Extended Executive Management
Dr. Nadezda Gracheva
Head of Operations Nuclear Medicine
Dr. Nadezda Gracheva is a scientist with a background in Radiochemistry and Radiopharmacy as a branch of Nuclear Medicine. She obtained a Ph.D. degree at ETH Zurich, where she was responsible for the development of novel radioactive nuclides for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy to promote innovative cancer treatments.
Dr. Lubor Gaal
Global Head of Business Development
Lubor Gaal is a distinguished figure in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He currently serves as the Global Head of Business Development at Swiss Rockets and its subsidiary companies. With a career spanning over 25 years, Gaal has demonstrated exceptional expertise and leadership in various capacities across renowned organizations.
Dr. Aurélie Jenn
Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
Dr. Aurélie Jenn, Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, is a pharmacist (Pharm. D) bringing over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. In a first part of her career, she worked in Regulatory Affairs / CMC writing for generic products and New Chemical Entities in Switzerland and France, having close interactions and providing support to technical departments.
Debora Foglia
Head Legal Counsel
Debora Foglia joined the company as Legal Counsel of Swiss Rockets AG and its subsidiary companies in January 2023. She is an attorney-at-law and holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in law of the University of Basel.
Dr. Janet Dawson
Scientific Project Manager
Dr. Janet Dawson has a substantial academic and professional background in research and drug development, with expertise spanning areas of pharmacology, inflammation, rheumatology, and various experimental techniques.
Dr. Christoph Heusser
Head of Immunology
Dr. Christoph Heusser, Head of Immunology, is an immunology expert who pioneered antibody-based therapies and antibody-mediated effector functions. He was Head of Immunology at Ciba-Geigy and Head of the Transplantation- Immunology Unit at Novartis and gave lectures on antibody-based interventions at the University Basel for 15 years.
Dr. Robert Ettlin
Head of Preclinical Safety
Dr. Robert Ettlin is the Head of Preclinical Safety in Swiss Rockets. After some years in toxicological pathology at F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Ettlin joined Sandoz Ltd. in Basel, where he advanced to Head of Toxicology and later Head of Development Operations Switzerland.
Michel Petignat
Head of Human Resources
Michel Petignat, Head of Human Resources, is a qualified HR Specialist in the Life Sciences industry. During his long and outstanding professional career, Michel worked as an HR Manager in leading pharma and biotech companies such as Sandoz, Novartis Pharma, Syngenta Crop Protection and Actelion Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Emilie Frugier
Head of Intellectual Property
Dr. Frugier is an experienced patent manager and a qualified European Patent Attorney with a focus on supporting small to mid-sized biotech entities in protecting and securing access to intellectual property assets critical to their competitiveness and fundraising.
Dr. Bernhard Hostettler
Intellectual Property Officer
Dr. Bernhard Hostettler, Head of Intellectual Property, originally is an organic chemist. After his Ph.D. at ETH Zürich, Bernhard was active in research for more than 20 years with companies Roche, CIBA, Syngenta and Givaudan.
Beat Ritschard
Head of Financial Planning & Controlling
Beat Ritschard is a skilled senior executive with over 35 years of experience in the pharma and biotech industry. He has recently joined Swiss Rockets as Head of Financial Planning & Controlling, where he will oversee budgeting, controlling, planning and other strategic projects.
Maciej Talarek
Accounting Manager
Maciej Talarek, Financial Advisor, started his career in the insurance industry. As a result, he specialized in accounting and found his future in the fiduciary sector.
Jörg Honegger
General Counsel
Jörg Honegger, a highly experienced attorney with over 30 years of practical legal experience in consulting and litigation, has been serving as interim General Counsel of Swiss Rockets Incubator and its subsidiary companies.