Mark Buzza

Experience

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  Servier

  Mar 2002 - Oct 2004

  Clinical Research Associate

  After I completed my PhD, I worked at Servier (a large privately held Pharmaceutical company) as a Clinical Research Associate where I was responsible for managing up to 5 Phase III clinical trials at 25 hospital research centers in Australia and NZ across a range of therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, endocrinology and central nervous system.

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  Virax Holdings Limited

  Oct 2004 - Jan 2008

  Development Manager

  Between 2004-2008 I worked at the publicly-listed Biotechnology company, Virax Holdings Ltd, where I was Development Manager. In this role I was responsible for drug development/product commercialisation and project management of an entire immunotherapeutic vaccine non-clinical and clinical pipeline globally (South Africa, USA, Europe and Australia). During my time at Virax, the company moved its lead HIV vaccine from the end of phase I, through large scale vaccine scale-up and validation, CMC, toxicology, dossier submissions with the TGA, US FDA, South African, French and Germany authorities and ethics approvals in order to commence a phase II trial in these countries. Show less

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  Executive Compass

  Mar 2008 - Sept 2008

  Management Consultant (Contract)

  After I completed my MBA and prior to joining the Blood Service, I worked as a Management Consultant at a boutique consulting firm, Executive Compass, on a strategic project for a major global chemical company. In this role I was part of a team developing new market opportunities to ensure sustained long-term operating efficiencies and future revenue growth. Apart from project managing all deliverables, a key aspect of this role was to establish a new vertical business development channel to consolidate the client’s product and service offering to a new industry and develop a tailored value proposition (rather than a fragmented horizontal traditional approach). This role included market intelligence, value chain definition and development, competitor analysis, M&A target analysis, business model generation, development of novel and tailored business development channels and strategies, project management, strategy development and implementation. Show less

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  Australian Red Cross Lifeblood

  Oct 2008 - Jan 2011

  Program Manager - Plasma Strategy

  As the Program Manager – Plasma Strategy within the Operations Division at the Australian Red Cross Blood Service, I was responsible for creating and implementing a large scale, multi-functional/cross-Business Unit strategic initiative for the Blood Service Executive Leadership Team. This Program focused on strategy development and alignment, and the implementation of business process improvement and change management initiatives in order to address Board-level organizational risks and ensure long term plasma growth to meet future patient demand. In this role I developed the program framework from scratch and developed and delivered nine projects across a range of cross-functional teams across all of the Blood Service divisions to specifically address the key strategic questions of the program. In this role I was responsible for establishing the program’s vision/mission and high level objectives and aligning these to corporate objectives, establishing the program’s Governance structures, business case development to secure program funding, overseeing risk mitigation and communications strategies, leading all personnel to deliver milestones on schedule and under budget, and program closure and generation and communication of benefits realization. The role worked closely with the Executive Leadership team as well as the Federal Government Department of Health and Aging and other key Authorities. Show less

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  Movember

  Feb 2011 - Jul 2020

  The Movember Foundation has raised over $930 million for men’s health initiatives since 2004 and has been listed in the top 100 NGOs in the world by the Global Journal based on Impact, Innovation, Accountability and Efficiency. In the role of Global Director I led the Movember Foundation's Prostate Cancer Biomedical Research investments, including the Global Action Plan (GAP), Men’s Health Partner (MHP) Programs and direct National investments. The Biomedical Research portfolio is a AUD$376 million program portfolio with over 620 projects in various stages of implementation across 21 countries.In this role I was responsible for setting and driving the vision for the portfolio, leading the Biomedical Research Team and for maximising outcomes from the program portfolio. I was also accountable for global biomedical research program performance and evaluation against the Movember Results Accountability Framework. As part of the role I oversaw the global landscape analysis process, strategy development and implementation, resource planing, IP management, Knowledge Translation and the financial management of the Program portfolio. Show less In this role, I was responsible for leading an international collaborative prostate and testicular cancer R&D Program (the Global Action Plan; GAP). This program is implemented across 15 countries and is underpinned by a portfolio of seven globally collaborative open-innovation style projects consisting of 12+ global R&D consortia and 20+ integrated cross-functional work streams. GAP is designed to foster synergies within the global prostate and testicular cancer research effort by ensuring researchers exchange and translate knowledge with the sole aim of accelerating outcomes for the benefit of patients worldwide. I headed up this Program and in doing so managed over 300 of the world’s preeminent urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, and clinical researchers as key stakeholders. I facilitated alliances with industry collaborators from the biotech, pharma and consulting arenas. I joined Movember in 2011 to design and implement a single $5 million project and grew the role to oversee a $35 million research portfolio with a team of project managers who report directly to me. As part of an expansion of my role I also oversaw the performance of the Foundation’s prostate cancer biomedical and translational research investments with Movember’s Men’s Health Partners to ensure accountability and maximize the prospects of those investments contributing to realizing Movember’s strategy. Show less

  • Global Director - Biomedical Research Programs

    Mar 2016 - Jul 2020

  • Program Director - Global Action Plan

    May 2015 - Mar 2016

  • Global Research Program Manager

    Feb 2011 - May 2015
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  HLTH Inc.

  Dec 2015 - now

  Advisor

  Dublin-based HealthXL is a matchmaking community that fosters communication and collaboration between major healthcare organisations, start-ups and experts in the digital health arena to solve diverse large-scale and system-wide healthcare challenges via innovative digital health solutions. My role as Advisor is to explore and foster collaboration opportunities on an ad hoc basis.

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  VCCC Alliance

  Jul 2020 - now

  I lead a team of dedicated professionals to develop, initiate, implement and evaluate the seven programs (31 projects) under the research portfolio within the VCCC Alliance 2021-2024 Strategic Program Plan. My role includes team leadership, government relations, research strategy and governance, stakeholder engagement, partnership development and fostering collaboration and collective impact across the VCCC Alliance and the oncology sector more broadly. My roles spans discovery, translational, clinical, and health services research as well as implementation science. Show less The VCCC is an Alliance of 10 leading research, academic and clinical organisations working together to transform cancer outcomes and patient care. Responsible for merging the clinical trials and research development portfolios established during the 2017-2020 Strategic Research Plan (SRP) in to the new Research portfolio of the VCCC Alliance 2021-2024 Strategic Program Plan (SPP). Leading a team to develop and initiate the 7 major programs of work under the research portfolio of the SPP. Show less

  • Head of Research

    Feb 2021 - now

  • Head, Clinical Research Programs

    Jul 2020 - Feb 2021