Linda Summerton

Linda is a Senior Partner and Scientific Affairs & Oncology Specialist at tranScrip. She has worked in the industry for more than 30 years and has held senior positions in big pharma and biotech at CEO and SVP level. Linda brings a wealth of experience in leading clinical and cross functional development teams to create strategic development options, associated clinical and regulatory development plans, and to deliver to quality, time and cost. Asset identification, due diligence and asset management for investment funds in the pharma and medtech space are also part of her skill set.

Although Linda’s main areas of therapeutic expertise are oncology and respiratory, she has significant experience in cardiovascular, infection, inflammation and CNS. At tranScrip, Linda’s recent experience includes interim CEO and COO for a small UK biotech, Head of Clinical Development for a European biotech, lead for regulatory interactions for scientific advice with both FDA and CHMP, lead for regulatory submissions, review and creation / critique of clinical development plans and design and delivery of medical education and training programmes for pharma personnel.

Prior to joining tranScrip, Linda was Partner at Celtic Pharma Holdings Advisors LLP, where she was responsible for identifying assets for investment, conducting due diligence on these assets and ensuring all investee companies had solid clinical development plans in place. She also managed assets once acquired, including roles as Head of Clinical and Preclinical Development at Cantab Biopharmaceuticals, Interim CEO at Novacta Biosystems Ltd. and CEO at Dialog Devices Ltd. Previously, Linda was Therapy Area Head at Celtic Pharma Development Services, creating development strategies and associated plans and delivering them through virtual project teams.

Before joining Celtic, Linda had a 16-year history in large pharmaceutical companies, predominantly in AstraZeneca where she held a variety of roles, including Project Director for Iressa to first registrations in Oncology and Accolate to NDA in asthma, and culminating in being Head of Strategy and Portfolio for the Oncology and Infection Therapy Area Management Team (TAMT). She was also SVP Portfolio and Project Integration (PPI) at Merck KGaA, leading the portfolio steering committees for Oncology, Cardiovascular and CNS development programmes as well as managing a department of commercial and development staff.

She has a PhD from Cambridge UK and has a NATO post-doctoral Fellowship.