Speakers

Dr Kaivan Khavandi MD MRes PhD MBA MRCP is a Physician Scientist and SVP, Head of Respiratory & Immunology R&D at GSK, where he leads a research unit with responsibility for projects from target hypothesis, through early and late-stage clinical development, to registration and launch. The groups therapy area accountabilities extend to neurosciences, liver and kidney diseases, additional to core respiratory and immunology indications. He was previously Vice President, Disease Area Head of Neuroscience & Emerging TAs at GSK, during which time he also led the Oxford Institute of Molecular and Computational Medicine, co-chairing the scientific management committee and member of the joint oversight committee.
Outside of GSK, Kaivan has served as Chief Medical Officer at BenevolentAI, where he focused on tech-augmented drug discovery and translational medicine, leading the company through clinical testing of the first AI-enabled programme. He has also held Translational/Clinical and Medical leadership roles at Pfizer within both the Inflammation & Immunology TA, and Internal Medicine, working in the UK / International Developed Markets (Europe & Asia), and globally at the Worldwide R&D HQ in Cambridge, MA.

Prior to joining industry, Kaivan practiced Medicine at Guy's & St Thomas' Hospitals, with research activities at King's College London, where he earned his PhD in Molecular Medicine & Pharmacology and completed fellowships awarded by the National Institute for Health Research and British Heart Foundation. His work has been published in journals including The Lancet, Science and Nature franchises, as well as specialty cardiovascular journals from the AHA. He remains engaged in academia as Honorary Senior Lecturer in Cardiovascular Sciences.