UK RAPID COVID TEST FIRM ANNOUNCES NEW CEO
Iceni Diagnostics, the UK-based diagnostics firm behind a rapid Covid test that can identify infectious patients within 15 minutes, today announces the appointment of its new Chief Executive, Mahesh Shah.
Mahesh joins the company with over four decades of experience across the medtech and diagnostics sectors, including ten years at Cambridge University spin-out diagnostics company ProteinLogic, most recently as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive. Mahesh originally trained in pharmacy, and co-founded a family pharmacy business in 1981, before spending over 15 years at pharmaceutical sales company Nucare plc. He worked across licensing, business development and mergers before becoming Chief Executive Officer in 2002. In this role he gained extensive experience raising private capital, and launching partnerships in the US.
Iceni recently announced £2 million of committed investment for 2021, and Mahesh will play a leading role in deploying this capital as Iceni continues to develop and market innovative new diagnostic products to fight infectious diseases. He will report to the Board through Chairman Dr Berwyn Clarke.
Following Mahesh’s appointment, current Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Rob Field will take on the role of Chief Scientific Officer, focusing on technological development and new partnerships. Rob, who is also Director of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, has worked in carbohydrate chemistry for over 30 years and designed Iceni’s rapid lateral flow test for Covid-19 that the company announced last year.
Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Shah said: “I’m delighted to join Iceni Diagnostics at such a pivotal moment for the industry. I have been involved in diagnostics for over forty years and this is a unique, challenging time for the entire ecosystem. I look forward to working with the team to further develop Iceni’s unique solutions and deliver them to the public to improve lives.”
Dr Berwyn Clarke, Chairman of Iceni Diagnostics, said: “I first worked with Mahesh in 2012 at ProteinLogic, and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with him again. His breadth and depth of experience meant his appointment was perfect for us, and I’m confident he will be a great fit as we continue to work on diagnostic solutions to significant challenges, including Covid-19.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Iceni Diagnostics is a Norwich-based company pioneering the study of sugars in the body and their application to clinical disease.
Iceni’s rapid duplex test, which can determine whether an individual with Covid-19 is infectious, is currently undergoing trials in the UK including at Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital Laboratories, and discussions are ongoing with Public Health England.
The Company is in discussion with a variety of commercial end-users in both the UK and the US, with production underway at UK and US manufacturers. It is also working with partners in the US to bring its rapid Covid test to the US market which has been seeing more than 200,000 new cases a day.
