The leaders branching across the ASX healthcare family tree

The ASX healthcare family tree keeps branching out, often with the same names attached. Pic: Getty Images

Management and board members of ASX healthcare companies often hold multiple positions across the sector
ResApp, sold to Pfizer in 2022 for ~$179 million, has left a trail of leaders now involved in multiple ASX healthcare companies
Leaders say experience gained from each role strengthens other roles, with a willingness to share expertise a strength of the sector

 

Leadership in the ASX healthcare sector reads much like a family tree, with interconnected branches that keep crossing over.

Founders often become executives, then directors and investors, with the same names reappearing in boardrooms and on share registries.

It’s less a coincidence than a feature of a small but experienced ecosystem, where people who have been through the rigours of product development, clinical trials and regulatory approval are in demand and happy to share what they know.

And while they may collect remuneration for their services, many directors and leaders have skin in the game. They often put their own money into the companies they’re involved in, aligning their interests with shareholders and sitting alongside them when the share price moves in either direction.

 

Roots of the family tree in ResApp

Leaders behind ResApp Health, which developed a respiratory diagnostics app and left the Aussie bourse in 2022 after being acquired by global healthcare giant Pfizer in a ~$179 million deal, are now supporting other ASX healthcare companies.

ResApp co-founder and CEO Tony Keating has become an executive director of TrivarX (ASX:TRI), which is focused on developing medical imaging technologies for central nervous system (CNS) oncology applications.

Keating is also an executive director of Ceretas (ASX:CTS), which listed on the ASX in July and is developing a portable, non-invasive therapeutic ultrasound platform to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

“Australia has a strong pipeline of innovative healthcare technologies, but translating that innovation into a commercially successful business requires a very different set of skills and experience,”  he told Stockhead.

“Having been involved in building ResApp through to its acquisition by Pfizer, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of bringing together the right people, capital and commercial strategy to support a company’s development.

“What attracts me to companies like CTS and TRI is the opportunity to apply that experience to emerging technologies with significant clinical and commercial potential.

“There is a considerable amount of expertise within Australia’s healthcare sector, and I think the willingness of experienced executives and directors to support the next generation of companies is a real strength of the industry,” he said.

 

Other ResApp alumni share experience

Keating has reunited with founding director of ResApp Chris Ntoumenopoulos, who is also on the board of TRI as a non-executive director.

Ntoumenopoulos also serves as an executive director of IV-infused psilocin therapy developer Entropy Neurodynamics (ASX:ENP).

He is also a non-executive director of antiviral drug developer Island Pharmaceuticals (ASX:ILA).

And let’s not forget another ResApp co-founder, Brian Leedman. He has co-founded and served on the board of multiple ASX healthcare companies and is currently non-executive chairman of Blinklab (ASX:BB1), which is developing a smartphone-based app designed to support clinicians in diagnosing neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism.

 

The Tillett branch of the family tree

Australian biotech entrepreneur Dr Daniel Tillett is the connector on the next branch of the ASX healthcare family tree.

Tillett holds a UNSW PhD in molecular genetics and biochemistry and worked as an academic.

He founded Nucleics, producing and selling world-leading DNA sequencing software to the genomics industry.

He is CEO and managing director of Racura Oncology (ASX:RAC), where Ntoumenopoulos was also a founding director.

He is also a non-executive director of ENP after becoming a cornerstone investor, a significant shareholder in ILA, and a scientific advisor and substantial shareholder in TRI.

Nucleics developed the radiation-free imaging Stabl-Im technology that TRI acquired in November 2025 and is now developing for CNS oncology applications.

Tillett told Stockhead there was more cross-fertilisation between ASX healthcare companies than most investors realise.

“Australia’s healthcare sector is small, and you keep running into the same people – as directors, investors, advisors and sometimes as competitors for the same pool of capital,” he said.

“Whether you’re developing a cancer drug, a psychedelic therapy or an imaging technology, the challenges are remarkably similar, including raising capital in a tough market, designing trials that will satisfy regulators, securing manufacturing and finding the right path to market or partnership.

“When someone around the board table has already worked through a problem at another company, you don’t have to learn it the hard way.

“Those lessons travel quickly across the sector, and everyone benefits.”

Adding to the experience around TRI, newly appointed CEO Dr Danielle Meyrick has worked across private and public healthcare companies, including senior leadership roles at Telix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:TLX), ITM Isotopes and GenesisCare.

“I am delighted to apply the clinical, drug development and commercial experience I’ve acquired across international biotechs to the TrivarX platform,”  Meyrick told Stockhead.

“It’s a privilege to work alongside an ASX-seasoned board and network, all of whom bring a strong track record of highly relevant success to the extended team.”

 

Entropy CEO is Island chairman

CEO and managing director of ENP Jason Carroll is also part of this family branch. He is non-executive chairman of ILA, meaning he shares a boardroom with both Ntoumenopoulos and Tillett at each company.

Carroll told Stockhead the Australian biotech sector was relatively small, so it was natural that experienced executives, directors and investors are involved across multiple companies.

“I see that as a positive, particularly when you consider the complexities of developing new therapies and navigating clinical, regulatory and commercial pathways,” he said.

Carroll said experience gained from working across different companies and therapeutic areas can be incredibly valuable.

“It allows you to draw on lessons learned, build stronger industry relationships and make more informed decisions as you work towards bringing new treatments to market,” he said.

“Through my roles at Entropy Neurodynamics and Island Pharmaceuticals, I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside people who bring different backgrounds, expertise and perspectives to the table.”

 

 

 

The Trimboli connection

TRI chairman David Trimboli’s route into ASX healthcare was less direct. Trimboli is a seasoned investor and a former senior coal trader at Glencore (ASX:GLC), the global commodities giant.

He founded Seefeld Investments, with interests across commodities, industrial minerals, real estate and technology.

He was a seed investor in hearing technology company Audeara (ASX:AUA) in 2015 and is now chairman of the board.

Trimboli’s roles continue to stretch beyond healthcare, including as chairman of Aurora Labs (ASX:A3D), which develops additive manufacturing technology for defence, aerospace and industrial applications.

He is also a non-executive director of graphite explorer Quantum Graphite (ASX:QGL).

Trimboli told Stockhead the healthcare sector provided him the opportunity to support innovative technologies with potential to address significant unmet needs, while creating long-term commercial value.

“My background spans a range of industries, including resources, technology and healthcare, and while each sector has its own challenges, many of the fundamentals of building a successful business remain the same,” he said.

“Having the right management team, a clear commercial strategy and disciplined capital allocation are critical.

“Biotechnology is a particularly interesting sector because of the complexity and timeframes involved in bringing new technologies to market.

“I think experience gained across different industries can bring a valuable perspective to these businesses, particularly when it comes to financing, managing risk and positioning companies for sustainable growth.”

 

The Webster branch of the family tree

Experienced biotech leader Dr Nina Webster also has multiple roles. Webster is the CEO and managing director of Dimerix (ASX:DXB), which is undertaking the ACTION3 phase III trial of lead drug DMX-200 to treat rare kidney disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).

She is also the non-executive chair of SYNthesis BioVentures, which manages a fund focused on early-stage therapeutics, investing in projects from discovery through to preclinical proof of concept and IND-enabling studies.

In September 2025 Webster joined the board of Imagion Biosystems (ASX:IBX) as a non-executive director.

IBX’s MagSense non-radioactive MRI imaging agent aimed at detecting HER2-positive breast cancer recently received key ethics approval for a phase Ib/II trial.

Webster told Stockhead the combination gives her more than one way to look at a decision.

“Being both a company leader and a board member has given me the ability to view decisions through multiple lenses,” Webster said.

“As CEO and Managing Director of Dimerix, I’m focused on execution, growth, delivering outcomes and value creation.

“As chair of Synthesis BioVentures and a non-executive director of Imagion Biosystems, my focus shifts to governance, strategy as well as the long-term value creation.

“The experience gained from each role strengthens the other.”

The ASX healthcare family tree reaches well beyond the companies and people mentioned, continuing to branch and grow.

 

 

 

The views, information, or opinions expressed in the interview in this article are solely those of the interviewee and do not represent the views of Stockhead.

Stockhead has not provided, endorsed or otherwise assumed responsibility for any financial product advice contained in this article.

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While TrivarX, Entropy Neurodynamics, Island Pharmaceuticals, Audeara, Aurora Labs, Dimerix and Imagion Biosystems are Stockhead advertisers, the companies did not sponsor this article.