Meeting 1: 3:45PM - 4:00PM
Meeting 2: 4:00PM - 4:15PM
Meeting 1: 1:20PM - 1:40PM
Meeting 2: 1:40PM - 2:00PM
Meeting 1: 10:40AM - 11:00AM
Meeting 2: 11:05AM - 11:25PM
Peter Schedereit
Case Handler, DG Competition Unit E.1
European Commission
Due to be implemented across Member States by December 2026, the new EU Product Liability Directive (PLD) introduces a fundamental shift in life sciences legal risk, marked by potential reversals of the burden of proof onto defendants, expanded disclosure obligations and new limitation periods of up to 25 years. When coupled with other EU developments, including the growth of third-party litigation funding, these changes are expected to increase exposure to class actions and multiparty litigation, drive higher insurance costs and make the defence of product liability claims materially more complex for life sciences companies. This session will examine the key changes under the EU PLD and explore their implications for life sciences companies operating across Europe.
Simon Neill
Assistant General Counsel
Johnson & Johnson
Zoe Kimberley
Area Counsel, Europe
AbbVie
Zoe is a Life Sciences law specialist with over 20 years’ experience in private practice and industry. She is the Area Counsel for Europe. Before this Zoe was the Legal Director for AbbVie UK & Ireland and then led the AbbVie legal team in Europe South and Central Eastern Europe. Zoe is a litigator by background and has specialized in product liability and representative/class actions since qualification in London with DAC Beachcroft.
Zoe joined AbbVie (then Abbott) in 2011 after 5 years at Clayton Utz in Sydney. Here she specialized in product liability litigation, class actions and pharma regulatory law. In Australia, Zoe worked on numerous high-profile matters including the VIOXX litigation for Merck/MSD.
Zoe holds an LLB from University College London. She is admitted to practice in England & Wales and New South Wales, Australia.
Wouter Mooij
Dutch & European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative
De Vries & Metman
Wouter Mooij is Head of Chemistry & Life Sciences at De Vries & Metman. He oversees the prosecution of patent portfolios covering small molecule therapeutics, drawing on his background in medicinal chemistry and his extensive experience in patent litigation. His clients range from early‑stage spin‑outs to global pharmaceutical companies. Wouter brings a practical, strategic perspective to this panel on AI‑discovered therapeutics.
Bryan Goodman
Executive Director, AI
Ford
Bryan Goodman is the Executive Director of Artificial Intelligence in Ford’s data and analytics organization. He focuses on enabling the use of AI throughout Ford. This includes coordinating infrastructure, tools, and training, and developing advanced AI applications. He chairs Ford's AI technology and ethics council. He is an inventor on 13 US patents. Bryan received his PhD in physical chemistry and computational science and engineering from the University of Illinois.
Denise Keeler
Chief Growth Officer
OrangeTwist
Part I: Managing Career Progression, Establishing Influence and Leading Effective Teams in the Life Science Legal Sector
This quickfire presentation will examine how influence is built and exercised within life science legal functions, and how it shapes decision-making authority, career trajectory and team performance.
Part II: Building Strategic Influence as Women in Life Sciences Legal Leadership
This session will bring together senior in-house counsel and private practitioners for a candid discussion on career progression, leadership development and building influence within life science organisations. Participants will exchange practical perspectives on navigating leadership transitions, building internal visibility and positioning themselves for senior roles across the legal function. The session will be structured to encourage peer-to-peer discussion, allowing attendees to share experiences and practical strategies across IP, regulatory, competition and corporate legal disciplines.
Jamie Pearson
General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer
Shionogi Europe
Fleur Herrenschmidt
Chief Legal Officer
Norgine
Laila Beynon
Director, Dispute Resolution
Regeneron
Laila Beynon is Director, Dispute Resolution at Regeneron, responsible for the strategic co-ordination of ex-US patent litigation. She has a PhD in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, 10 years’ private practice experience in life sciences patent litigation at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP, and prior to her role at Regeneron headed up the Patent Litigation team at BAT.
Lena Moran-Adams
Group General Counsel
-
Veronika Hughes-Bednar
VP, Global Head of Legal Transactions
Astellas Pharma