UK Biotech Day 2026

Johnny Habchi

Johnny is a leader in Life Sciences R&D with extensive experience spanning academia, biotech and consultancy.

Johnny began his career in academic research where he secured prestigious fellowships and led pioneering initiatives at top Universities, including the University of Cambridge. He then pursued several executive education programmes in management, R&D strategy and digital transformation at INSEAD, Cambridge Judge Business School and Imperial College Business School.

Johnny went on to co-found and scale a biotech startup that secured tens of millions in funding. In this role he built and managed high‑performance teams and developed and scaled proprietary assays and technologies that accelerated timelines from target identification to candidate nomination. He led several R&D programs, both internally and in collaboration with global pharma, provided consulting services to multiple drug discovery and biotech clients, and established strategic partnerships at the interface between academia and industry.

His work to date has yielded over 50 peer‑reviewed publications and patented technologies in drug discovery across multiple therapeutic areas. Johnny combines data-driven decision making, operational efficiency and R&D strategy to help clients scale platforms, reduce timelines and optimise discovery portfolios. An accomplished communicator and thought leader, Johnny has been invited to speak and serve on panels at numerous international conferences and has served on editorial and PhD committees internationally. He also holds a fellowship and supports entrepreneurial activities at Hughes Hall College, Cambridge, underscoring his commitment to science and innovation.

Dr Ahmed El Rayis

Ahmed is a strategic business development leader with more than 12 years of experience translating scientific innovation into impactful collaborations. At Medicines Discovery Catapult, he is responsible for driving commercial across London, Northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Southern Europe, with a focus on oncology, CNS, and immunology.

Ahmed specialises in building multi-stakeholder collaborations that accelerate therapeutic discovery and development, working with biotech and medtech companies, global pharma, academic spinouts, and charities. He guides partners through project scoping, funding routes, and strategic positioning to ensure high-value, translational outcomes.