Vanessa Almendro is an accomplished strategy executive with over 15 years of experience in various business functions, including basic research, drug development, clinical strategy, cross-functional initiatives, and more. She is passionate about shaping corporate strategy to optimize value for patients and shareholders, and has demonstrated leadership in a broad spectrum of common and rare disease areas. Vanessa is also a versatile and flexible team player who has received recognition for her ability to inspire team members, communicate clear strategy, define vision, goals, and objectives, track progress, and achieve positive results. Vanessa's broad therapeutic experience includes oncology, neurology, diabetes, and pain, and she has a consistent record of scientific achievement, publications in high-impact journals, presentations at scientific meetings, and the prosecution of intellectual property.

Vanessa has a Bachelor's degree in Biology from the University of Barcelona, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology from the same institution, and post-doctoral training from Harvard Medical School. She also earned an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Vanessa is currently a MassCONNECT Mentor at MassBio and has previously held leadership positions at Eisai US, National Brain Tumor Society, Cogen Therapeutics, Inc., and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. She has also served as a visiting scientist and research fellow at Harvard University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, respectively.