Denis Costello is the Web Communications Manager with EURORDIS (European Rare Diseases Organisation). He is responsible for the entire spectrum of the organisation's online activities including www.eurordis.org and www.rarediseaseday.org as well as an emergent eco-system of collectively annotated advocacy wiki projects and an emergent EURORDIS sponsored social network for rare diseases. His background is in rich internet application design and in the use of open source technologies in a Web2.0 context.

Paul Dixey is presently working as the Multi-Channel Manager for a major pharmaceutical company. Paul has over 26 years of pharmaceutical, sales, marketing and communications experience with companies such as Wellcome. Boots, BASF Pharma, AstraZeneca, Organon and Schering-Plough. Experienced in developing both global strategies and ensuring effective delivery though close collaboration with local affiliates Paul has extensive international and cross cultural experience having worked in Western /Central/Eastern Europe, Francophone Africa, Scandinavia, USA, and Japan. Paul has also worked as a consultant to both marketing services vendors and healthcare companies on building creative and compliant online marketing programmes integrated with their brand or therapy area objectives. Paul is fluent in French, competent, although a bit rusty, in German and Swedish, conversational in Portuguese and Hungarian and tries to run several ½ marathons per year, aiming to get faster each race! Paul has a B.A. Honours Degree in European Business Administration and the equivalent French Diplôme from l’Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Reims, a leading Grande Ecole in France.

Steven is a recognised specialist in healthcare sales and marketing compliance and author of “The Code Explained”. His consultancy, www.stevengrayconsulting.co.uk, is proud to name a wide range of pharmaceutical companies and agencies amongst its clients. During his 20 years within the industry, Steven developed a broad range of experience in sales, marketing, medical information and compliance roles, which he now utilises fully in his own company. A life-long student, Steven is hoping to (finally) complete a Post-Graduate Diploma in Quality during 2009 and to add ‘Chartered Quality Professional’ alongside ‘Chartered Marketer’ on his business card.

Rene Hansen, a passionate and pioneering executive, has held several positions in UCB to actively support the transformation of UCB from a hybrid group into a fully focused Biopharma company. As a latest step, Rene has created a strategic partnership between UCB and PatientsLikeMe, the first time pharma openly and scientifically engages with social media to learn about patients experience. Before joining the Health Industry, Rene used to run his own agency ZaPPWeRK, specialized in Internet technology, marketing strategy and design. The award winning company worked full service for leading organisations and brands and headed prestigious initiatives. Since 2003 the company is a partner of the Total Identity Network, the leading International corporate identity network in the Netherlands. Rene holds a M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. In addition he has a MBA from IESE Business School in Spain, which is the first European business school ranked worldwide number 1 according to the economist intelligence Unit. He has lived and worked in 4 different continents.

Martin oversees eMarketing for UCB Germany including internet strategy, eDetailing and email newsletter campaigns, websites and SEO and SEM coordination. He has more than 10 years of experience in internet and online marketing including 7 years within the Pharma business. He's passionate about creating long-term online relationships to improve customer retention. Prior to joining Schwarz Pharma in 2001 he served as Consultant for internet and eCommerce subsidiaries of retailer METRO Group and Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. He started his internet career in 1996 with Germany"s first online ticket auction at LTU Airlines. His recognitions include 2004 Pharma COMPRIX for online media, in 2006 he won the national op:kube benchmark Pharma company with the best internet service.

An MIT engineer, Jamie entered the field of translational research and medicine when his brother Stephen was diagnosed with ALS in 1998 at the age of 29. With experience in design, information technology, systems modeling, neuroscience and industrial engineering, Jamie brings a unique perspective to drug discovery and medicine. The scientific and business innovations he developed at ALS TDI and PatientsLikeMe have been transforming the intersection of biotechnology and pharmaceutical development, personalized medicine, and patient care. Currently, Jamie serves as chairman of PatientsLikeMe, where he provides the scientific vision and architecture for its patient-centered medical platform. He co-founded the company in 2005 with his youngest brother, Benjamin, and friend, Jeff Cole. Named one of “15 companies that will change the world” by CNNMoney, PatientsLikeMe is a personalized research and peer care platform that allows patients to share in-depth information on treatments, symptoms and outcomes. This novel open model allows clinicians, providers, and the pharmaceutical industry to better understand diseases and the patient experience. Patients experience improved care and the ability to actively partner with industry to accelerate and influence the development of new treatments and biomarkers. In 1999 shortly after Stephen was diagnosed, Jamie founded the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), the world’s first non-profit biotechnology company, where he served as CEO until 2007. Pioneering an open research model and an industrialized therapeutic validation process, Jamie led ALS TDI to become the world’s largest and most comprehensive ALS research program. The journal Nature captured succinctly the broader implications of ALS TDI’s program, saying it succeeded in “prompting a broad reappraisal of the way that drugs are tested in animal models of neurodegenerative disease in general.” The comprehensive in-vivo validation program Jamie developed was unable to replicate the published preclinical studies of the field that lead to human trials calling into question the standards that allowed many drugs to be tested on patients. Today, ALS TDI continues to grow and runs large-scale discovery and informatics program focused on finding an effective pathway for treating ALS. Jamie is a frequent speaker, media pundit and an active investment advisor. His work has been profiled in the New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, BusinessWeek, 60 Minutes, Science, Nature as well as in Pulitzer Prize winner Jonathan Wiener’s biography, His Brothers Keeper and the Sundance award-winning documentary, “So Much So Fast.”

Veronica Johow joined AstraZeneca in January 2003. As head of the Web Unit, she is responsible for the identification and implementation of strategic e-marketing activities for AstraZenca Italy. Her background and previous professional experiences have given Veronica an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to pharmaceutical marketing and communication. After having obtained a BSc in Biology and a MSc in Biotechnology from the Catholic University in Santiago-Chile, she was awarded a PhD in Science Communication from the Boston University, Massachusetts-USA. From 1991 to 1996 she worked in the field of scientific filmmaking for various television networks such as the BBC, the American Public Broadcasting Systems (PBS) and the German ZDF. From 1996 to 2002 she focalized in the area of patient communication, developing various projects for organizations such as the European Institute of Oncology and the Humanitas Clinic in Milan-Italy. These projects have been delivered in various channels including internet, internal television circuits, videos and CDroms.

Jens Monsees (1970) studied Business Administration in Kiel and Rotterdam specializing in International Brand Management and Innovation Management. At Google Germany, Jens develops the online-marketing presence of multinational companies in the Health Care and FMCG market. Before joining Google, Jens was global Innovation Manager for the BMW Group. He developed the BMW-web.tv Platform which was rewarded as the websiteof the year in Germany 2008. From 2003 until 2006 he was responsible for the global Communication Strategy of MINI at the BMW Group in Munich. In this position he was the Launch Manager of the MINI Cabrio. Jens Monsees started his carrier at Kraft Jacobs Suchard in Bremen working on Milka and Toblerone. From there in 1999 he moved to the Henkel KGaA in Düsseldorf, where he was leading several German and international brands in the body-care and detergent market like Fa, Sidolin, WC-Ente, Bac, Squibb, etc.

Hans Nagl currently holds the position of Director at Shire Ltd. located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States of America. He is responsible for analytics around promotional resource optimization enabling financial tradeoff decisions between promotional channels on a global basis. He also provides input and experience to issues around Sales Force optimization, targeting and implementing plans and strategies in the United States and Europe. Hans has worked in healthcare-related industries for over 20 years, both on the consulting and the client side, in the United States, Europe and Japan. He has held positions with AstraZeneca, IMS Health and Pennsylvania Hospital, the oldest hospital in the United States. Hans was born in Vienna, Austria, where he spent his childhood. After moving to the United States in 1984, Hans obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a Masters of Science degree in Engineering Sciences at Penn State University.

John Pugh is Director of External Communication/External Communications at Boehringer Ingelheim’s global head of office in Germany with over 15 years media experience, 8 of them in digital. In additional to media relations for key products he is responsible for Boehringer Ingelheim’s social media strategy. John has been with Boehringer Ingelheim for over six years, primarily in the United Kingdom, working within the Communications department. In addition to working in media relations, he has extensive knowledge of emarketing. In 2008 he won the Pharmaceutical Marketing Society award for Best Interactive Digital Campaign 2008 for a multiwave emarketing project with doctors.net.UK. “This year we are looking to use the internet to engage with our customers. We want to provide a human side aspect the corporate perspective, and tools such as twitter are key. In fact tweet me @JohnPugh or @Boehringer.

Jean Samuel is Compliance Director for Schering-Plough UK. Prior to that Jean was an Interim Manager with Step-In management Ltd., specialising in GCP compliance, electronic records management, outsourcing and process engineering. She had placements with pharmaceuticals, academia and information specialists. She did a long stint at Pfizer where her last role was Head of Clinical Programming and Writing at Pfizer’s UK R&D site, part of a global team responsible for the delivery of data presentations, datasets and Clinical Study Reports. In previous career steps Jean has headed up teams with responsibility for the development of GLP and GCP SOPs, Training and Clinical Trial process improvement. Within Clinical and Regulatory, the emphasis was on driving implementation of the business process change to achieve the benefits of the new process/ SOP in the operational line. Jean has been Records Manager for both the BBC and Pfizer during which time she received the inaugural UK Records Manager of the Year award. Until recently Jean was a member of the EFPIA Task Force on Electronic Health Records. She has also been an Executive Director of a small consultancy company, which specialises in digital information systems and validation/auditing. Jean gained a degree in Latin and Greek and a post graduate diploma in Archives and Records Management from Liverpool University. For many years she was external examiner for UCL and Society of Archivists Archive and Records Management courses.

Isabel is an online marketing director with extensive experience in e-marketing in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Champion digital marketing initiatives and supports the execution of a comprehensive global online marketing strategy for the launch of new products and in line products to health care professionals and consumers. Played a leading role in the development of Internet strategy in Latin America and launched and implemented local websites in 11 countries for general consumers and Health Care professionals. Isabel has a MBA in Information Technology and a B.Sc. in Pharmacy-Biochemistry.

Joseph T. Talanges, Jr. serves as Marketing Director – Pharma, Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EMEA) for Hospira where he is responsible for leading the growth of both the Branded & Specialty Pharmaceutical business in the EMEA region. He transitioned from the Hospira US operation to Europe to assume his new role in April 2008. Talanges joined Hospira through the spin-off of the hospital products division of Abbott Laboratories and has 17 years experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device technologies business. At Abbott and Hospira, he has led several commercial activities in sales, marketing, and business development. Prior to his healthcare experience, he served as a Management Consultant for Accenture in the consumer products and banking sectors. Talanges earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago and a graduate certificate in Strategic Marketing from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL USA.

After a brief adventure in risk consulting at Marsh&McLennan, Murat joined Pfizer Turkey in 2003. He has held different positions in marketing, from project manager to senior product manager; in various therapeutic areas. During this time, he: launched three products, re-launched one product and initiated several projects which won awards in health communication creativity in 2008 & 2009: Best Detailing Method / Material, Best Film / Radio Spot, Best Disease Awareness Campaign and Best Congress / Symposium / Meeting Implementation. In 2009, he joined the ranks of the Public Affairs and Policy team as a Corporate Health Services & Access Manager, to lead the development of creative market access strategies. Murat holds a BSc (High Honours) in Industrial Engineering from Bogazici University, Istanbul and MSc (with Distinction) in Engineering Business Management from the University of Warwick, where he studied as British Council Chevening Scholar. He has been blogging for three years about word-of-mouth marketing. His latest passion is scuba diving in the Mediterranean with his wife.

René van den Bos and Erik van der Zijden both have a firm background in the (veterinary) pharmaceutical world. René started his career as a veterinarian in practice but found himself more engaged in the business marketing environment. He followed his ambition and joined Intervet International (now part of the proposed Merck/Schering-Plough acquisition) in 2001 where he has had several functions within Global Marketing. Erik van der Zijden joined the pharma world after his studies medical biology and international management in 1994. Initially in biochemical research at Janssen Pharmaceutical (part of J&J) but soon in international sales at Diosynth. In 1998 he joined Intervet International where for approximately 10 years he has fulfilled several global sales and marketing functions. In 2005 he joined the Global Marketing team. Both realizing that marketing was fundamentally changing with the rise of new media they decided to follow their passion in this field and founded their own company, DigiRedo. DigiRedo understands the complexity of marketing communication in this regulated industry. They believe that effective communication primarily depends on engaging your audience. Companies are in need of new communication channels in order to achieve this. DigiRedo helps improve your organization's internal and external communication by means of innovative change and based on storytelling.

Sam Walmsley oversees the pharmaceutical digital marketing business at Profero, working with clients such as AstraZeneca, Bayer Schering and Roche on a global and local level. Services ranging from strategic marketing support, web development through to online promotions targeting both healthcare professionals and patients. Before joining Profero in 2007, Sam has worked within the healthcare industry working for medical publishers and medical communication agencies as well directly with pharmaceutical companies. Sam is very passionate about improving digital marketing within the pharmaceutical industry and is a regular on Twitter discussing the issue.