ABOUT THE
SHERPANIS
CAROLINE
POPPER
I help life science companies develop and commercialize new technology. To do so, I focus on tools and trends shaping all aspects of health care. I have more than 30 years of hands-on operating experience. But I did not set out to be a businessperson. Rather, I became a physician (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) and an internist and pathologist (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore). Most impactful, was my training in Health Policy and Health Economics at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
I have managed a wide spectrum of diagnostics, device and drug discovery businesses in both Fortune 500 and start-up settings, at amongst others, Becton Dickinson, bioMerieux, and MDS. I sit on several private and public company boards and am the co-founder and President of Popper and Company. Now, I am very excited to be a Sherpani by combining my clinical and business experience to help companies address opportunities in aging, mental health and women’s health. I help these clients interpret relevant market forces, develop strategies and create partnerships to thrive in the global changing health care landscape.
When I am not trying to “impact the healthcare world,” I am equally passionate about making an impact at home. I grew up in South Africa and have had the opportunity to travel all over the world. I love modern and tribal art, and sitting in coffee shops.
.png){kind=small}
WILKINSON
JULIE
I have over 3 decades of experience in bioanalytical and diagnostics industries in product research and development, manufacturing, business development, and commercialization. Throughout that time, I’ve been part of launching dozens of FDA approved diagnostic laboratory systems and reagents, point-of-care instruments and tests, and over-the-counter test kits. My experiences include 16+ years at Beckman Coulter in increasing product development roles for Immunology R&D and Director of Lab Operations where I was responsible for immune-based biomarker testing strategies and companion diagnostics for pharma, biotech, and biopharma partners. I’ve worked at Abbott as a Director of Product Development and at Personal Genome Diagnostics where I was a Senior Director of IVD Product Development. Also, I’ve served as VP of Biomarker Lab Services and was promoted to COO at ImmunoSite Technologies and VP R&D with Novel Microdevices, Inc.
Working for other companies wasn’t doing it for me, so I took the entrepreneurial leap and co-founded and grew a contract R&D company which had a successful exit. Being a business owner opened my eyes to the myriad of challenges faced by start-ups that are solvable if they are known in time. This led me to found a consulting and advisory company to help early entrepreneurs see the challenges ahead and map out an effective strategy to overcome and succeed. During the Covid pandemic I’ve been a strategic advisor and consultant with the $1B NIH RADx Tech initiative and have accelerated the rapid development and manufacture of many new Covid-19 diagnostic products coming out of academia, start-ups, small and large companies.
My career yardstick has always been science serving humanity, and as a Sherpani I continue to help companies succeed in taking innovative ideas to commercialization.
I received my MS in Molecular Biology and BS in Genetics from The Ohio State University.
.png){kind=small}
MARISSA
FAYER
I am a 20+ year medtech executive, innovator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. I am the CEO and founder of social enterprise HERHealthEQ, the president of advisory firm Fayer Consulting LLC, CEO at DeepLook Medical, Vice President of Operations at Ultrasound AI, and Partner at Goddess Gaia Ventures. My mission is to move innovation and the health of women forward throughout the world through the advancement of organizations and the communities in which they operate by increasing investment, building world-class organizations and healthcare systems, and enhancing partnerships.
I spent the first 15 years of my career working my way up through several great corporations such as Hologic, Olympus (formerly ACMI), Maquet-Getting (formerly Atrium Medical), Providien Medical, and Accumed Innovative Technologies. But after getting burnt out after living abroad for many years, I started a consulting firm where my clients include several Top 500 companies and innovative start-ups including Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Nuvasive, Lonza Precision Medicine, the National Institute of Health (NIH), Oerlikon Medical, Emit Imaging, and others. I also have further operating experience by serving on the boards of medtech companies Welwaze Medical and DeepLook Medical both focused on improving the diagnosis of breast cancer; and Ultrasound AI focused on predicting Preterm birth. I graduated from Boston University with a BS in Manufacturing Engineering and from University of Connecticut with an MBA.
My experience in women’s health, healthy aging, and global healthcare is deep and starts at Hologic, where among many things, I was on the launch and development team for the first 3D mammography system. I have grown the companies she worked for through several acquisitions and integrations, of which I managed operations and manufacturing in several global locations including Latin America and Asia. I facilitated successful acquisition integrations of manufacturing and supply chain that grew one company to over $2B and grew another business by $64M in one year. I decided that strategically advising companies on innovation acquisitions and growth within the women’s health industry, as that is my passion, with a specific focus on manufacturing and supply chain operations and managing highly complex acquisition, integration, and strategic programs that utilize 10+ workstreams and stakeholders across several geographies. I have the vision to see how all the pieces come together to achieve goals below budget and within expected timeframe.
NASSIF
JOY
I am a 30-year operational and financial executive with significant experience across the clinical diagnostic and drug development industries. Although I am a certified public accountant, my true passion is operations and the intersection of business and finance. I particularly enjoy helping companies create organizational structures and processes that enable financial and operational success. My experience has spanned both start-up and Fortune 500 companies (Quest Diagnostics, Corning Pharmaceutical Services, Diversigen). Because of my business and personal experiences, I am extremely passionate about mental health, aging, and women’s health. During the last 10 years, I have been part of the “sandwich generation” helping raise our two sons while also managing the health and aging of my mother. These experiences have brought me up close and personal with aging and mental health. My passion in women’s health began during my tenure at Quest Diagnostics where I led the Anatomic Pathology business and worked with the teams launching the liquid-based Pap test.
I recently retired from Orasure Technologies where I led their molecular services business, Diversigen. Currently, I am a board member of Alimentiv, a Canadian-based CRO and chairperson of its Finance and Audit Committee. I am excited to be part of the Sherpani team where I can use my experiences to help the next generation of companies understand the correlation between operations and finance as well as bring insight to market and organizational dynamics.
In my private life, I am passionate about orphan care, restorative justice, and food insecurity. I have been lucky to volunteer and support organizations that support these causes. As Mother Teresa said, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time.” For fun, I enjoy crossword puzzles, reading, and movies.
125+ years
Unbeatable experience meets invaluable strategizing.
With over 125 years of industry consulting experience, the Sherpani team will guide your company every step of the way, mitigating risk and financial loss.
$40b
A collective $40b+ has passed through the management hands of Sherpani over the years.
Prevent costly mistakes and reach profitability sooner.
Let Sherpani take your product or business to the next level.
Network
The Sherpani team has connections to Fortune 500 companies, top tier universities, and advanced science and software development firms.
We connect our clients to the best partners and experts for their needs.
“If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.”
- AFRICAN PROVERB
