BC Platforms Appoints Board Member Karen Tay Koh to Accelerate Asia Growth
2nd March 2020 - Zurich, Switzerland and Boston, US - BC Platforms, a world leader in providing powerful genomic data management and analysis solutions, today announced the appointment of Karen Tay Koh to its Board. Singapore-based Karen, who has extensive experience and networks in finance, healthcare and education, will work closely with the company’s recently established Singapore-based entity to support the Company’s activities in the Asia Pacific region, including China.
BC Platforms’ Asia strategy includes a strong precision medicine focus both in healthcare delivery, as well as in genomics-related research. Genomics is becoming a mainstream solution for improved clinical decision-making. In parallel, BC Platforms’ goal is to provide the genomic IT infrastructure to build cohort studies, representing Asia’s rich multi-ethnicity that is of interest from a medical perspective. To this end, partnering with key institutions in the local ecosystem across the region is essential in establishing world-leading genomic data management and interpretation infrastructure.
Karen Tay Koh has long been driven to positively impact human healthcare, from managing hospitals, to setting up medical schools, and advising on healthcare deals. She has served as a C-level executive and Board Director in both private and public companies and organisations in the US, Denmark and Asia. She has deep expertise in executing business-building entrepreneurial initiatives across companies in various stages in their life cycle, from start-ups to dominant industry incumbents.
Karen commented: ‘It’s fascinating to see how the future of healthcare is racing towards precision medicine. To make that future a reality, where people can benefit daily from the advances genomics brings, will require significant access and operational expertise to deliver seamless services. Together with BC Platforms, and its pioneering analytics platform supporting more effective clinical decision-making, we relish the opportunity to help transform clinical practice in healthcare.’
Tero Silvola, CEO of BC Platforms commented: ‘We are delighted to welcome Karen to the team. Her impressive diversity of board experience, and breadth of operational experience, plus her extensive local relationships will be a tremendous asset in supporting our Asian efforts in the rapidly growing precision medicine market.’
About BC Platforms
BC Platforms is a world leader in providing powerful genomic data management and analysis solutions. Our high performing genomic data management platform enables flexible data integration, secure analysis and interpretation of molecular and clinical information. The company has helped launched and opened a global network of biobanks, on the module known as BCRQUEST.COM, to provide genomic and clinical cohort data for pharmaceutical and medical research and development. BC Platforms’ vision is to build the world’s leading analytics platform for healthcare and industry by 2020, providing access to diverse genomic and clinical data and samples from more than 5 million subjects, consolidated from a global network of biobanks.
Founded in 1997 from an MIT Whitehead project spinoff, the Company has a strong scientific heritage underpinned by over 20 years of working in close collaboration with a network of leading researchers, developers, manufacturers and vendors. BC Platforms has global operations with its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, research and development in Espoo, Finland, and sales and marketing in London, Boston, Vancouver. The new entity in Singapore will, in addition to sales and marketing functions, create a second research and training hub for Asia. For more information, please visit www.bcplatforms.com or follow us on Twitter @BCPlatforms.
About Karen Tay Koh
Karen possesses diverse international board experience, including Singapore’s Banyan Tree Holdings (a global hospitality SGX-listed company), the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation, Denmark’s Falck (active in ambulance & emergency), Northeastern University USA, Singapore EDB Investments, and The Red Pencil, a global charity that promotes arts therapy. Karen has supervised, led, and advised organisations spanning finance, healthcare, education, and private equity. She has deep expertise in executing business-building entrepreneurial initiatives across companies, from start-ups to dominant industry incumbents.
Karen started her career at the Singapore Ministry of Finance, where her portfolio covered fiscal and taxation policy, corporate and financial regulation, as well as international and multilateral finance policy in relation to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Her career then pivoted into healthcare, where she concurrently held Deputy CEO positions at SingHealth and Singapore General Hospital. She has headed advisory work for clients and worked at prestigious hospitals across Asia, including ones in Bangkok, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon.
Hospitals work hand in glove with medical schools, and Karen was instrumental in the teams setting up two in Singapore: Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and LKC Medical School at Nanyang Technological University. Following her hands-on experience in healthcare and education, Karen moved into private equity and was CEO / Executive Director at IP Investment Management Pte Ltd, an MAS-regulated alternative real estate fund manager. She is currently Senior Advisor to TVM Capital Healthcare Partners.
Karen has a BA (Hons) in Economics, from the University of Cambridge and an MPA / International Tax
Program (Certificate) from Harvard University.
