Suefen Kwa

Suefen Kwa, PhD MBA has extensive experience in business development and leadership roles within the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Starting in 2006, Suefen worked as a Research Fellow at Emory University, where they led the early-stage development of vaccines and vaccine-drug/biologic combinations. Suefen managed preclinical proof of concept studies and consortia activities, which resulted in the progression of two vaccines to clinical trials.

In 2012, Suefen joined GeoVax, Inc. as the Assistant Director of HIV Vaccine Development. In this role, they led the company's HIV therapeutic vaccine program and established strategic alliances with industry-leading labs and government organizations. Suefen was also a recipient of SBIR funding during their time at GeoVax.

In 2013, Suefen briefly worked at Medtronic in a marketing role focused on diabetes.

In 2014, Suefen joined ViiV Healthcare | GSK as part of the business development team. Suefen played a key role in supporting early or clinical stage asset due diligence, negotiation and contracting of licensing opportunities, research collaborations, and commercial-partnering transactions. Suefen's efforts led to significant accomplishments, including the establishment of various partnerships and the purchase of a billion-dollar HIV pipeline.

Suefen then moved to GSK in 2017, initially as a Director of Business Development in the Oncology division before being promoted to Senior Director in 2022.

Most recently, Suefen joined Zai Lab in 2023 as the Vice President of Oncology Business Development, further expanding their expertise in the field.

Throughout their career, Suefen has demonstrated a strong ability to drive strategic collaborations, negotiate successful deals, and advance innovative healthcare products.

Suefen Kwa, PhD MBA, obtained a Bachelor of Science degree with an ARCS designation in Biology from Imperial College London. Suefen then pursued a PhD in Immunology at UCL. Suefen also completed an MBA program at Emory University - Goizueta Business School.