San Francisco CEO
January 10-11, 2026
Four Seasons, San Francisco



Longwood Healthcare Leaders San Francisco CEO brings together leading biopharma CEOs, heads of R&D, top academic researchers, and life science investors the weekend prior to the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference for off-the-record discussion, held at the Four Seasons San Francisco. Join us for an intimate event with leaders in the industry.






Featured Speakers
Renowned Academics & Researchers


World-class BioPharma CEOs


Pharma R&D Leaders


Research & Regulatory Leaders


Top Strategy Executives


Leading Biotech CEOs


Blue-chip Investors



Highlights from last year's San Francisco CEO
Watch highlights from San Francisco CEO, including interviews with Teresa Graham (CEO, Roche Pharma), Bill Mezzanotte (Head, R&D, CSL), Levi Garraway (CMO, Roche Genentech), Jay Bradner (EVP, R&D & CSO, Amgen), Steve Hahn (former Commissioner, FDA), Marianne De Backer (CEO, Vir Bio), Jeremy Levin (CEO, Ovid Therapeutics), Mathai Mammen (CEO, Parabilis Medicines), Marc Tessier-Lavigne (CEO, Xaira), Johan Luthman (Head, R&D, Lundbeck), among others.
Venue
San Francisco CEO is hosted in downtown San Francisco immediately prior to the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference.
Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco
757 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
415-633-3000

Agenda
Saturday, January 10, 2026
7:00 am
REGISTRATION & NETWORKING BREAKFAST
Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund
7:30 am
LONGWOOD FUND INTRODUCTION
8:00 am
TRANSLATING SCIENCE INTO MEDICINE
Azad Bonni, Global Head, Pharma Research & Early Development, ad interim, Roche
Bill Dahut, CSO, American Cancer Society
Chris Loose, CEO, Progentos Therapeutics
Joanne Smith-Farrell, CEO, Be Bio
Moderator: Meg Alexander, CEO, Ovid Therapeutics
8:30 am
BIOPHARMA PIPELINE SOURCING
Brian Safina, CEO, Magnet Biomedicine
Tarek Samad, SVP & Global Head, Research, Lundbeck
Tadaaki Taniguchi, Chief Research & Development Officer, Astellas
Sam Windsor, CEO, Ignota Labs
Moderator: Sekhar Naik, CEO, MResult
9:00 am
THE EVOLVING DEAL-MAKING LANDSCAPE
Rachna Khosla, SVP, BD, Amgen
Stefan Köenig, CEO, Merz
Matthias Müllenbeck, SVP, Head, Global BD & Alliance Management, EMD Serono
David Redfern, Chief Strategy Officer, GSK
Moderator: Daniel Palmacci, President, Specialized Modalities, Lonza
9:30 am
FIRESIDE CHAT
9:50 am
NETWORKING BREAK
10:20 am
DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE BOARD
Nenad Grmusa, CEO, DEM BioPharma
10:50 am
ADVANCES IN CLINICAL TRIALS
Judy Chou, CEO, AltruBio
Sandi Dunn, CEO, Phoenix Molecular Designs
Philip Kantoff, CEO, Convergent Therapeutics
Moderator: Akhil Rachamadugu, Head, Life Sciences, Americas, ServiceNow
11:20 am
NAVIGATING THE REGULATORY LANDSCAPE
Ed Kaye, CEO, Aurora Therapeutics
Thomas Lonngren, former Director, EMA
11:50 am
FIRESIDE CHAT
Lloyd Minor, Dean, Stanford Medicine
12:10 pm
NETWORKING LUNCHEON
1:00 pm
R&D COLLABORATION
Anna Greka, Founder & Chair, Broad L2C Accelerator, MIT
Michael McCully, President & COO, Syndeio Biosciences
Leif Pedersen, President, Certara
Roby Kanichay, Head, Technologies & Externalizations, Global BD & Alliance Management, EMD Serono
1:30 pm
HEALTH EQUITY AND ENSURING ACCESS TO INNOVATION
Julian Adams, CEO, Stand Up to Cancer
Sabrina Johnson, CEO, Daré Bioscience
Greg Tietjen, CEO, Revalia Bio
2:00 pm
POSITIONING FOR COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
DereK Adams, CEO, Stellular Bio
Lori Englebert, CCO, Compass Pathways
Aziz Mottawala, CCO, Tarsus
Tolga Tanguler, CCO, Alnylam
Moderator: Stephen Blaising, Chair, Brain Surgery Worldwide
2:30 pm
ACCELERATING DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Lovisa Afzelius, General Partner, Flagship Pioneering
Bruno Gomes, Head, Early Clinical Development, Oncology, Roche
Cindy Perettie, EVP, Head, Kite Pharma
Jonathan Powell, Head, Development, Calico Labs
Moderator: Stef van Grieken, CEO, Cradle
3:00 pm
NETWORKING BREAK
3:30 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT
Carolyn Bertozzi, Nobel laureate; Professor, Stanford University
Jennifer Doudna, Nobel laureate; UC Berkeley
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund
4:00 pm
DEVELOPING GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS
Dan Paterson, CEO, Verastem
Konstantina Katcheves, SVP, Chief Business & Strategy Officer, Acadia Pharmaceuticals
4:30 pm
INVESTMENT OUTLOOK
Frank Nestle, Partner & CEO, Deerfield Discovery & Development
Claudine Prowse, Venture Partner, JPM Private Capital
5:00 – 6:30 pm
COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Sunday, January 11, 2026
7:00 am
REGISTRATION & NETWORKING BREAKFAST
7:30 am
LONGWOOD FUND INTRODUCTION
Vikas Goyal, Partner, Longwood Fund
7:45 am
DRIVING PRODUCTIVITY IN R&D
Nadim Ahmed, CEO, Cullinan Therapeutics
Maureen Hillenmeyer, CEO Hexagon Bio
Najat Khan, CEO, Recursion
Raj Prasad, CFO, CRISPR Therapeutics
Moderator: Yiannis Kiachopoulos, CEO, Causaly
8:15 am
IMPACT OF COMPANY MINDSET & CULTURE
Will Lewis, CEO, Insmed
Trevor Martin, CEO, Mammoth Biosciences
Mathai Mammen, CEO, Parabilis Medicines
Natalia Misciattelli, CEO, AAVantgarde Bio
Moderator: Smita Pillai, SVP, Talent Development, Inclusion & Innovation Culture, Regeneron
8:45 am
ECOSYSTEM OF EXTERNAL INNOVATION
Ruchira Glaser, EVP & Global Head, CVRM Development, Novartis
Nouhad Husseini, SVP, Head, BD & Corporate Strategy, Regeneron
Marc Tessier-Lavigne, CEO, Xaira
Jingsong Wang, CEO, Harbour BioMed
Moderator: Philippe Lopes-Fernandes, CBO, Ipsen
9:15 am
FIRESIDE CHAT
Robert Plenge, EVP, Chief Research Officer, Head of Research, BMS
John Reed, EVP, Pharma R&D, Johnson & Johnson
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund
9:35 am
GUBERNATORIAL KEYNOTE
Gavin Newsom, Governor, California
9:55 am
NETWORKING BREAK
10:15 am
CROSSROADS OF SCIENCE & POLICY: SUSTAINING THE ENGINE OF INNOVATION
Robert Califf, former Commissioner, FDA
Julie Gerberding, CEO, Foundation for the NIH; former Director, CDC
Jeremy Levin, Chair, Ovid Therapeutics
Uli Stilz, Corporate VP, Novo Nordisk
Moderator: Harvey Berger, CEO, Arena BioWorks
10:45 am
PATIENT-CENTRIC DEVELOPMENT
Mike Exton, CEO, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals
Anne Klibanski, CEO, Mass General Brigham
Richard Wilson, SVP, Primary Focus Lead, Genetic Regulation, Astellas
Moderator: Lisa Ricciardi, CEO, Cognition Therapeutics
11:15 am
MANAGING THE RUNWAY
Larry Hamann, CEO, Interdict Bio
Carl Hansen, CEO, Abcellera
Kabir Nath, CEO, Compass Pathways
Brendan Smith, CEO, Weaver
Moderator: Jeb Keiper, Board Director, Cardurion Pharmaceuticals
11:45 am
PIPELINE PRIORITIZATION
Eliav Barr, CMO & Head, Global Clinical Development, Merck
Marianne De Backer, CEO, Vir Bio
Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, EVP, Head, R&D, Novavax
Lara Sullivan, CEO, Pyxis Oncology
Moderator: Pascal Touchon, Operating Partner, Jeito Capital
12:15 pm
NETWORKING LUNCHEON
1:00 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT
Teresa Graham, CEO, Roche Pharma
Stefan Oelrich, CEO, Bayer Pharma
1:20 pm
IDENTIFYING NEXT-GENERATION THERAPEUTICS
Angela Hwang, CEO, Metaphore Therapeutics
Daphne Koller, CEO, Insitro
Brent Vaughan, CEO, Eratos Therapeutics
Phil Vickers, CEO, Solu Therapeutics
Moderator: Zhen Su, CEO, Marengo Therapeutics
1:50 pm
ADVANCING LATE-STAGE ASSETS
Bill Mezzanotte, EVP, R&D, CSL
Matt Winton, Chief Commercial & Business Officer, CervoMed
Moderator: Vikram Karnani, CEO, Collegium Pharmaceuticals
2:20 pm
NETWORKING BREAK
2:50 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT
Jay Bradner, EVP, R&D, Amgen
Levi Garraway, CMO, Roche Genentech
3:10 pm
ENSURING GLOBAL ACCESS
Murdo Gordon, EVP, Global Commercial Operations, Amgen
Vikram Sudarsan, CEO, Engrail Therapeutics
Moderator: Ram Palanki, CCO, REGENXBIO
3:40 pm
ASSESSING INVESTMENT RISK
Ann DeWitt, General Partner, Engine Ventures
Ansbert Gadicke, Managing Partner, MPM BioImpact
Brienne Kugler, SVP, Research & Investments, Royalty Pharma
Bob Nelsen, Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners
Moderator: Vikas Goyal, Partner, Longwood Fund
Speaking Faculty




























































































