Meet the team

Russell L. Gantt
President & CEO
Argo Navis Biopharm Advisors, LLC

Russell L. Gantt has more than 30 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry with twenty years experience in business development. He is the founder, and currently serves as President and CEO, of Argo Navis Biopharm Advisors, LLC., a licensing and business development management advisory practice for varied global transactions with large and small pharmaceutical and technology based companies.

During his career he has held various positions with Abbott Laboratories, Schering-Plough, Wyeth, Astra Merck and AstraZeneca PLC. Mr. Gantt’s most recent assignment while at AstraZeneca was serving as Vice President, Corporate Development, during which time he led the licensing, acquisition, divestment and partnering activities for clinical stage and on-market assets for the AstraZeneca PLC North America Business Development hub. In that capacity he built and led a team of more than twenty professionals in all externalization efforts in support of AstraZeneca’s corporate strategy. His team identified, assessed and acquired products and companies to support the identified growth strategies for the business and divested assets in accordance with developed corporate strategy. His teams developed appropriate business cases, obtained management approval for all projects, including approvals as required by the AZN PLC BOD, and carried out formal contract negotiations. While at AstraZeneca, Mr. Gantt was one of AZ’s Top 100 Senior Employees, a member of the Global Strategic Partnering and Business Development Leadership Team, and reported to executive management in London.

From 2010 to 2013 Mr. Gantt and his team were responsible for the successful delivery of more than $5.9 billion in transactions both on the buy and the sell side for AstraZeneca PLC.

Mr. Gantt began his pharmaceutical career leading the manufacture of vaccines for Abbott Laboratories and subsequently held various positions with Schering–Plough including the leadership of a global contract manufacturing SBU and held various US and global business development and corporate strategy positions within Schering, Wyeth, Astra Merck and finally AstraZeneca.

Mr. Gantt holds a bachelor of science degree from the University of Tennessee, is active in several professional organizations including Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the Licensing Executive Society (LES) and is an active supporter of numerous philanthropic organizations including The Center For Brain Injury Repair at the University of Pennsylvania, where he serves as advisor.