Optibrium appoints Prof Andy Black non-executive chair

Prior to his current roles, Black co-founded Kinapse, an international business providing expert advisory and implementation services to life science industries

Optibrium, a developer of software for drug discovery, has announced the appointment of Prof Andy Black as non-executive Chair of its board of directors. Following recent investment from Kester Capital, the appointment is aimed to help the company's continued commercial growth, calling on Black’s experience in leading strategic expansion. This will include the continued advancement of the company's software for drug discovery, focusing on the hit-to-lead and lead optimisation phases, extracting maximum value from pharmaceutical data, targeting high-quality compounds, and accelerating discovery cycles.

Black joins Optibrium as non-executive Chair with extensive board experience, including chairman roles at Synetic Life Sciences, an industry-focused consultancy with expertise in the R&D and commercialisation of products, and Sygnature Discovery. As Chair of Sygnature Discovery, a provider of drug discovery resource and expertise, Black advised the company as it went through a phase of rapid growth and successful expansion in the US, adding two new sites. As Professor of Practice at King’s College London, Black teaches entrepreneurship and supports the university and King’s Health Partners with commercial partnerships.

Prior to his current roles, Black co-founded Kinapse, an international business providing expert advisory and implementation services to life science industries, sitting as CEO and subsequently Board Director.

Dr Matthew Segall, co-founder and CEO at Optibrium, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Andy, benefitting from his experience to guide Optibrium and continue our strong growth. His deep industry understanding, combined with having chaired private equity-backed companies through rapid expansion, makes him invaluable as a sounding board to guide our strategy and continued success.”

Professor Andy Black, Chair of the Board at Optibrium, said: “Computational drug discovery solutions are a critical component for the success of drug discovery. I am convinced by Optibrium’s products, with a rounded portfolio that includes ground-breaking AI-based next-generation solutions. I am excited to be working with this driven and exceptional team and continue to help our customers transform drug discovery.”

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