EXPERTS IN INSECT, MAMMALIAN AND BACTERIAL EXPRESSION

Scientist working with petri dishes in a lab

Meet the board at OET

Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd provides products, services and consultancy to the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries from its base in Oxford, England. We have a fantastic, knowledgeable, and highly experienced board, who bring numerous qualifications, degrees and skills to the table. Find out more about our highly regarded board members or get in touch with us today.

Professor Robert Possee

After graduating in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham, Robert Possee moved to the University of Warwick to undertake a PhD on influenza viruses. In 1981, he moved to the NERC Institute of Virology, latterly Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Oxford to work on the molecular biology of insect baculoviruses, which at the time were used for insect biocontrol. The next ten years saw the development of baculovirus expression vector systems at Oxford. His group produced the first of many innovations to the system that permitted easier construction of baculovirus expression vectors. More recently, the basic research developed in his group has been applied to the creation of the flashBAC™ system for high throughput generation of recombinant virus vectors. In 1999 he received an Individual Merit Promotion award from NERC in recognition of his achievements in insect virology. In 2002 he was appointed Assistant Director of CEH Oxford and was Acting Director in 2003-2004. In 2010 after the closure of CEH Oxford during restructuring he moved to work at CEH Wallingford. In 2014 he left CEH and joined OET as Chief Scientist before being appointed CEO in 2015. Robert is a member of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology an Editorial Board member for Virology and Biological Control.

Professor Linda King

Professor Linda King co-founded Oxford Expression Technologies Ltd in 2007 alongside Robert Possee. Until 2024, Linda was Pro Vice Chancellor for Research & Global Partnerships at Oxford Brookes University and remains as Professor of Virology. In 2024, Linda joined OET as COO, joint CSO and Executive Director. Following the completion of her doctorate in molecular virology at Oxford University in 1985, Linda’s research at Oxford Brookes since 1986 has focused on various aspects of insect virology with particular emphasis on Baculovirus expression systems. She has published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals, reviews and book chapters, and has been Insect Virus Editor for The Journal of General Virology. Linda has spoken at numerous national and international meetings, including The American Society for Virology, The Society for Invertebrate Pathology, Peptalk, Global Protein Summit & Baculovirus Technology.

Dr John Harris

Dr John Harris brings to OET vision, extensive leadership, and managerial competence developed within well respected Blue-Chip, Governmental and SME organisations specialised in the Life Sciences Sectors. Over his 37 years working in this space (including 23 years at CEO level), he has developed considerable experience and expertise within the Biotech, pharmaceutical, medical technology, and agrochemicals arenas ranging through research, development, registration, manufacture, marketing, sales, leveraging investment, and company leadership. Previous roles include CEO of OBN Group, IPS Specials, Key Organics, Synerga, TraceTag International, AgriSense-BCS, and senior managerial roles in Syngenta, Novo Nordisk (Denmark), Monsanto (Belgium), and Shell. He also received the HSBC / SVBA Business Leader of the Year 2019 Award and holds a BSc in Biology, a PhD in Biochemistry, and an MBA.

Stevan Hoyle

Stevan Hoyle brings to OET extensive global leadership experience spanning multiple sectors, with particular expertise in corporate strategy and mergers and acquisitions. Following a career as a professional rugby player in South Africa, he established himself as a prominent business leader during his 17-year tenure as a Board Director at Vodafone Group, managing diverse business operations across the USA, Africa, India, Asia, and Australasia. For the past 9 years, Dr. Hoyle has focused his considerable expertise on the life sciences sector as a non-executive director and investor, while also specializing in mergers and acquisitions where he has successfully completed nearly 40 transactions since 2017 across both buy and sell sides. His international experience, having lived and worked in the UK, France, New York, Singapore, and South Africa, brings valuable global perspectives to OET's strategic development initiatives.

Brendan Casey

Brendan Casey brings to OET significant experience in university administration, governance and operational leadership. He has been Registrar, Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary at Oxford Brookes University since 2016. Prior to this, Brendan held senior administrative roles at the University of Birmingham, City St George’s, University of London, and Cardiff University. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Civil Service and in a Top 10 City of London law firm. Brendan has served as a member of the executive of the Association of Heads of University Administration and has also contributed as a school governor.