Benitec hires management, gears up to commercialise

Brisbane biotech Benitec has added a managing director and a commercial director to its senior management team, as it prepares to expand its commercialisation activities.

Dr James Anderson is the company's new acting managing director and Dr Graeme Woodrow has been appointed as the commercial director.

Anderson has a background in business management and veterinary science and most recently worked for BresaGen as the vice-president of business development, as well as acting as the managing director for BresaGen joint venture BXM Limited. Prior to that he was the divisional manager for InterAg, a veterinary pharmaceutical company based in New Zealand.

"My main role will be to manage the operations in Brisbane, as the CEO spends a lot of time overseas," Anderson said.

Woodrow has joined Benitec from Sydney company Inhalix where he was a director and foundation CEO. Previously, he has worked for Aventis and Hoechst Schering AgrEvo in Europe and at Biotech Australia, and has over 25 years' experience in the industry. He also chairs the NSW branch of industry peak body AusBiotech.

"I'm bringing the commercialisation skills, bridging that gap between research and the market," Woodrow said. "Licensing and the strategic partnering approach are going to be my responsibility."

He said that one of his first tasks would be to begin following up companies that had approached Benitec to gain access to the company's RNA interference technology. Another would be to identify key potential partners for the company.

CEO John McKinley said the two appointments gave Benitec unrivalled international experience in commercialising new technologies and building an internationally focused company. "Benitec is now poised to commence its commercial operations and to become the dominant provider of gene silencing technology," he said.

Benitec (ASX: BLT) began trading on the Australian Stock Exchange in early August, after a backdoor listing through Queensland Opals. The company claims to have the dominant patent position for gene silencing technology, which is rapidly gathering interest in the international biotechnology community.