Innovation and Commercialisation

Ben Fielding, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)

As Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), Ben leads the development and execution of the institute strategy to deliver on MCRI's mission to transform child and adolescent health through innovative research. A key portfolio for Ben is the Innovation & Commercialisation function of the institute, which works towards accelerating research discoveries to make the greatest impact on the health of children.

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Ben’s passion and purpose is to help lead the transformation of healthcare to deliver the greatest value for Australians through deep and trusted relationships with providers, funders, governments, technology companies and not for profit entities.

He brings 25 years of senior Board level experience spanning both the Australian and British health systems. In recent times, whilst a member of the Dept of Health Executive Board, he was central to Victoria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working as Deputy Secretary and member of the State Operational Control team. 

Ben also has a strong consulting background having previously been a Partner in a number of the big 4 consulting firms leading Healthcare Practices in Victoria and the Private Health Industry Practices nationally. In addition to his CSO role Ben is Board Chair of Transcendomics (A genomics software platform start up) and attend the Boards of Murdoch Children's Research Institute, the Victorian Clinical Genetics Service and Prota Therapeutics.

Paul Howie, Head of Innovation and Commercialisation

As Head of Innovation and Commercialisation, Paul leads MCRI’s efforts to accelerate the translation of research into real-world impact, working closely with research teams to support commercialisation, strategic partnerships, and innovation pathways.

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Paul brings over two decades of experience in senior commercial and legal roles across the biotechnology sector, including leadership positions in both multinational organisations and the not-for-profit sector. Prior to joining MCRI, he was Senior Director of Business Development – Vaccines at CSL Seqirus, where he led global partnering strategies and business development initiatives across market entry, asset acquisition and divestment, out-licensing, and collaborative research.

With a dual academic background in Science and Law from the University of Melbourne, and further studies in patent law, accounting, corporate risk management, and business administration, Paul is uniquely positioned to support the translation of MCRI’s research and intellectual property portfolio into sustainable health outcomes.

Sinth Jegaskanda, Head of Intellectual Property (IP)

As Head of IP, Sinth Jegaskanda collaborates across the Innovation streams, focusing on capturing, protecting, and managing intellectual property throughout MCRI. He is responsible for developing and managing our IP strategy, policy, and procedures to enable effective capture and management of IP, maximising its commercial potential.

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Sinth began his career as a viral immunologist, completing two post-doctoral fellowships in influenza immunology before becoming a registered patent and trademark attorney. Sinth has experience in prosecuting, drafting, and managing IP strategies for small biotechnology companies and universities (including the University of Melbourne).

Before joining MCRI, Sinth served as the Head of Business Development at Myrio Therapeutics Pty Ltd, a platform immunotherapies company focused on treating solid tumours in adults and children. He holds a Master of Intellectual Property, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is currently completing his Master of Business Administration.

Additionally, he is a co-founder of ELLIS Medical, a startup medical device company focused on early detection of respiratory complications in ICU settings.