Executive Officers & Board of Directors
James McCullough - Chief Executive Officer and Director
James McCullough has served as our co-founder and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Mr. McCullough has leadership experience building emerging technology companies in both the public and private sectors with specific expertise in the life-sciences industry. From 2008 to 2014, he served as chief executive officer of Exosome Diagnostics Inc., a venture backed personalized medicine company developing non-invasive liquid biopsy diagnostics in cancer that was acquired by Bio-Techne Corporation in 2018. Since 2014, Mr. McCullough has also served as a managing partner of Renwick Capital, LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in assisting emerging healthcare technology companies with strategic planning and business execution. He received his B.A. from Boston University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Fergus Fleming - Chief Technology Officer and Director
Fergus Fleming has served as Renalytix’s Chief Technical Officer since its inception. Fergus has over 25 years’ experience in the life sciences sector, including leadership positions with Baxter Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Trinity Biotech plc, and EKF Diagnostics. Fergus has extensive experience in the design and manufacture of interventional medical devices, digital health solutions, in vitro diagnostics instruments and reagents, and electromechanical devices. He has extensive experience managing global projects, including clinical research collaborations, product development, acquisitions, and manufacturing site transfers.
Howard Doran - President
Howard Doran was appointed President in April 2024 after previously serving as Chief Business Officer of Renalytix since September 1, 2023. Prior to joining Renalytix, Mr. Doran served as LipoScience, Inc's President and Chief Executive Officer until successful completion of LabCorp’s acquisition of the company in November 2014. Preceding LipoScience, Mr. Doran was President and Chief Operating Officer of Constitution Medical, Inc., an early-stage in vitro diagnostics company and developer of the Bloodhound Fully Integrated Hematology System, which was acquired by Roche Diagnostics, Inc. in July 2013. Prior to Constitution Medical, Mr. Doran was a member of the senior executive team of Hologic, Inc. and served as President of Hologic's Global Diagnostics business. Mr. Doran joined the senior management team of Hologic in 2007 at the time of Hologic's acquisition of Cytyc Corporation, where he had been serving as Senior Vice President and Business Unit Director of Cytyc’s $500 million in vitro diagnostics business. From 1997 through 2007, he was a key member of the management team of Cytyc Corporation during Cytyc’s dramatic growth, serving in a number of senior commercial roles of increasing responsibility including physician sales and marketing, managed care initiatives and laboratory sales and marketing. Mr. Doran holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Michael J. Donovan, Ph.D., M.D. - Chief Medical Officer
Michael J. Donovan, Ph.D., M.D. has served as our Chief Medical Officer since our inception. Since November 2011, Donovan has also served as a Professor of Experimental Pathology and Director of the Biorepository and Pathology core at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. In addition to an academic career at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr. Donovan has over 20 years’ experience in the biotechnology industry, serving in various senior management roles at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Incyte Pharmaceuticals. He most recently served as Chief Clinical Officer of Vigilant Biosciences, Inc., Chief Medical Officer of MetaStat, Inc. and Chief Medical Officer of Exosome Diagnostics, Inc. Dr. Donovan received a B.S. in Zoology, an M.S. in Endocrinology and a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Rutgers University. He received his M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Julian Baines - Executive Chairman
Erik Lium, Ph.D. - Non-Executive Director
Erik Lium, Ph.D. has served as a member of our board of directors since November 2018. Since March 2014, Dr. Lium has served in various roles at Mount Sinai, where he is currently the president of Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, and the executive vice president and chief commercial innovation officer of the Mount Sinai Health System. Dr. Lium represents Mount Sinai on several private company boards and previously served as a member of the investment review committee for the Accelerate NY Seed Fund. Dr. Lium also serves as chairman of the board of managers of Kantaro. Prior to joining Mount Sinai, Dr. Lium served as the assistant vice chancellor of Innovation, Technology & Alliances at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the UCSF principal investigator for the Bay Area National Science Foundation I-Corps node, and assistant vice chancellor of Research. Dr. Lium served as president of LabVelocity Inc. prior to its acquisition in 2004. He pursued postdoctoral research at UCSF in the laboratory of J. Michael Bishop, M.D., earned a Ph.D. from the Integrated Program in Cellular, Molecular and Biophysical Studies at Columbia University in the laboratory of Dr. Saul J. Silverstein, and holds a B.S. in Biology from Gonzaga University.
Robert Naylor - Non-Executive Director
Robert Naylor has 29 years' experience in capital markets, specialising in both the life sciences and investment companies sectors. Robert is currently CEO and Co-Founder of Intuitive Investments Group plc, a London Stock Exchange Specialist Funds Segment investment company providing investors with exposure to fast growing technology and life sciences businesses. Robert is also Non-Executive Director of NIOX Group PLC, a company dedicated to improving asthma diagnosis and management, and PRS REIT plc, a FTSE 250 closed-ended real estate investment company which invests in high-quality, new build, family homes in the private rented sector.
Previously, Robert was Chairman of Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited, a FTSE 250 company, which was subject to a recommended cash offer by a newly-formed company indirectly wholly-owned by investment funds advised by affiliates of Blackstone Inc. Robert was Chairman of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund Limited and oversaw its sale to a company directly owned by Alchemy Copyrights, LLC, trading as Concord. Earlier in his career Robert held various positions within JP Morgan Asset Management Limited, Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited and Cenkos Securities plc. Robert is a qualified chartered accountant, having started his career with Ernst & Young in 1996.
Christopher Mills - Non-Executive Director
Christopher Mills has served as a member of our board of directors since our inception. Mr. Mills founded Harwood Capital Management in 2011, a successor from its former parent company J.O. Hambro Capital Management, which he co-founded in 1993. He is chief executive officer and investment manager of North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc and chairman and chief executive officer of Harwood Capital Management Ltd. Mr. Mills currently serves on the board of a number of public companies, including EKF Diagnostics plc, Sureserve Group plc, Augean plc and MJ Gleeson plc. Mr. Mills received a B.A. in Business Studies from Guildhall University.
Catherine Coste - Non-Executive Director
Salim Hamir - Company Secretary
Salim Hamir is a Chartered Accountant with extensive leadership experience across public, private, and charitable organizations. He has held pivotal roles at companies such as EKF Diagnostics Holdings, Poolbeg Pharma, Renalytix, Verici Dx, and Trellus Health. As an accomplished CFO, Finance Director, and Company Secretary, Salim brings hands-on expertise in M&A, fundraising, public listings, EIS/VCT, taxation, IFRS reporting, spin-outs, investor relations, restructurings, and corporate governance. His operational involvement has been instrumental in driving the strategic growth and success of companies he has been involved.
Joel Jung - Interim Chief Financial Officer
Joel Jung was appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer in May 2024 and previously, Mr. Jung served as Chief Financial Officer at Minerva Surgical, Inc. from July 2020 to February 2024. Mr. Jung served as a financial consultant to several life sciences companies from October 2018 to July 2020. From October 2018 to June 2019, Mr. Jung held various positions at uBiome, Inc., including as Chief Financial Officer from March 2019 to June 2019. Prior to that, Mr. Jung served as the Chief Financial Officer for four companies including Counsyl, Inc. (acquired by Myriad Genetics, Inc.), Bionano Genomics, Inc., AgraQuest, Inc. (acquired by Bayer CropScience), and Celera Corporation. Mr. Jung holds a B.S. Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.