Our team

Dr. David Horn Solomon has over 30 years of international experience in the life sciences, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. In the US and Europe, he has held managing roles that showcased his strong strategic, operational, and innovation-minded leadership. As the former CEO of Zealand Pharma (NASDAQ:ZEAL) and Silence Therapeutics (NASDAQ:SLN), he has a proven track record of successful R&D pipeline delivery, strategic business development and deal making.

He was previously the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Advicenne and a member of the Board of Directors of TxCell S.A., Onxeo SA and Promosome, LLC.

Dr. David H Solomon studied at the Weil Cornell Medical College and its Graduate School of Medical Sciences where he received his PhD. He was a faculty member at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in the departments of Pharmacology, Neurology and Biological Sciences.

Xavier Paoli has a 20-year international career in the biotech and biopharmaceutical industry, with a deep experience and knowledge of the full biotech value chain from fundraising to commercialization.

Prior to joining Mithra, Xavier was the Chief Operating Officer of Pharnext. He had cross functional responsibilities within the management team over various operational workstreams for the company’s lead asset. Notably, he supported the clinical development up to pivotal Phase 3, led the development of a full commercialization plan and the repositioning of the company into a specialized biotech in rare neurodegenerative diseases, and participated in fund raising efforts for a total of €80M (IPO and various private placement).

Previously, Xavier held marketing positions in several well-known companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, UCB Pharma and Alexion Pharmaceuticals. He has been involved in successfully launching several brands at regional and national level for diseases with high unmet medical needs (rare diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus).

Xavier holds a Master’s degree in Immunology and Genetics from the University Denis Diderot (Paris VII), and in Marketing from HEC Business School (Paris).

Mr Christophe Maréchal was Director, Group Treasury and Credit Risk Management, at Hamon Group (Euronext Brussels: HAMO), an engineering and contracting company. He has more than 20 years of international financial experience in the industrial, telecommunications, manufacturing and banking industries, including M&A, operational and financial strategy, and tactical initiatives to drive long-term business growth.

Before joining Hamon Group in 2006, Mr Maréchal held a number of positions at France Telecom Group in Paris, London and Brussels, including Deputy Group Treasurer. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Liège, Belgium, and studied econometrics at the Katholieke Universiteit Brabant, Tilburg, Netherlands.

Dr Graham Dixon has a 27 year international career in the pharmaceutical industry, with a strong track record in R&D across many therapeutic areas. He also has solid leadership experience having worked across a number of R&D management positions at AstraZeneca plc and in C-level management positions in several biotech companies: Entomed SA; Galapagos NV (AMS:GLPG); Addex Therapeutics SA (SWX:ADXN); Sensorion SA (EPA:ALSEN) and Onxeo SA (EPA:ONXEO).

Dr Dixon has also held leadership roles in successful programmes spanning the whole continuum of R&D, including clinical proof-of-concepts and regulatory approvals. On the business side, he has held executive roles in two successful IPOs (Galapagos & Sensorion) and 10 clinical stage licensing deals. He has also held several non-executive director positions in the biotech sector and acted as an advisor to several venture capital organisations and their portfolio companies.

Dr Dixon obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Bradford, UK and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Swansea, UK.

Mr Fontaine has over 18 years of experience in the pharma industry in manufacturing, supply chain and commercial positions.

He started his career at Pfizer in supply chain and manufacturing where he ensured ERP implementation and integration of Pfizer’s Belgium manufacturing site. In 2001 he joined Lundbeck where he held various positions in sales & marketing in Belgium and France, notably for Cipralex® product. In 2010, Jean-Manuel joined UCB global marketing team as associate director developing global campaign for the brand and driving business alignment across EU regions.

In 2013, Jean-Manuel joined Mithra to lead successively business development and public relations.

Jean-Manuel holds a Master in Pharmaceutical Sciences and MBA from Cornell University.

Jean-Michel Foidart graduated in Gynecology from the University of Liège and also obtained a PhD in cell biology and biochemistry, before directing its Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics. He was also General Secretary of the European Society of Gynecology and member of multiple editorial boards of international peer-reviewed journals. He is the author of more than 1300 publications on women’s health and experimental oncology.

Professor Foidart holds the Francqui Chair, Doctor Honoris Causa of the Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris and the Paul Sabatier University of Toulouse. He is Officer of the Order of Leopold II, Commander, then Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown, Professor Extraordinary, Honorary of the ULg and Perpetual Secretary of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium. He is the co-founder of Mithra.