Henni-Karoliina Ropponen

Henni-Karoliina Ropponen, PhD, is a Venture Analyst at the AMR Action Fund (AMRAF), the world’s largest venture capital fund focused on investing in antibiotics, antifungals, and related antimicrobial technologies. Since joining the Fund in 2023, she has been instrumental in evaluating potential investment opportunities and supporting AMRAF’s growing number of portfolio companies. A medicinal chemist by training, she has extensive experience in antibiotic drug discovery and advancing promising small molecules in preclinical settings. Prior to joining the AMRAF, she worked for the Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP), Roche, and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS).

Shalini Jayasekar Zürn is a senior advocacy manager with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). She is the focal point for all treatment related issues, including AMR. She is a biologist by training and has extensive experience on the issues of access to medicines. Shalini gained experience in this topic by working with the World Health Organization on their Model List of Essential Medicines as well as Médecins Sans Frontières’s access campaign and other NGOs. She also has experience working with the pharmaceutical industry.