Management team

Bahija Jallal, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

Dr Bahija Jallal is Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Board of Immunocore. Prior to joining Immunocore in January 2019, she was President of MedImmune, AstraZeneca’s global biologics research and development unit. She was also Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca and a member of its senior executive team.

Dr Jallal serves on the Board of Elevance, Inc. and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Johns Hopkins University.

Bahija has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and has more than 15 patents. She is also the immediate past president of the Association of Women in Science. Bahija was named the 2017 Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.

Prior to joining MedImmune, Bahija was Vice President, Drug Assessment and Development, at Chiron Corporation, where she successfully established the company’s translational medicine group. Prior to Chiron, she was part of the research team at Sugen, Inc.

Bahija received her PhD in Physiology from Université de Paris VI, France and conducted her post-doctorate work in molecular biology and oncology at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany. 

Brian Di Donato

EVP, Chief Financial Officer and Strategy

Brian joined Immunocore in April 2020 from Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Brian has more than 20 years of financial and leadership experience, and leads Immunocore’s corporate strategy, finance, investor relations, competitive intelligence and information technology areas.

Brian is an experienced capital markets banker, investor and fund manager, having held positions as Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager at Sorin Capital Management and President and Chief Investment Officer at Capmark Investments. He previously worked in fixed-income capital markets as an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley and as Vice President at UBS Securities.

Brian holds a Master of Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology from Penn State University and in Mechanical Engineering from Villanova University. Prior to business school, he was an aerospace engineering officer in the U.S. Navy.

David Berman, MD, PhD

EVP, Research and Development

Dr. David Berman is Head of Research and Development. Over his career, David has worked on multiple immuno-oncology (IO) programs at all stages of development, including leadership roles in developing four approved biologics. Most recently, David was Senior Vice President and Head of the AstraZeneca IO Franchise, responsible for the strategy and execution of the company’s late-stage IO program. Prior to that, he was head of the early-stage oncology program at MedImmune.

David has also held senior development roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, including as head of the immuno-oncology exploratory development team and as Global Clinical Lead for the first approved IO checkpoint inhibitor and one of the first monoclonal antibodies approved for myeloma. Beginning in academia and throughout his industry career, David has led efforts to understand the mechanism of action of IO therapies and predict their benefit.

David received his MD and PhD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He trained in pathology at the National Cancer Institute, followed by a fellowship at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Tina St. Leger

Chief Human Resources Officer

Tina joined Immunocore in January 2022 to lead the human resources function. Prior to Immunocore, Tina was Chief Human Resources Officer at GW Pharmaceuticals and led the company’s transition following its acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Tina gained significant experience in HR working across several areas at GSK, including in emerging markets, Europe and in global therapy areas, as well as during her time as head of human resources for ViiV Healthcare. Tina began her pharmaceutical career in 2005 following an earlier career in finance at Marks and Spencer. She graduated with a chemistry degree from the University of St. Andrews.

Lily Hepworth

SVP, General Counsel and Company Secretary

Lily Hepworth is General Counsel and Company Secretary at Immunocore, having joined the company in 2018. Lily leads the company’s Legal, IP and Compliance teams. Lily’s areas of expertise include corporate & securities law, public companies, financing, M&A and governance. Prior to joining Immunocore, Lily was Head of Legal for Corporate at a FTSE 100 company and was in private practice in the Corporate/M&A team at Linklaters, a leading global law firm. Lily obtained her Graduate Diploma in Law and her Legal Practice Course qualifications from BPP Law School in London, and also holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Bristol.

Ralph Torbay

SVP, Commercial

Ralph Torbay is Immunocore’s Head of Commercial. Ralph is an experienced commercial leader with a proven track record of successful oncology launches and significant immuno-oncology (IO) experience. Prior to joining Immunocore, Ralph was Global Head of Hematology Marketing at AstraZeneca, where, in addition to helping to build their global hematology franchise, he launched three major drugs in oncology, including the first checkpoint inhibitor in stage III unresectable non-small cell lung cancer.

Prior to AstraZeneca, Ralph worked at Novartis Oncology where he held roles of increasing responsibility. His experience spans several disease areas including hematology, oncology and autoimmune diseases, as well as diverse therapeutic platforms including immuno-oncology, CAR-T therapy, small molecules, and gene therapies, in industry roles and as a strategic healthcare consultant.

Ralph earned his Master of Business Administration degree at the Simon Graduate School of Business, University of Rochester; and a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology with a minor in Bioinformatics, from Rochester Institute of Technology. Ralph has lived on three continents and speaks four languages with native fluency.

Sean Buckley

VP, Chief Information Officer

Sean leads Immunocore's information technology group, having joined in September 2021 from Emerson, where he was Senior Life Science Consultant.

Sean has more than 20 years of experience within information technology in life science, including positions as SVP & Chief Financial Officer of Carmell Therapeutics, VP & Chief Business Officer of Castle Creek Biosciences, and VP & Chief Financial Officer of Fibrocell Science. Prior to that, Sean held senior roles at Fibrocell Science, including VP of Business Administration & Corporate Secretary, as well as Vice President of Information Technology, a position in which he also held multiple commercial and business responsibilities.

Sean holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Internet Computing from the University of Hull. Sean is currently studying for a Master of Artificial Intelligence degree from the University of Bath.

Mohammed Dar, MD

SVP, Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer

Mohammed joined Immunocore in April 2019 as Head of Clinical Development and Chief Medical Officer. Mohammed has over 15 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in the field of oncology.

Before joining Immunocore, Mohammed was Vice President, Clinical Development, Oncology, R&D at MedImmune and spent 10 years at GSK in roles of increasing responsibility focused on early clinical development in oncology. While at MedImmune, he led the clinical trials and teams supporting the approval of anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab, and of anti-CD22 immunotoxin moxetumomab.

Mohammed received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his MD and Internal Medicine training from Duke University School of Medicine. He went on to complete his Fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at the National Cancer Institute.

Sébastien Desprez

VP, Communications

Sébastien became Head of Communications mid-2022. Prior to Immunocore, he worked at Adaptimmune, where he was VP, Communications and Investor Relations. In this role, as well as at ViiV Healthcare and GSK Oncology, he built and led integrated communications strategies and teams. He started his communications career at Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, in Paris, before working in various agencies, including his last agency role at Ketchum, where he led the UK and European healthcare teams from 2002 to 2011. Sébastien holds a master’s degree in interpretation and translation from Université Paris 8, Paris.

John Goll

SVP, Finance and Chief Accounting Officer

John Goll has more than 25 years of financial experience within the life sciences industry, most recently serving as Insmed’s SVP, Chief Accounting Officer. In this role, he managed most of the financial activities for the company, including accounting, audit, internal controls, tax, treasury, and international finance operations. During his nine years at Insmed, he helped to raise approximately $3.5 billion in capital through secondary offerings, convertible notes, and other debt financing. John has extensive experience in financial management, FP&A, global operations, corporate finance and accounting, global commercial product launches, SEC compliance and financial assessment of business development and M&A opportunities.

Prior to joining Insmed, John served as VP, Corporate Controller at Warner Chilcott, a global, commercial specialty pharmaceuticals company, from May 2005 to February 2014 (upon acquisition by Allergan). At Warner Chilcott, he was responsible for accounting, audit, global financial operations and long-range planning, treasury, and corporate strategy/M&A.

Having started his career in public accounting, John held roles of increasing responsibility in accounting and FP&A in industry. John earned a Bachelor of Accounting degree from The College of New Jersey and a Master of Business Administration with honors in finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest New Jersey (non-profit).

Andrew Hooker, PhD

SVP, Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls (CMC) and Supply Chain

Dr Andy Hooker joined Immunocore in 2018, and is SVP of Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls (CMC) and Supply Chain. He has global responsibility for analytical, formulation, stability, bioprocess development, GMP biomanufacturing, and supply chain for Immunocore, supporting both clinical development and commercial life cycle programs.

Andy has more than 25 years of CMC leadership experience, having held a number of senior CMC positions with various pharmaceutical companies, including Ipsen Bioinnovation, and UCB, where he successfully supported the CMC regulatory commercial approval of Cimzia, in both the US and EU, for the treatment of Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Andy was also previously a CMC group leader with Pfizer R&D in the UK, supporting the progression of oncology monoclonal antibody candidates through early clinical development. He has also held the position of Head of Analytical Services with the proteomics company Oxford GlycoSciences. Andy has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Kent and a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of East Anglia.

Elizabeth Jobes

VP, Compliance

Elizabeth Jobes is Chief Compliance Officer at Immunocore, having joined in January 2024. Most recently, Elizabeth worked at Amryt Pharmaceuticals, which was sold in 2023. She has also had compliance officer roles at EMD Serono, Spark Therapeutics, Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Adolor Inc. and Cephalon Inc.

Elizabeth is a non-executive board member of Eyam Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics, Ampio Pharmaceuticals and Blue Foundry Bank. Elizabeth obtained her JD from Rutgers Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service and International Politics from Pennsylvania State University, State College PA.

Stephen Megit, PhD

VP, Business Development

Stephen began his career at Immunocore in 2007, where he has since delivered partnerships with Genentech, GSK, MedImmune and Eli Lilly. He received his doctorate degree from the University of Cardiff.

Mark Moyer

SVP, Regulatory Sciences

Mark joined Immunocore in 2018 to lead the regulatory affairs function. Prior to Immunocore, Mark was Vice President, Global Regulatory Sciences – Oncology at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he led regulatory approval for oncology projects, including Opdivo, Empliciti, Yervoy and Sprycel. Before joining BMS, Mark spent 22 years at Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals where he oversaw the U.S. regulatory development group of 70 professionals for all therapeutic areas. Mark earned his Master of Science degree in Immunology and Biochemistry from SUNY Medical School and his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Chemistry from Houghton College. 

Debra Nielsen

VP, Chief of Staff

Deb joined Immunocore in 2019. She was previously Head, Executive Communications at MedImmune, the global biopharmaceutical R&D unit of AstraZeneca, which she joined in 2008. Prior to that, Deb established the executive communications and issues management function at CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association that offers a comprehensive portfolio of health insurance products in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. Deb received her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.

Scott Pagendarm

VP, Portfolio & Program Management

Scott joined Immunocore in 2022 as VP, Portfolio & Program Management. Scott's previous roles include positions at Macrogenics, MedImmune and AstraZeneca, with responsibilities in commercial, business development, finance, and business operations, before specializing in Program and Portfolio Management. Scott has led programs and teams of different sizes and scopes, from early research through clinical development, licensing, alliances and portfolio management.

Koustubh Ranade, PhD

SVP, Translational Medicine

Koustubh joined Immunocore in 2019 as Head of Translational Medicine. He was most recently Vice President of Translational Medicine at MedImmune for all therapeutic areas, where he contributed to four product approvals, including durvalumab. With over three decades of research experience at Genentech, BMS, Stanford and the National Institutes of Health, Koustubh is a co-inventor on many patents, has published extensively in top-tier journals and has edited a book on the application of genomics to drug development. Koustubh received his PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Clayton Robertson

Head of Investor Relations

Clayton joined Immunocore in 2021. Most recently, he served as Director of Investor Relations at Actinium Pharmaceuticals and PureTech Health. Prior to that, he led the investor relations efforts at Achillion Pharmaceuticals. He began his career in biotech investor relations and capital markets at The Trout Group, a premier life sciences advisory firm. Clayton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

JoAnn Suzich, PhD

SVP, Research

JoAnn joined Immunocore in April 2020 after more than 30 years at MedImmune/AstraZeneca, where she most recently was Head of Microbial Sciences. Prior to that role, JoAnn led the Research function at MedImmune. Long considered one of the world’s leading infectious disease experts, JoAnn was responsible for critical studies that led to the development of the human papilloma virus vaccine for preventing cervical cancer. She also led the research and early development of nirsevimab, a monoclonal antibody for the prevention of serious lower respiratory disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants.

JoAnn serves on the Board of Trustees of the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Susquehanna University. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from Purdue University and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biochemistry at the University of Minnesota.

John Trainer

SVP, Chief Operating Officer

John Trainer joined Immunocore in 2023. Previously, he was the Chief Financial Officer at NexImmune (NEXI), where he was responsible for ex-R&D company operations. Prior to that, John was in various positions of senior leadership in the transactional, financial, and commercial organizations at AstraZeneca and its R&D subsidiary, MedImmune. John has an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Harvard College.

Annelise Vuidepot, PhD

SVP, Chief Technology Officer, Research and UK Site Lead

Annelise joined Immunocore when it was founded (as Avidex) in 2000 and has played a lead role in the design and engineering of the ImmTAX platform, pioneering a novel class of TCR based therapeutics.

She is currently leading Immunocore’s drug discovery pipeline and research to expand the ImmTAX technology further. She is also Immunocore’s UK Site Head.

Before joining Immunocore, Annelise was a postdoctoral researcher in the Biochemistry department at University College London. She gained her master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Paris and her PhD in Biophysics from the École Polytechnique in Saclay, France.