience that cover various industries. The key focus of her career has been to facilitate information exchange internally and abroad. Elaine’s success includes effective communications management to utilise relevant information efficiently to maximise results.

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Elaine’s extensive management career included project management, communications and technical design, in diverse industries such as Architecture, Hotel & Tourism and Healthcare.

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At ESN Cleer, Elaine takes pride in sharing the ESN Cleer journey and vision to the world, connecting with like-minded organisations and people through many of the best channels available.

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Key Team Members

Ron Lawrence

Ron Lawrence, PhD

Chemistry Manufacturing & Controls

Usha Gulapalli

Usha Gulapalli, PhD

Drug Pre-Clinical Development

(CMC, Regulatory)

Jyothi Ganti

Jyothi Ganti, PhD

Drug GMP Compliance

Ralf Schittenhelm

Ralf Schittenhelm, PhD

Proteomics

Esther Apos

Esther Apos, PhD

Medical Devices, Technical

Documentation Specialist

George Loizou

George Loizou

Medical Devices, Regulatory

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Andrew
Leo
Matt
Johnny
Gus
Elaine
Key Team Members
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