Mayor of London Boris Johnson's New Initiative MedCity Supports the Hume Brophy Investor Relations Healthcare Conference "Investing in Future Growth: The Healthcare Opportunity"

LONDON, October 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London and Mr George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences amongst high profile speakers presenting  

Hume Brophy, the international communications firm specialising in  Investor Relations, Public Affairs, Corporate and Financial Communications, will be hosting its 6th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference in London on Thursday, October 16th. The theme is "Investing in Future Growth: The Healthcare Opportunity" and is being supported by MedCity, established by the Mayor of London's office.

Now in its sixth year, the conference attracts leading speakers from industry and the most influential investors in the healthcare sector, to share their views and provide an insight into future trends in the healthcare industry. The overarching theme of the conference is communicating why healthcare is an attractive sector for global investors.

Mr George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences will address the conference on the importance of life sciences to the UK economy. Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London will wrap up the afternoon's proceedings discussing 'Healthcare & the City: Working Together'.

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Enterprise and Chair of MedCity's Advisory Board, said: "The UK's life sciences sector is in great health, with recent data showing that we now have more biotech drugs in development than anywhere else in Europe. It is a tremendously exciting industry that can deliver significant returns and also gives investors the chance to get involved with companies that have the potential to genuinely transform lives. We must work more closely with the City to highlight the range of investment opportunities that exists - in that way we will benefit investors, enable more companies to grow to their full potential, and lift the UK economy as a whole."

Mary Clark, Managing Director of Healthcare at Hume Brophy, commented on the conference: "As we approach a major inflection point in innovation, it is important that industry sets the right expectations to all stakeholders - from investors to government to media to patients and to the public and is communicating the huge potential in the industry to encourage more generalist investors to the sector. This conference provides a unique opportunity to interact and engage with participants within the sector and across the wider investment community."

Gerard van Odijk, former CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe will kick off the event with a keynote presentation on 'The Global Healthcare Opportunity' while Oliver Maier, Head of Investor Relations, Fresenius Medical Care, and the highest ranked IR professional in the global medtech sector, will discuss the changing face of global investor relations and the importance of communicating to a broader stakeholder group.

Mike Ward, Global Director of Content, Scrip Intelligence, will chair a panel of leading CEOs of European companies who will discuss critical factors for building successful businesses. The panel includes Werner Lanthaler, CEO, Evotec; Chris Meredith, CEO, Advanced Medical Solutions; James Noble, CEO, Adaptimmune, David Chiswell, Chairman of Kymab and Kieran Drain, CEO, Tyndall Institute. The ever popular investor panel this year includes public market investors and VCs who will discuss trends & opportunities across the healthcare sector. Chaired by Sam Fazeli, Director EMEA Research at Bloomberg, the panel will discuss investment opportunities and includes Joe Anderson, Abingworth; Francesco de Rubertis, Index Ventures; Geraldine O'Keeffe, Life Science Partners; Andrea Ponti, GHO Capital and Andy Richards, Life Sciences entrepreneur and investor.

Charles Beazley, former CEO of Nikko Asset Management and Dan Mahony of Polar Capital will discuss and debate how the sector can attract more generalist investors.

The detailed agenda can be found here: http://www.humebrophy.com/hb-news/6th-annual-healthcare-investor-conference/

Notes to editors: 

About Hume Brophy  

Hume Brophy is an international communications firm specialising in PR, IR, public affairs, corporate and financial communications, and has a team of 80 consultants based in London, Brussels, Paris, Singapore and Dublin.  Our specialist healthcare team combines global industry knowledge and expertise in public relations, investor relations with government & EU regulatory affairs.

We understand the diverse nature of the healthcare industry and the roles that its constituents play. This means that we can deliver unrivalled healthcare solutions to help clients communicate with the major decision makers and important influencers across the investment community, media, regulatory & legislative bodies, and major political parties and institutions in Europe. http://www.humebrophy.com

About MedCity 

Established by the Mayor of London with the capital's three Academic Health Science Centres - Imperial College Academic Health Centre, King's Health Partners, and UCL Partners - MedCity is a unique collaboration that brings together the outstanding life sciences strengths of London and the greater south east.

Over the next 20 years, MedCity will position the region as a world-leading, interconnected hub for research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation by championing collaboration and entrepreneurship, promoting a joined up and globally distinct life sciences offer, and providing a visible 'go-to' point for industry and investors. http://www.medcitylondon.com

Speakers at the conference hosted by Simmons & Simmons in London include:  

George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences

Oliver Maier, Head of Investor Relations, Fresenius Medical Care

Mike Ward, Global Director of Content, Scrip Intelligence, Clinica, The Pink Sheet & Datamonitor

David Chiswell, Chairman of Kymab

Joe Anderson, Abingworth

Charles Beazley, Former CEO of Nikko Asset Management

Francesco de Rubertis, Index Ventures

Kieran Drain, CEO of Tyndall Institute

Sam Fazeli, Bloomberg

Werner Lanthaler, CEO of Evotec

Dan Mahony, Polar Capital

Chris Meredith, CEO of Advanced Medical Solutions

Kit Malthouse, Deputy Mayor of London

Geraldine O'Keeffe, Life Science Partners

Andrea Ponti, GHO Capital

Andy Richards, Life Sciences entrepreneur and investor

Gerard van Odijk, Former CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals Europe, Chairman of Bavarian Nordic, Merus

For further information, please contact:

MedCity
Abigail Smith
Tel: +44(0)20-7234-5800
Email: asmith@londonpartners.com
Twitter: @MedCityHQ

Hume Brophy
Mary Clark, Supriya Mathur, Hollie Vile
Tel: +44(0)20-3440-5654
Email: healthcareteam@humebrophy.com
Twitter: @Hume_Brophy