Hagit Sepkuty, originator of the Aluma concept and founder of the Aluma enterprise, bases her innovative venture on a long career combining scientific knowledge with business expertise.
Over the years Hagit served in a wide range of managerial and advisory capacities for a number of life science enterprises: Products Manager (marketing) at TARO, Researcher, Developer and Production Manager at Rad chemicals (Kamada), Advisor to the Israeli National Biotechnology Committee, Director at Shemen Industries,CTO/CSO for the Ashkelon Technological Industries Incubator and CEO of ConjuGate Ltd.
Hagit has background in the life sciences encompasses an M.SC. in Pharmacology & Physiology from the Medical School of Tel Aviv University, as well as PhD studies and an MBA (Technion) in Haifa.
Valentin Heines, C.P.A., a renowned Israeli authority on Finance, Internal Auditing and Cost Accounting, and internal auditor of many major Israeli organizations, advises Aluma on all the critical financial and accounting aspects of its scientific ventures. Through his extensive contacts within Israel’s business and financial scenes, he is also able to formulate lucrative partnerships between attractive new technologies and interested investors.
In his long and impressive career Valentin Heines served as Chief Internal auditor for Clal Group and its 5 divisions and 150 subsidiary companies, as well as Maccabi Healthcare Services, also providing multi-faceted auditing and business development services to many leading Israeli organizations: the Rabin Medical Center, the Yariv Leadership Foundation, the Open University, the Residence of the President of the State of Israel, Shrem Fudim Technologies, the Israel Land Administration, Plastro Irrigation Systems and many more.
In addition, Valentin Heines served as Vice President of the Institute of Internal Auditors, a member of its Professional Standards Committee, and a Certified Quality Assurance Reviewer on its behalf.
Tsvika Tsur, a highly experienced international businessman and director of several manufacturing companies specializing in plastics and cleantech, is a driving force behind Aluma’s business development and international distribution activities . Launching his career at Plastro Irrigation Systems, Tsvika Tsur rose to the position of CEO and led this kibbutz-owned company to worldwide success – including the establishment of subsidiaries and partnerships in Israel, India and Latin America – and ultimately to acquisition by John Deer. His current business activities encompass senior positions in several agricultural and industrial ventures in both India and Israel.
Dr. Solli Brawer, a clinical & regulatory consultant to pharmaceutics developers, specializes in structuring pre-clinical and clinical trials that meet the stringent requirements of the world’s main regulators – with a focus on the FDA and CE. Her considerable experience and expertise are of great value to Aluma’s pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical ventures.
A Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) with a B.Sc. in Biology, certified by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Brawer has over 14 years of experience in clinical development. During this time she served as Director/Consultant of Clinical & Regulatory Affairs for Ester Neuroscience Ltd. and Mor Research Applications, and as a consultant to various Pharma and Biotech companies.
Her extensive services as clinical & regulatory consultant and medical writer include: protocol development; preparation and submission of regulatory documents; communication with regulatory authorities; preparation of specific study documents, CRFs and investigator brochures; monitoring & project management; and writing the final reports.
Irene Zeitoun, PhD, MBA, an experienced manager of biotech ventures, is closely acquainted with the processes and procedures involved in developing new products.
A biologist specialized in neurophysiology and neuroimmunology, Dr. Zeitoun holds a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) in Haifa, as well as an M.Sc. from the Faculty of Medicine, a B.Sc. from the Faculty of Life Sciences, and an MBA in Marketing & Financing from the Graduate School of Business – all from Tel Aviv University.
Over the years Dr. Zeitoun has operated as: Consultant at the Wharton-York-Recanati Global Consulting Marketing Program; Senior Scientist at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of the Chaim Sheba Medical Center; Director of World-Wide Marketing at Mindset BioPharmaceuticals – where she also launched MindGenix, a profitable spin-off company that provided services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies; Director of R&D at Ester Neurosciences; Project Manager of the Israeli National Tissue Bank for Research Purposes; Portfolio Manager at Coronis Partners Ltd.; and Business Development & Marketing Manager at Targetech Ltd.
Dr. Eliezer Katz is a general and transplantation surgeon specializing in abdominal organ transplants, with extensive experience in clinical medicine, immunology and pharmaceutical consultancy. He has held leadership positions in medical, academic and industrial institutions, and has conducted and supervised numerous clinical trials, working closely with the FDA on issues of regulation.
Receiving his Doctor of Medicine certification from Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School in Jerusalem, Dr. Katz specialized in liver transplantation at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and eventually rose to the position of Director of the Division of Liver Transplantation at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
His clinical experience encompasses all medical fields related to transplantations – such as immunology, infectious diseases, hepatology, critical care, nephrology, cardiology, anesthesia and hematology, and he has taken part in numerous clinical research studies on new drugs, new surgical techniques and various clinical issues. In addition, Dr, Katz has been extensively involved in policy making procedures on issues related to organ transplantations, and has authored and co-authored more than 50 scientific papers published in leading medical journals.
In recent years, Dr. Katz has dedicated his career to the pharmaceutical industry, currently holding the position of VP Medical Affairs at CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services. Involved in all stages and aspects of the complex process of drug development, he oversees numerous multi-center clinical trials (phases I-IV), and has established working relationships with top executives in the pharmaceutical industry, FDA officers, and principal medical experts and investigators.