He is a Board Director of B-Flexion and is engaged across all B-Flexion’s activities, and within healthcare, he sits on the boards of Paratek, Corium Therapeutics and Boston Pharmaceuticals.  Previously, Cyrus Jilla worked at Fidelity where he had primary responsibility for the firm’s proprietary investments, including extensive biotech and healthcare interests.  He has been a Board Director or Chair of numerous companies, including COFRA A.G., Colt Telecom, Optegra Healthcare, De Beers, and Element Six Group. Earlier in his career he was the Managing Partner of Bain & Company UK, and he began his career at Schroders plc having studied medicine at the University of London.

Michele Antonelli previously worked at UCB where he held roles of various responsibility and scope, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Head of lmmunology Europe, overseeing the region’s commercial, medical, and market access activities.

Prior to joining UCB, Michele Antonelli spent 16 years at Merck Serono, ultimately serving as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Biotech Manufacturing and Process Development.

He is Swiss and Italian, and graduated as Doctor in Sciences from University of Bari. He trained in Biotechnology at Catholic University in Piacenza and at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Prior to his appointment with B-FLEXION, Dr Giampiero De Luca was Vice President Licensing and Intellectual Property of Merck-Serono and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel of Serono International S.A. His responsibilities included management of Serono's patent portfolio, oversight of patent-related litigation and coordinating the Intellectual Property Department's support of the company's licensing activities. 

Dr. De Luca began his career at the European Patent Office before joining Serono where he held a variety of positions and responsibilities including the management and coordination of research and development activities, and the establishment of the Corporate Intellectual Property Department in Geneva. Dr. De Luca was also a member of Serono's Executive Management Board.

He holds a doctoral degree in industrial chemistry from the University of Milan, a Diploma in General Microbiology from Institut Pasteur and is a chartered European Patent Attorney, Swiss and Italian Patent Attorney and authorised representative before the Office of Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM).