NEW YORK, June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- TMRW, creator of the first Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform specifically for in vitro fertilization (IVF), announced today that Emily Drabant Conley, Ph.D., Vice President, Business Development at 23andMe, has been named to the company's Board of Directors. Dr. Conley joins TMRW's other recent board appointees: Shake Shack CFO Tara Comonte and former Elle Editor-in-Chief Robbie Myers.

Dr. Conley joined 23andMe's leadership team in 2010 and has been instrumental to the company's rapid growth and revolutionary business strategies. Dr. Conley has led the company in identifying and establishing global partnerships with top pharmaceutical, biotech, CPG, retail and healthcare companies as well as crucial alliances in academia. In 2018, her efforts and leadership helped 23andMe secure a $300m equity stake and collaborative partnership with GlaxoSmithKline to develop innovative genetic therapies.

"Emily is universally recognized as an extraordinary leader across healthcare, academia and business. Her patient-centric approach to innovation, scale and partnership has helped 23andMe become a massive global phenomenon," said Joshua Abram, TMRW's Founder and Co-CEO.  Jeff Port, M.D., a TMRW Co-Founder and its Chief Medical Officer added: "Current IVF best practice has evolved over the last decade from a singular focus on embryology to incorporating the science of cryobiology and genetics.  Emily has been a pioneer in the rapidly evolving science of applied genetics.  We are honored by her choice to join TMRW's Board of Directors and look forward to receiving her counsel and direction."

"TMRW has a great leadership team, and an innovative approach to solving existing deficiencies in the management and storage of vitrified embryos and gametes," Dr. Conley said. "At 23andMe, we've made access to fertility care part of our employee benefits, and we see that leading a broader trend. As access to fertility care expands globally, the need for an effective and automated platform to manage this process is imperative. For TMRW, the implications of being the trusted custodian of the cells that will result in the birth of 200-300 million people in coming decades is staggering.  I look forward to being involved in TMRW's growth, innovation and success."

Before joining 23andMe, Dr. Conley spent 10 years conducting research that combined genetics and neuroimaging in an effort to better understand neuropsychiatric disease. She was a Research Fellow at the National Institute of Mental Health and has co-authored more than 30 academic publications. She holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Stanford University, and a B.A. in Psychology and Business from Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Conley's joining TMRW's Board of Directors was announced alongside the appointment of Bill Garbarini, Tim Sharp and Ann Watson to TMRW's Executive Leadership team. Their roles at the company and relevant experience include:

• Bill Garbarini, Chief Operating Officer at TMRW
  Mr. Garbarini's diverse pharmaceutical and healthcare background includes leadership roles in mergers and acquisitions, business development and operations. Prior to TMRW, Garbarini spent nearly 15 years at Ferring Pharmaceuticals, where he was instrumental in growing the US division's annual revenue from $20 million to $750 million, using his unique understanding of the forces that drive the fertility product and service markets. Immediately prior to joining TMRW, Garbarini served as Chief Development Officer at Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey (RMANJ) where he led that company's successful merger with the Spanish fertility conglomerate IVI thereby creating IVIRMA Global, the largest provider of fertility services in the world.

• Tim Sharp, Managing Director, Operations at TMRW
  Mr. Sharp is one of the world's leading experts on biorepository operations. Before TMRW, he served as the Global Biorepository Director for ICON plc, where he led multiple divisions across three continents. Prior to joining ICON, he served as the Principal Technical Expert for global biorepository/biospecimen operations, cryobiology, and cold chain operations at the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Sharp headed the global inventory operations department for multiple ATCC operations around the world, totaling 18 million specimens. Among other notable roles, Sharp has managed the National Institutes of Health's Central Repository Service, the largest human tissue biobank in the U.S., where his work sustained research for cancer treatment and prevention through tissue, blood product and biopsy collection. 

• Ann Watson, Chief Marketing Officer at TMRW
  Ms. Watson has more than two decades of experience leading brand marketing for luxury, lifestyle, fashion and wellness companies. She has served in senior marketing roles and as CMO at a number of internationally known consumer brands including Ralph Lauren-owned Club Monaco, Sperry and John Hardy. While serving as VP of Marketing at Club Monaco, Watson led the brand into the digital age and played a key role in tripling revenue in less than three years. At John Hardy, Ann led communications and brand strategy through a financial transition that secured a successful exit for the company's private equity investors while acquiring new funding. In addition to these accomplishments Ann has spent her career working with blue chip global brands such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Henri Bendel to leverage brand marketing and strategic communications to drive sales and profitability.

TMRW
In coming decades, experts estimate there will be 200-300 million global IVF births — almost all of which will rely upon frozen fertility cells. TMRW is poised to be the global provider of the groundbreaking technology platform that will assure the health, safety and security of these eggs and embryos.

TMRW has created the first fully Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform designed specifically for the fertility community. Already experiencing rapid market adoption, leading IVF doctors and clinicians have embraced TMRW's platform because it replaces the current outdated analog IVF cryo-preservation and tissue management system by providing the world's first automated cryostorage and RFID enabled digital chain of custody for embryos and gametes. TMRW's proprietary software is constantly vigilant, delivering up to 17,000 automated daily environmental "health checks" to ensure the safety and security of the world's most precious cells.  

TMRW's founders, Joshua Abram, Alan Murray (co-CEOs) and Jeff Port, M.D. (Chief Medical Officer) are serial tech and life sciences entrepreneurs. Their immediate prior ventures sold for a combined sum of more than $1 billion.

SOURCE TMRW