There is a major transformational step underway for managing the growing amount of human genomic data. To date, the focus has been on amassing databanks of genomes and then developing new tools to analyze this information. In essence, the emphasis has been on breaking bottlenecks for analyzing the data. Now, there is an opportunity to … Continue reading “Breaking Bottlenecks, Opening the Floodgates to Genomic Data”
Author: Hannes Smárason
Hannes Smárason is a prolific entrepreneur, investor, and advisor. He is a leader at NextCODE Health, a company he co-founded with Dr. Jeff Gulcher. He has been a longtime advisor to deCODE Genetics and its venture investors, Polaris Venture Partners and ARCH Venture Partners, and contributed to the strategy that culminated in the $415 million sale of deCODE to Amgen. Mr. Smárason previously served as chief financial officer and executive vice president of business and finance at the company (1997-2004), during which time deCODE achieved worldwide recognition as the global leader in analyzing and understanding the human genome. During his tenure Mr. Smárason led the first IPO by an Icelandic company in the U.S., structured and negotiated alliances with pharmaceutical companies, and led the strategic acquisition of a drug discovery company.
Prior to joining deCODE he was a consultant at McKinsey & Company serving Fortune 100 clients in the finance, healthcare, and hospitality sectors. He also served as the chairman and CEO of Icelandair and its parent company, FL Group, in the mid- to late- 2000's.
Mr. Smárason has served on boards across a variety of sectors related to investment and advisory activity, and is active across a range of charitable organizations.
He received his master's degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.