WHO WE ARE

About Us

Zetta Genomics is a spin out from two genomic data pioneers, the University of Cambridge and Genomics England. Our people have worked at the cutting edge – shaping big genomic data’s state-of-the-art technologies and their research and clinical application.

XetaBase was inspired by the realisation early in Genomics England’s 100,000 Genomes Project that existing technologies couldn’t cope with genomic data’s volume, complexity and reinterpretation demands. It drove the development of OpenCB, led by our co-founder Ignacio Medina, and the creation of Zetta Genomics.

Today, we are a fast-scaling, global genomics data technology company headquartered in Cambridge, UK. Our team brings together genomic, big data and start-up expertise to drive Zetta Genomics as it delivers data management fit for the precision medicine age.

WHO WE ARE

Our Leadership

Bryony Burrows

Chief Operating Officer

Bryony brings over 20 years of financial and operational leadership experience, having worked in a range of companies from Global FTSE 100 corporations to innovative tech startups. Her strategic acumen and operational expertise have been pivotal in driving growth and efficiency across diverse business environments.

With a deep understanding of financial management and corporate governance, coupled with a passion for technology and genomics, Bryony is uniquely positioned to guide the company towards sustained success and innovation in the rapidly evolving genomics landscape.

Bram Goorden

Non-Executive Director

Bram Goorden is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry. He has a proven track record of driving innovation, global expansion, and strategic partnerships.

Currently CEO of IXICO plc, he has held leadership roles at companies like SOPHiA Genetics and Foundation Medicine, where he led international growth and major product launches. His expertise aligns with Zetta Genomics’ mission to advance genomics data technology and improve patient outcomes.

Nathan Sommerford

Chief Revenue Officer

Formerly IQVIA’s Global Lead for Drug Discovery & Development Consulting, Nathan’s 20-year healthcare career and senior leadership experience bring Zetta a global perspective and North American expertise.

With additional experience at global life sciences giants such as Roche Diagnostics, Nathan blends the commercial and analytics insights that make him ideally suited to lead Zetta Genomics’ commercialisation strategy and deliver on its goal to scale to 500,000 genomes under management.

Ignacio Medina

Founder, CEO & CTO

Ignacio serves as the Head of the Computational Biology Lab at the University of Cambridge Research Computing Service and formerly led the Big Data Analytics team at Genomics England. As the founder of Zetta Genomics and chief architect of both XetaBase and OpenCB, he is recognized globally for pioneering the integration of distributed database technologies within the field of genomics.

Ignacio remains actively engaged with our customer base, ensuring that XetaBase’s advanced technological solutions are continuously aligned with the evolving demands and latest advancements in research.

Ludo Chapman

chair

Ludo has led a number of businesses through every stage of growth, from driving successful start-ups to revitalising established companies, and sits on a number of boards as advisor and NED. An active voice within the Cambridge tech and investor community, he is now focused on securing further funding for the business.

Ludo brings extensive software technology experience to the team, having successfully founded and scaled The Software Training Practice. Now Chair of one of the largest scientific equipment providers, Grant Instruments, Ludo has leveraged 40 years of business expertise to found ‘The Innovation Practice’ – to design, develop and deliver strategy programmes that empower leadership teams to excel.

Mark Hughes

Chief Commercial Officer

With a proven track record of success throughout his career having led large-scale clinical trial sequencing projects with major pharmaceutical companies during his time at WuXi NextCODE, as well as spearheading product strategy and market expansion for companies like Thomson Reuters and Accelrys. Mark has played a key role in developing the European sales teams for Silicon Genetics, establishing the company’s software as the gold standard across Europe.

At Zetta Genomics, he leads the company’s global commercial strategy, managing the sales pipeline, developing new partnerships, and driving revenue growth.

Leanne Elske

Chief People Officer

Leanne Elske is a chartered MCIPD People Director with 19 years multi-sector experience, specialising in the fast-emerging technology, cloud and healthcare sectors.

She is passionate about building and scaling high performance teams- whilst maintaining employee experience and development at the heart of the People function.

Maria Athanasopoulou

QUALITY & REGULATORY ADVISOR

Maria, the former Head of Bioinformatics Quality at Genomics England, stands as a venerable Clinical Scientist and esteemed Genomics expert, holding a MSc in Bioinformatics.

Boasting an impressive tenure spanning over a decade, she spearheaded the implementation of a robust Quality Management System at Zetta, meticulously ensuring unwavering compliance with stringent quality assurance protocols, in vitro diagnostic (IVD) regulations, and exacting ISO standards. Her experience establishes a benchmark for excellence in the realm of genomics and bioinformatics.

Liam White

Head of Product

As Head of Product, Liam White and his team work closely with their commercial colleagues to develop the company’s pioneering Xetabase platform. Liam is highly experienced in the genomic technology space, having previously worked in product teams at Congenica and Prenetics. Liam’s passion for people and processes have helped drive businesses to deliver successful, commercially sustainable products developed by committed and passionate workforces.