Dr Butt joins Apollo from Pfizer Inc. where he spent 20 years working in research and development. Most recently he was Senior Director and Research Project Leader, Clinical Research at Pfizer Neusentis within the Neuroscience and Pain Research Unit. At Pfizer Neusentis he was a member of the senior management team, responsible for defining research unit strategy, delivery of project and portfolio goals and organisational effectiveness.
Apollo is the collaboration of three global pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson Innovation) and the technology transfer offices of three world-leading universities (Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Cambridge), raising a combined £40 million to support the translation of ground-breaking academic science from within these universities into innovative new medicines for a broad range of diseases.
"Hiring a senior industry executive of Richard’s calibre and experience is a great endorsement of Apollo Therapeutics’ model and potential. We look forward to welcoming him to the team."
Dr Ian Tomlinson
Dr Butt brings valuable experience in drug discovery and development. In his time at Pfizer he has held leadership positions in discovery biology, drug safety and clinical line functions and has led multiple teams to deliver key milestones from preclinical target validation to the readout of Phase 2a clinical efficacy studies. These programmes have spanned multiple target classes, disease therapy areas and drug modalities, and many have been delivered through collaborations with biotech and academic partners. Dr Butt has a particular interest in translational research and recently led Pfizer Neusentis’ translational medicine strategy through a series of collaborative clinical studies.
Dr Butt has been a member of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Innovation Board and the Experimental Medicine Expert Network and is a member of the Medical Research Council Industrial Collaborative Training and Careers Assessment Panel. He has a PhD in Biochemistry from University College London and a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of York.
Dr Ian Tomlinson, Chairman of the Apollo Therapeutics Investment Committee commented: “Richard brings 20 years of industry experience, particularly in early stage drug development and translational medicine. His proven track-record of delivery, combined with his knowledge of the qualities that industry value in a project will be invaluable for our future investments.
“Hiring a senior industry executive of Richard’s calibre and experience is a great endorsement of Apollo Therapeutics’ model and potential. We look forward to welcoming him to the team.”
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