Sarah Braet is heading the CESPE steering committee. The CESPE manager is reporting to her. As Business Developer for the Drug Discovery research consortium at Ghent University and through the CRIG, GATE and CESPE platforms, she facilitates the translation of early-stage research into therapeutic and commercial outcomes. She serves as a strategic link between academic research groups and external stakeholders, including industry, investors, and clinical partners. Her work spans key domains such as Medicinal Chemistry, Biological Screening, Pharmacokinetics, Toxicology, Structural Biology, Molecular Medicine, Biomolecular Modelling & Design, Advanced Therapies, and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing.
Sarah’s expertise includes research and innovation management, technology transfer, regulatory strategy (including FDA submissions), CMO coordination, digital transformation, change management, and commercialisation support. She actively engages with pharma, biotech, and venture capital partners to accelerate the impact of oncology-focused research.
Holding two MSc degrees in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy, and certified as a Qualified Person (QP) by FAGG/AFMPS, Sarah brings extensive experience from Baxter/Baxalta/Shire/Takeda in manufacturing sciences, regulatory planning, and commercialisation. She previously served on Takeda’s GMAB advisory board to the CEO and executive team.
Sarah has both a very technical background (Master of Drug Development, Advanced Master in Industrial Pharmacy), and 12+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry to back it up. Her experience ranges from Manufacturing Science Specialist (pilot scale), to crisis management, CMO management, Tech Transfer management and Regulatory Submission strategy at Baxter/Baxalta/Shire/Takeda. After acquiring her company-sponsored executive MBA (Vlerick Business School), she moved to Los Angeles and took on the Head of Digital Transformation position. As a qualified person, she is responsible for translating innovative research in a quality-by-design manner towards tangible business outcomes and a patient-centric asset.