Management Team

Jay LeCoque
Chief Executive Officer

Mr LeCoque, an American, age 44, has served as a Board member and Chief Executive Officer since November 2000. Mr LeCoque joined Celsis in April 1995 as a Director of Business Development. He then progressed to Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Americas and finally became the General Manager of Celsis, Inc., the Americas profit centre where he helped Celsis International plc deliver its first year of profitability in 1999.

Mr LeCoque came to Celsis from Baxter International Corporation, a leading global healthcare company, where he served in various global marketing and product management positions from 1991 to April of 1995. Mr LeCoque worked for the AptarGroup, a leading supplier of pharmaceutical and personal care dispensing and drug delivery systems from 1985 to 1989 where he held various sales and marketing positions in the US, England and France.

Mr LeCoque received his MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois in 1991 and his BS in Marketing and General Management from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1985, both in the United States.

Christian Madrolle
Finance Director

Mr Madrolle, a Frenchman, age 61, has served as a Board member and Finance Director since October 2000. Mr Madrolle came to Celsis from Biocom, a French biotech company specialising in filter cytometry and scientific imaging systems, where he served as Vice President, Finance and later President and Chief Executive. Prior to this Mr Madrolle worked for the Portakabin Group, the modular building solutions company, as Director and General Manager of the European Division, developing and creating profitable subsidiaries across Europe.

Mr Madrolle worked for Transport International Pool Inc, part of the GE Capital Group, in Amsterdam before this, where he was Managing Director for southern Europe. Mr Madrolle was previously General Manager of Portakabin, in France, prior to this he started his career with Xerox, as Finance and Administration Manager.

Mr Madrolle received a BSc in Accounting & Finance, from the University of Paris-XII, in 1973 and completed a MSc in Financial Management at IFG, Paris, in 1974. He is also a member of the OECB (Order of Belgium Chartered Accountants).

Jack Rowell
Non-Executive Chairman

Dr Jack Rowell OBE, age 70, has served as a Board member since October 1994 and was acting Chief Executive Officer from May 1998 to November 2000.

Dr Rowell has acted as Chairman of a number of companies in the public and private sector and was previously a Director on the Board of Dalgety plc with responsibility for the Consumer Foods Division. Prior to this Dr Rowell was CEO of Golden Wonder, part of the Dalgety Group, and Finance Director and then CEO of Lucas, (also part of the Dalgety Group).

In parallel to his business career he has long been involved with rugby, being England coach between 1994 and 1998.

Chris Evans
Non-Executive Director

Professor Sir Christopher Evans, OBE, DSc, age 49, founder of Celsis, has been a Board member since flotation in 1993.

Sir Christopher co-founded Merlin Biosciences in 1996. Merlin is currently one of the largest specialist biomedical venture capital and advisory firms in Europe having raised more than EUR 500 million to invest in European biotechnology companies. Between 1991 and 1996, he founded several companies, including Chiroscience plc, one of Europe’s most successful bioscience stocks. These companies went on to be worth in excess of EUR 1.5 billion. Prior to 1991, Sir Christopher held senior research scientist positions with a number of North American bioscience companies.

Sir Christopher holds a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology from Imperial College and a PhD in Biochemistry from Hull University, as well as seven Doctor of Science degrees from British universities in recognition of his achievements as a scientist. He is an honorary Professor of Biotechnology at the Universities of Dundee, Exeter, Manchester, Liverpool, Bath and Imperial College.

Peter Jensen
Non-Executive Director

Peter Jensen, 56, is a former corporate executive with GlaxoSmithKline/SmithKline Beecham and was most recently President of Worldwide Supply Chain Operations where he was responsible for a global network of GSK manufacturing sites.  He has acquired experience in mergers and acquisitions, in both large corporate and mid-cap plc’s, and represented SmithKline Beecham on the GSK merger Integration Planning Committee.  Peter Jensen is a director of Genetix, Domino Printing Sciences, Inion and the Newmarket Racecourses Trust Limited.

Nicholas Badman
Non-Executive Director

Nicholas Badman, 40, is the Chief Financial Officer of Evolutec Group plc, a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs for allergy, inflammation and autoimmune disease.  Mr Badman joined Evolutec prior to its IPO and was instrumental in its fundraising strategy.  He has acquired financial experience following his previous position in investment banking with Citigroup (European Healthcare Investment Banking Team) and prior to this at HBSC Investment Bank.  He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen.