Management Team

Julianne Smith

Chief Development Officer

Julianne Smith is Chief Development Officer of Genespire. She has over 30 years of experience in scientific research, with 18 of those working in the biotech industry. She joins Genespire from Nasdaq listed Cellectis S.A., a global leader in gene editing and allogeneic CAR-T cells, where she held various senior roles, managing research teams responsible for the development of allogenic CAR T-cell products, working on product portfolio prioritization and shaping development strategies. While at Cellectis, Julianne also established and led the translational sciences department and interacted with regulatory authorities in both the US and Europe. Julianne holds a PhD in Genetics and Development from Columbia University and pursued her academic career as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Institut Curie in Paris.

Karen Aiach-Pignet

Chief Executive Officer

Karen Aiach-Pignet joined Genespire as Chief Executive Officer in September 2024. She has an outstanding track-record in gene therapy applied to genetic neurodegenerative diseases having founded and led Lysogene, a global leader in the field. During her tenure, she pioneered the development of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector for patients with the rare neurodegenerative condition Sanfilippo Type A, initiated and executed an international Phase 3 gene therapy clinical trial, developed a gene therapy product portfolio and raised funds via partnering deals and by listing the Company on the Euronext Stock Exchange.

She is a founding executive member of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium, was a member of the Paediatric Committee at the European Medicines Agency and served on the Ethical Review Board at Ambroise Paré Hospital. She has supported several not-for-profit organizations engaged in advocacy and research in the field of rare diseases. Acknowledgements of Karen’s work include the Ordre National du Merite, a French order of merit with membership awarded by the French President.

Karen recently studied Digital Health at Harvard Business School, is a graduate from the ESSEC Business School and majored in Economics at the Institut d’Études Européennes of University Paris 8.

Dr. Smaragda Angelidou

Head of CMC

Smaragda Angelidou is the Head of CMC of Genespire. She is a CMC subject matter expert with extensive industry experience in cell and gene therapies, from early phase development through to commercialisation. She joined Genespire from Autolus, a clinical stage autologous CAR T-cell therapy company, where she was the Senior Director of CMC projects and Tech Transfer. Prior to Autolus, she worked at GlaxoSmithKline, where she held positions in Cell and Gene Therapy Product Development and Medicine and Process Delivery. She was accountable for the strategic, technical, quality and regulatory aspects of CMC development and previously she was a process development technical lead. In her roles, she worked on a number of CGT programs, including autologous TCR T-cell therapies for cancer and ex vivo HSPC gene therapies for rare diseases, which included Strimvelis, the first approved ex vivo autologous gene therapy. Smaragda holds a BSc in Human Genetics and an MSc in Molecular Medicine from University College, London and a PhD in Molecular Oncology from Imperial College, London.