Nhlanhla Sobantu Msomi

• CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
• BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
• FACE OF ADVOCACY ON
• GLOBAL HEALTH INNOVATION AND
• GLOBAL SOUTH MATTERS SUCH AS FOOD SECURITY
• ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT (START UP STADIUM)
• PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER GLOBAL SOUTH PROGRESSIVE FORCES
• FROM 2017 T0 2022 - LED THE CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT AND PITCHING THE BIO AFRICA CONVENTION TO BIO INTERNATIONAL. LAUNCHING IT AND CHAIRING THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE UNTIL 2022.
• LED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BIO AFRICA VIRTUAL INNOVATION HUB INCLUDING THE START UP INDEX, BIO AFRICA ACADEMY, AND START UP STADIUM (PARTNERSHP WITH DTIC, TIA, EMORY AND ICGEB)

• Initiated and continue to manage the Strategy formulation process (still ongoing)
• Originating business leads / business development
• High level Business Strategy
• Supporting Funding applications such as the Clinical Trials Unit (TIA)
• Securing the Provincial Health Innovation Strategy
• Securing the first projects for an eventual UKZN-Emory Institute of Drug Discovery and Development (UEIDD) to address Pandemic Preparedness and global South Challenges.
• Initiated a partnership with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) to join the UEIDD project; as well as establishing an Open Science platform at UKZN via the BIO AFRICA Academy platform
• Creating a platform for cross disciplinary partnerships within the University, including engineering and others based on product innovation models (with local manufacturing as an end point (utilizing either University Start Ups or local SMEs) underwritten by local market off take guarantees

• (Overall Coordinator (Principal Investigator and/or Chief Consultant)
• CONVENOR: EXPERTS FOR VARIOUS WORK STREAMS SUCH as: INNOVATION STRATEGY including evaluating different options and models from: in-bound technology – facilitating in licensing of technology, once the product target profile had been finalised by the technology team
• Architectural innovation – from the final product design, ascertaining the various IP components and institutional players to suit the final product
• Incremental innovation – building on local IP and technology, based on stage of development
• Open innovation – Leveraging on open innovation where appropriate for different stages or requirements
• For example, for infrastructure, the likes of ICGEB were recruited to provide cellular and animal models to reduce the cost of pre-clinical development (with local Institutions identified and destine to be the recipients of the Open technologies)
• The same approach was applied to the CDMO component, with CSIR selected as the Recipient for process innovations
• Business Model – Architectural innovation as a defining feature of the Strategy was matched with the appropriate business model
• This included: Consortia based approach to project execution and ip ownership new funding models including creating a business rationale for wider participation and future funding of innovation via receipts from sales (DoH – Advanced Market Commitments)
• CORE TECHNOLOGY STREAMS (including Pharmaceutical Chemistry, life Sciences, Clinical and medical research, etc) and biotechnology business and project Plans for the various verticals such as Vaccine Technology Platforms, value chains and components, and others
• Economics and Corporate Finance (including Conventional Health Economics, Health technology Assessments, Financial Modelling for funding and investment mobilisation, Project Finance and Packaging for Infrastructure e.g
• For Budget Facility for Infrastructure)
• Facilitating Social Capital Strategy (via Africa Bio and BIO AFRICA) – sourcing through established networks partners and sources of market and business intelligence as well as relevant Intellectual Property for the technology platforms: Africa bio / BIO AFRICA (through both virtual and physical platforms convened a wide range of Stakeholders for the development and later review of the VIMS outputs (the final document and the various inputs)
• INSIGHTS Laboratories and other Innovation development platforms including IDEO U type Design Labs, Stakeholder events – where national and international pharmaceutical industry players were provided an interactive platform to discuss and shape the evolving strategy.
• Other players included science and technology institutions / experts, management Consulting firms, lobbyists, international funders such as the GIZ, Gates Foundation, Non-Traditional private capital providers (such as legislation mandated ones like ESG Funds, ESGs), DFIs and others

• ($400M fund – Angola / Switzerland)
• Was previously responsible as a Consultant and Advisor with drawing up the fund’s business Plan and went on to implement First Phase

• Company Overview: www.msqhealth.co.za
• Phase 1 (2010 – 2014)
• Securing operational Partners for the Proposed venture (MSQ Health)
• Capital Raising for the initial M&A strategy (raised R150m)
• Incorporating the Business legally
• 2014 – COMPLETE THE FIRST SET OF ACQUISITIONS (3 MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES)
• Set up formal operations including Headquarters and appointing the Executive team and Head Office including formally becoming a Group CEO
• Integrating the various businesses
• Set up a new Division (A Diagnostics start up) – MSQ Diagnostics
• Acquiring a portfolio of Pharmaceutical dossiers from Ranbaxy (which was divesting out of South Africa as a result of being bought by SUN Pharma in India)
• Day to Day Operational Head and Strategy Chief
• www.msqhealth.co.za www.akaciamedical.co.za
• Developed strong partnerships with other businesses to allow for collaboration and more significant opportunities for growth.
• Established a successful business by identifying market needs and developing innovative solutions.
• Implemented efficient operational processes to optimize productivity and resource allocation.
• Created organization's mission and vision statements for use by employees.

• 1) Co-Project Manager for development of the National Bioeconomy Strategy
• 2) Project Manager for the development of the Bankable Business Plan for the Innovation Hub (Gauteng) Bio park to secure the R200 million required for Building (Phase I & II completed, now developing Phase III)
• 3) Principal Consultant for Strategic reorganisation of Ithemba Pharmaceuticals (local start up in partnership with Emory University)
• 4) Project Manager for the Feasibility Study of the TIA’s KZN Bioprocessing Cluster
• 5) Validator and Judge for the African Innovation Foundation’s innovation prize for Africa
• 6) Principal consultant and later co-Founder for MSQ Health, a private healthcare company
• Packaged the Investment memorandum and successfully led the capital raising exercise
• Successfully executing of the first 3x acquisitions (R100M)
• 7) Project Consultant for Quantum Global (Switzerland) responsible for developing Strategy of the US$400m Healthcare fund for Africa
• The mandate culminated in joining the fund Manager as a Member of the INAUGURAL INVESTMENT Committee

• Responsibilities: Setting up the organisation from scratch
• Managing the merger of seven (7) entities and Programs
• Managing stakeholder relationships and leading the Executive team
• Managing the CEO search process

• Responsibilities: Overall strategic and business development management of the IT company developing erp scale systems (Billing) for municipalities
• Completed Project Execution Team set up, and guided to the completion of beta / prototype
• Secured additional pilot sites (Ugu and Ekurhuleni)
• Partnership with the KZN and Gauteng Provinces (developing an SME Incubation model for future support, such as Smart Exchange)
• Also managed the relationship with an Indian partner (RAMCO)

• Responsibilities included: Managing the KZN Corporate finance team with a mandate to operationalise the KZN Growth Fund; managing the PPP Team and pursuing and executing proprietary investments
• Part of the Team that launched and operationalized the Billion Rand KZN Growth
• Other responsibilities include Capital Raising on behalf of proprietary investments and external clients (performing the Due Diligence, preparing the Investment Memorandum and leading capital raising road shows)

• Managed the development of the successful Bid of the East Coast Biotechnology Consortium (EcoBio) which included industry, universities and Government (local) of the local Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centre (BRIC)
• Managed Business Plan development under the auspices of the University of Natal, and formally established the Organisation
• This was later branded to LIFElab, which became a founding Constituent of the TIA at inception

Responsibilities:

• Concept development (introduction of molecular diagnostics in the local setting as a contribution during the AIDS crisis, to compliment the then pending introduction of Antiretrovirals)
• Business plan development, including pre-implementation such as recruiting Partners, sales origination
• Fund Raising (successfully secured Business Partners loan, followed by investment from Safika to repay the Loan)
• Established one of the first medical molecular laboratories in the country, and the first Black owned and managed. Certainly, the first in KZN
• Strategic relationships (on a B2B model) with other Pathology Laboratories as Clients as they lacked the molecular diagnostics skills.
• Technology development (paid consultancy for international parties)
• Technology consulting and Training (provided training for the likes of Global - now Neuberger, and Lancet Laboratories through a market development arrangement with Roche Diagnostics

• Responsibilities: Strategic Business Leadership and Development (Sales)

• Interim CEO: East Coast Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centre
• Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.

• Business strategy for the subsidiary
• Responsibilities: Technology Development and Management, Marketing and General management

• Responsibilities: Teaching Microbial Genetics (2nd year) and Microbial Biochemistry (4th year/B Tech)
• Principal Examiner for these courses as well as course leader for Microbial Biochemistry
• Design and implementation of a B. Tech Course on Lysine production to support local industry (SA Bioproducts, formerly AECI). The Course was designed with their specific fermentation / production environment to compliment their strong Chemical Engineering capabilities but somewhat weaker biotechnology skills

• Responsibilities: full time Research in developing PCR (RAPD) methodologies for molecular markers, genetic mapping and statistical algorithms for mapping polyploids
• Planning and developing laboratory methods
• Writing Papers and attending Conferences
• Setting up (for the first time) and tutoring in the adult literacy programme (on an unpaid Voluntary basis - as part of political / social activism)