Our Team

Tom is an enterprise leader with deep knowledge and understanding of international agribusiness. He has held various leadership positions at Monsanto, Bayer, and Nutrien across a range of domains, including sales and marketing, technology development, supply chain operations, corporate strategy, and business transformation.

John has experience in strategy, finance, and continuous improvement. He has held roles at NZX, Goldman Sachs, JB Were, MediaWorks, Elevation Capital, and Spark.

George has 30 years of experience as a leader in agriculture, animal and human health, and FMCG. Formerly, he was the Marketing Manager for Farm Animal at Elanco and Bayer Animal Health, and also worked at Bayer Consumer, Colgate, and SC Johnson in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

Andrew has 20+ years of legal and commercial experience, including senior roles in both private practice and high-growth technology companies. He is admitted to practice law in New Zealand and New York, and holds a BCom (Operations Management) and LLB from the University of Auckland. At Ruminant Biotech, Andrew is responsible for supporting our fundraising efforts with corporate governance advice and drafting documentation, negotiating and drafting commercial agreements, ensuring regulatory compliance across our operating jurisdictions, and developing internal legal processes and capabilities to support our growth.

Bishal brings over a decade of experience in pharmaceutical research and product development. He previously worked at Argenta and has a deep understanding of the innovation behind drug delivery and formulation.

Chris has four years of research experience in polymer chemistry at the University of Auckland, studying topics ranging from gel-based 4D printing to self-assembling nanoparticles. He brings expertise in design and development of polymer materials, as well as synthesis and characterization.

Nirupama has a background in engineering and law, with over seven years of experience in the patent and intellectual property space. As a registered patent and trade marks attorney, she specializes in protecting innovations and strategic IP management. At RBT, she works alongside the Head of IP to develop and execute RBT’s intellectual property protection strategy.

David has over 30 years of experience in chemical product development and innovation. He is committed to technological progress and thrives on the challenge of taking new ideas from concept to commercialization, for which he has a proven track record.

Craig is a veterinarian with 24 years’ experience in New Product Development and Regulatory Affairs. He has worked in startup companies (Slow Release Implants), ran his own Veterinary Regulatory Affairs consultancy business and worked with major Animal Health Companies (Novartis Animal Health, Elanco Animal Health and MSD Animal Health). Craig has led the regulatory approval of over 20 new products in Australia and New Zealand. He worked in a Global Animal Health role for several years leading the Regulatory Strategy in companion animal therapeutics. Additionally, he has served on Animal Ethics Committees and worked in Pharmacovigilance.

Carolina is a veterinarian and has a background in ‘One Health’, with experience in animal health & biotech companies. Her expertise includes animal research, project management, and the development of scientific materials. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from Brazil and a Master’s degree in Animal Science. She joined Ruminant Biotech as a Research Manager, where she collaborates with the team to coordinate clinical trials and animal studies.

Verity ensures the smooth delivery of grant-funded and RBT projects by managing compliance, timelines, and reporting requirements. She coordinates stakeholders, monitors progress, and maintains accountability throughout the project with a detail-oriented and collaborative approach.

Sophia is a Research Scientist with a background in physiology, having completed a PhD in Veterinary Science (Physiology) at Massey University. She has over 7 years of experience in both clinical and veterinary research, with a strong understanding of GCP and GLP project and trial management, product development, risk management and physiological research.

Catherine has over 10 years of experience in analytical chemistry within the food and pharmaceutical industries. Throughout her career, she gained diverse experience working in both manufacturing and commercial laboratories across multiple countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand. She began her career as a technician and has since advanced to the role of Scientific Analyst, sharing her time between operational and technical role in a chemistry lab setting. With this rounded background, she brings innovation and creativity to the R&D team at Ruminant Biotech.

Ash brings a unique blend of hands-on farming experience and a strong foundation in research science to her role at Ruminant Biotech. Since joining the team, she has quickly made an impact, driving progress on key projects such as our Lactating Safety Study and Dose Confirmation studies, which involved intensive daily sampling.

As Research Operations Manager, Ash is responsible for field data collection, sample management, and implementing operational improvements within the field office and its systems. She also oversees the maintenance and care of Greenfeed machines, ensuring smooth operations for ongoing research. Based at the Te Rapa field office, Ash plays a vital role in bridging practical expertise with scientific rigor.

Llew has 25 years of experience in supply chain, across multiple industries. He holds qualifications in Supply Chain/ Operations Management as well as Molecular Biology. 

Llew has held leadership roles at Fletcher Building, Australian Pharmaceutical Industries, Flextronics International, and others in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.

Jieun holds a BSc in Chemistry with experience in analytical chemistry laboratory and in large-scale inventory management. She demonstrates strong attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high-quality standards. Her responsibilities include daily product testing for different studies, laboratory inventory management, and documentation related to laboratory operations.

Ian has broad experience in business development, market entry, and fundraising across a variety of geographies. Previously, he was coordinating initiatives to bring enteric methane solutions to market in the United States and Canada.

Erica has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and agriculture fields, specialising in analytical method development, validation, and product specification. She has extensive knowledge of product characterisation, cGMP, and ICH guidelines. She holds a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Auckland.