Breaking barriers to improve access to ATMPs

Christian is a French physician, board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology. He is a Professor of Medicine in Cell Biology at Aix-Marseille Université School of Medicine and a full member at Institut Paoli-Calmettes Comprehensive Cancer Center where he has been leading the Cell Collection and Cell Processing facilities for more than 20 years. He was a founder and head of the CBT-1409 Inserm - AMU - AP-HM - IPC, a multidisciplinary research initiative aiming at fostering development and evaluation of innovative cell and tissue -based advanced therapies in the Marseille metropolitan area. Christian is active in several EU professional associations, including EBMT where he served in various positions. He is a member of several national and international advisory boards, and (co)authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications.

Jan is partner at PwC Belgium and has 25+ years of experience in Life Sciences. Having worked both in industry and as well as consulting, he focuses on supply chain and operations for pharma (specialty, generics, OTC, consumer), medical devices and biotech. He leads the Belgian Health Industries team (Advisory, Tax & Assurance), the R&D and Quality team, and the EMEA Health Industries TechOps team.

Tim is a Business Developer ATMP at Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital, with a PhD in polymer science and an Executive MBA from Vlerick. He has extensive experience in R&D, innovation management, and business development across the chemical and life sciences sectors. In addition, Tim is an early-stage investor in startups with a strong interest in advancing healthcare innovation and translational research in advanced therapies.

Koenraad leads a global team focused on removing barriers to care via government affairs, medical affairs, health economics, and evidence generation. He brings over 20 years of experience across life sciences, medical devices, pharma, market access, and business development, and is passionate about enabling patient access to transformative therapies.

Veerle leads global teams advancing patient access and innovation across the therapeutics and cell therapy ecosystem. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, including leadership roles at Pfizer and Terumo BCT, she combines strategic vision with a passion for improving lives through technology and collaboration. She holds an engineering degree with distinction from the University of Leuven.

With a PhD in Biomedicine and a passion for regenerative medicine, Antje brings over 10 years of experience in cell therapy across both research and the biotech industry. Antje is dedicated to accelerating cell therapy innovations to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.

Konstantinos Lykopoulos is the Executive Director, Head of Value & Access at Kite, a Gilead Company. He has over 20 years of experience in Market Access and Health Economics, specializing in oncology, specialist medicine and cell therapy. For the past 7 years he has contributed and then led Kite's reimbursement strategy and negotiations, first in Europe and then globally. He is currently leading the Value & Access team in Kite responsible for shaping clinical development programmes to meet payer needs, as well as the development and execution of pricing and access strategies

Agnès Mathieu-Mendes has been working at the European Commission for almost 20 years, primarily in the pharmaceutical units in DG SANTE, as well as on Better Regulation in DG ENTR. Agnès has recently returned from the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA), where she spent the last four years overseeing public procurement and grant management for the programs EU4Health and SMP Food. Prior to this, she worked in the private sector on vaccines and at the Council of Europe. Agnès is an industrial pharmacist by training and holds a diploma in pharmaceutical engineering and industrial technology.

Emily Merrell brings over 25 years of global healthcare experience across biotech, pharma, CROs, and the NHS. Her clinical development expertise spans all therapeutic areas and stages, from First-in-Human to post-marketing. At the NHS, she led the implementation of a virtual COVID hospital, improving patient outcomes. Now Director of the ATTC Network at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, she previously led ICON’s Centre for Cell & Gene Therapy, supporting 170+ clinical trials. Emily champions innovative, integrated approaches to healthcare and serves as Co-Chair of ATMP Engage and a Board Member of Genetic Alliance UK.

Natalia brings over a decade of hands-on experience in ATMPs, spanning the full value chain from bench to bedside. She currently leads PwC’s ATMP R&D and Quality Advisory Services, where she supports clients across the cell and gene therapy landscape. Natalia has held key roles in CDMOs, large pharmaceutical companies, and biotech firms, giving her a well-rounded perspective on the industry. Her core expertise lies in process optimization, operational excellence, cost of goods (COGS) reduction, and end-to-end product launch strategies.

Samuel is responsible for leading the global healthcare solutions strategy at Nippon Express, ensuring compliance, innovation, and excellence across complex supply chains for pharmaceutical and life sciences clients. Nippon Express is a leading global logistics and transportation company based in Japan, providing comprehensive supply chain solutions across air, sea, and land in over 50 countries, ranked 5th largest in the world as per 2025. Before joining Nippon Express, Samuel was responsible for the healthcare strategy at Brussels Airport Company and an active board member at Pharma.Aero, taking the lead in a multitude of healthcare supply chain projects.

Sarah Snykers is Senior Director of Operations at Legend Biotech, Ghent Europe. She has 20 years of experience in cell and gene therapy (CGT). She has headed several Dept in Biotech companies, including Manufacturing, QC, R&D and MSAT; all focused on clinical or commercial production of autologous & allogeneic cell- and gene therapeutic products. Over the last 15years, she was involved in 3 greenfield production hubs, and in several global Tech Transfer projects for clinical/commercial production of CGT.

Jeroen is a Specialist Sales professional at KBC Securities, where he brings over 25 years of life sciences expertise to support investors and entrepreneurs with strategic insight, scientific depth, and commercial acumen. Holding a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Purdue University, his career spans the full innovation lifecycle—from bench science to business development, valuation, strategic planning, and fundraising. Before transitioning into the business side of science, Jeroen conducted pioneering research on lipid nanoparticles for gene and drug delivery. This hands-on experience continues to inform his approach to opportunity assessment and value creation. His mission is clear: to help improve patient outcomes by bridging science and business.

Kim leads PwC’s Value-based healthcare Advisory Services, where she supports clients across the healthcare ecosystem in assessing and implementing VBHC practices. With over 15 years of experience in translational life sciences and having held leadership roles in PMO development and solutions roll-out, she combines a passion for healthcare with a vision for strategy and execution. She has strong hands-on experience in designing, organizing and facilitating co-creation events with a diverse group of stakeholders, incl. patients/patient organizations, healthcare practitioners and providers, trade organizations and industry.