Our purpose
Our mission is to help Searchlight members increase their business through a structured, positive and professional program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with the most engaged stakeholders in key scientific communities.
Clarity
Searchlight gives life science leaders clarify to see where opportunity lies. Helping companies to move forward faster is at the heart of the network.
Custodians
We are the custodians of the mRNA-Based Therapeutics: Searchlight communities on behalf of our members; engaged in the constant pursuit of added value.
Communication
The quality of information is the difference between success and failure. Searchlight is the destination to find the latest information, trends and solutions impacting the mRNA industry.
Connection
Building strong relationships creates an environment of trust and support that yields opportunity, progress, partnership and meaning.
Don't just take our word for it...
"Regulatory opinions for mRNA will take time to stabilize but I’d expect the scope of this network to play an important role in accelerating that, which will mean getting better drugs to patients faster."
"This network offers us the valuable chance to discuss the things that don't appear in scientific publications as well as the chance to regularly engage with a trusted group of peers and see how the areas you’re interested in are evolving and advancing outside your company"
"The collective brain power in the scientific community is much better than the individual and while each company has their own way of thinking, a network that shares knowledge can help find out-of-the-box solutions to the key bottlenecks we are all facing"
Meet our team
Gareth Pearce
Managing Director
Gareth established and is responsible for developing the strategic direction of the Searchlight business within Hanson Wade, ensuring continues to add demonstrable value to every member as it scales. Gareth has successfully built and grown information businesses in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East during a 20 year entrepreneurial career. He holds a first class degree in Politics and earned a postgraduate Certificate in International Business Practice from the Mountbatten Institute in New York.
Michelle Fanus St. Hill
Head of Member Delivery
Michelle develops and manages Searchlight within Hanson Wade and has a conference research and production career spanning 20+ years – designing and delivering events all over the world. She was a business owner and entrepreneur for 10 years, becoming a published and contributing author during that time and lecturing more than 300 students on Event Management degrees and several of her own private courses.
Matthew Bray
Portfolio Development Director
Matt is responsible for delivering and developing current Searchlight Networks, in line with the goals of member companies and scientific communities at large. Matt’s commercially focused background includes experience in academic publishing as well as a Master’s degree in Bio-Business and undergraduate degree in Bioveterinary Science. Matt is passionate about the business of science and is also a keen Chicago Bulls fan.
Ian Appleby
Divisional Head of Searchlight Sales
Ian is a sales professional who has many years of experience delivering sales excellence training to teams in many varied sectors. This translates demonstrably into value for clients. He has a passion for sales methodologies which put the client at the centre of what we do. The companies he has worked for include Informa, EMAP, The Middle East Economic Digest and The Economist. He has travelled extensively with his work taking him across North Africa, the Gulf States and the Levant. He has launched, transitioned and re-designed many subscriptions business to bring them in line with the digital age.
Maia Sethi
Subscription Sales Manager
Maia is a life science enthusiast with a degree in Biological Sciences, specializing in Molecular Biology. After working as a Delegate Sales Executive for 7 months on CTxAD and LEAP HR, Maia found her calling working with drug developers in the ADC, Ras, TPD, and mRNA fields, taking the leap into Hanson Wade's Searchlight to collaborate with highly invested companies and drive positive change in the industry. With her passion and drive, Maia is excited to build innovative networks for the industry's top professionals. In her free time, Maia loves netball and nature walks and is fascinated by astrology. She is also big fan of networking and is always open to connecting with new people and exploring new opportunities to collaborate. So, if you're interested in finding the right network for yourself, or just want to chat about astrology, don't hesitate to connect with Maia on LinkedIn. She would love to hear from you!
Caylee Donaldson
Head of Marketing
Caylee joined Hanson Wade in 2022 to lead the new divisions marketing team responsible for Searchlight by Hanson Wade, Hanson Wade Intelligence, and free-to-attend events. Caylee is passionate about responsible marketing and creating strategic tactical plans designed to deliver real value to our communities, customers, and clients. Caylee graduated from the Institute of Data and Marketing with a level 7 post graduate diploma in data driven marketing.
Karina Bikerniece
Senior Marketing Executive
Biography coming soon...
George Nelson
Marketing Assistant
George graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2023 with an MA in Creative Writing, following an undergraduate degree in English Literature. She is excited to develop her strategic and analytical abilities as she assists in marketing the Searchlight networks. She practices taekwondo and enjoys reading about natural history in her free time.