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Richard Mason

Fellow in Health Management

BSc (UCL), MBBS (Barts), MRCP (London), MBA (Univ. of Cambridge)

Professional experience

Dr Mason is a member of the senior executive team and head of business development at BTG plc, the UK listed international specialty pharmaceutical company. As head of business development his responsibilities include strategy, the acquisition and licensing of products, partnering and strategic alliances.

Dr Mason has extensive leadership and management experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, especially monoclonal antibodies, and in the design and implementation of biotechnology company strategy and business models. He has advised and consulted for the investors, boards and top-level management teams of both small biotechnology companies and large organisations such as AstraZeneca. He has also undertaken assignments, at the request of investors, as the interim CEO of listed and private life science companies requiring either re-alignment of strategy or turnaround.

Dr Mason has previously worked in the life sciences venture capital industry (at Advent Venture Partners) as well as in high growth biotechnology companies operating at the frontiers of science and medicine. Between 2003 and 2007 he was Senior Vice President of Business Development and member of the Executive Group at Cambridge Antibody Technology plc (CAT), the pioneer of fully human monoclonal antibody therapeutics. He led multiple transactions during his time at CAT, including the negotiation of CAT's joint antibody discovery and development collaboration with AstraZeneca, which subsequently led to the acquisition of CAT by AstraZeneca for £750m (USD1.2b). He has led research and development teams in the design and implementation of a therapeutic area strategy for biologic drugs in oncology and the development of a strategy for biosimilars. He has also been responsible for the development of a reformulated small molecule drug for a rare "orphan" endocrine disease.

In addition to his experience in biopharmaceuticals he previously co-founded the e-health company Cambridge Health Informatics and has led teams consulting for the UK National Health Service and the Department of Health (at Board level) on the implementation of electronic communication in the NHS and on issues of patient confidentiality and consent in the use of electronic health records.

Dr Mason is a member of the editorial board of the peer-reviewed monoclonal antibody journal mAbs. A qualified medical practitioner, he worked as a physician in both internal and emergency medicine in London prior to entering the biotechnology industry. He has also served as an officer in the British Army reserves, recently commanding a Territorial Army reconnaissance squadron within the Royal Armoured Corps.

Research interests

Strategy; business development; leadership.

Richard Mason is a member of the Operations subject group.