John has a background in international business, completing a BComm at UCD, Chartered Accountancy (ACA) when at Ernst & Young and Marketing through the Marketing Institute. He is also an alumni of EI’s Leadership4Growth Stanford University programme and has completed the Institute Of Directors Chartered Director programme.
He moved into Life Sciences, working for first for Technicon (which became Bayer Diagnostics) and then for Abbott Laboratories in Ireland. After working as Finance Director for Abbott, John moved to become Sales & Marketing Director for Ireland, launching key new products and generating significant growth. He then moved to the USA with Abbott having International Business Development responsibility for a $500M business unit growing 20% annually, covering major markets in all regions of the world. He built international strategy and reduced new product time to market by 6 months through reforming the new product development process. From the USA, John moved to Abbott’s UK business, a key country for Abbott internationally, heading up a large business that included sales, manufacturing and patient homecare, gaining market leadership in his tenure. He also took the organisation of several hundred staff through a complete change management process.
He left Abbott to move his family back to Ireland, and worked with a number of companies as a mentor and business strategist, before finding the opportunity that became Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, where he was Managing Director/CEO and built the business from startup through an IPO on AIM in 2007. Leading a strong staff of Irish scientists, the company built a strong technology base and patent portfolio and concluded deals with many major pharmaceutical companies.
After leaving Merrion, John has used his considerable experience and insight in the international Life Science market to assist both startup and established companies build their businesses in the roles of Chair, NED, executive, strategic advisor and mentor.
John has been a member of EI mentor panel since 2011, with over 30 assignments completed or in progress, and has also worked with EI in other areas such as Investor Pitch Training for companies qualifying for the EU funded EIC SME Instrument Phase 2 by pitching for investment in Brussels.
Specialties:
• Start-ups, business development, organisation development.
• Strategy Development – USP, development pathways, patenting, regulatory, routes to market
• Fundraising, from startup through IPO and institutional investors.
• Finance, Sales & Marketing
• Relationship management with investors, customers and Advisory Boards
• Product Development in the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Medical Nutrition field
• Developing channels to international markets; Direct sales, distributors and product licencing. Product launch and marketing strategies
• Board Director and Corporate Governance
View John’s LinkedIn Profile by clicking the icon below
