Our team | Aranda Pharma - Aranda Pharma Ltd.

Mika Käyhkö, CEO

Mika Käyhkö is an investor and the CEO at Aranda. Mika brings Aranda over 20 years of experience in ”small to big” international pharmaceutical companies, business development, building growth strategies and commercialization. He has worked in multiple organizations in Europe as Managing Director and Chairman of the Board leading diverse multi-cultural teams developing, registering, and launching innovative and generic prescription- and OTC products to multiple customer and distribution channels. Mika has a BBA from SIU Heidelberg, an EMBA from Helsinki University of Technology (currently Aalto University) and has completed executive programs at INSEAD and London Business School.

Anu Muona, PhD, COO

Anu Muona is a founder and COO of Aranda. Anu has over 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical development for various target indications in oncology, neurology and dermatology. For eight years she worked as CEO of Aranda setting up the business, executing financing rounds, building the R&D teams and CRO networks, as well as leading the research programs and business development actions. Anu has a strong scientific background in molecular biology and genetics, as well as in androgen receptor biology. She received her PhD in molecular biology in the Collagen research unit of the University of Oulu, Finland. She has completed extensive postdoctoral training in stem cell research and its applications in neurodegenerative diseases at the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio.

Mikko Mannerkoski

Chairperson of the Board

Mikko Mannerkoski is the Chairperson of the Board of Aranda. Mikko brings Aranda over 20 years of experience in helping create and execute value-creation strategies. He initially worked in investment banking advising major corporate and private equity clients in mergers & acquisitions and capital market transactions. He rose to a leadership position in what was at the time a leading corporate finance advisory in Northern Europe before setting on an entrepreneurial track. For the past 10 years, Mikko has been active in the life-science field as a founder and shareholder in a handful of companies in the US and Finland that work in radiation oncology, immune-oncology, antibody-drug conjugates and diagnostics.
Mikko has an M.Sc. from the University of Helsinki the University of Technology (currently Aalto University, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems) and an M.B.A. in finance from the Helsinki School of Economics with studies at the Ross School of Business of the University of Michigan. Currently, Mikko is CFO at Rappta Therapeutics Ltd.

Erkki Tenhunen

Board member

Erkki Tenhunen is a Board member of Aranda. Erkki brings Aranda 25 years of expertise in high technology start-up companies, fundraising, business development and commercialization of drug development and MedTech projects. He started his career in life sciences by co-founding Contral Pharma which developed a drug against alcoholism. The company was later listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and subsequently sold to a US acquirer in a public tender offer. Erkki later co-founded several companies developing radiation therapy equipment and anti-cancer pharmaceutical technologies. Currently, Erkki is head of Business Development at Rappta Therapeutics Ltd.

Christoph Willers, MD, PhD

Board member

Christoph Willers is a board-certified dermatologist with 20+ year of experience in the research and development in the pharmaceutical industry. He built up and headed the dermatology R&D team of a leading dermatology company for about 12 years, followed by an assignment as VP R&D of an international leader in allergy and immunology manufacturer. He combines scientific knowledge in the field of allergy and immunology with business understanding and leadership. Currently Christoph is CEO of Allergopharma, Germany's leading AIT company.

Juha Kiesvaara, PhD

Advisor and independent consultant

Juha Kiesvaara has over 30 years of industry experience in pharmaceutical product development to global markets. He has held various positions in R&D for taking new chemical entities and generic molecules into human and veterinary products, mainly as solid oral dosage forms, semi-solids, liquids and parenterals. The responsibilities have ultimately covered the entire pharmaceutical product development process from non-clinical lead selection to development of clinical products, regulatory dossiers for clinical studies and filing, manufacturing process scale-up, launch and product maintenance. He has been involved in compiling numerous quality and CMC documentations for regulatory agencies in Europe, U.S. and Japan, collaborations with business partners and external service providers, as well as Industry-Academia collaborations aiming for adopting expertise, novel technologies and patient-friendly delivery routes. Juha is an independent consultant at Aranda.

Leif Hildén, PhD

Advisor and independent consultant

Leif Hildén has over 40 years of industry experience in the discovery and development of pharmaceuticals and their manufacturing processes. He has participated or led the CMC part (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control) in 10 projects, which each brought a new drug to the global market successfully. Leif is familiar with the entire drug development lifecycle from early development to commercialization and regulatory approval. In addition, he has been an inventor in numerous innovations of which 8 inventions have been internationally patented. He has also been in charge for the preparation for 8 audits performed by the US Food and Drug Administration, FDA. Leif is an independent consultant at Aranda.

Jouni Sirviö, PhD

Advisor and independent consultant

Jouni Sirviö has over 30 years of experience from academia and pharma. During his academic career he has published over 100 original research reports on clinical and experimental neurobiology, behavioural pharmacology and neuropharmacology and worked as a Group Leader for Cognitive Neurobiology at AI Virtanen Institute, Kuopio, Finland. Large part of his academic work was done in a collaboration with pharma companies. As a Head of nonclinical CNS Research in a pharma company he led teams and managed projects from target discovery to clinical candidate nomination stage and collaborated with business development specialists for in- and out-licencing of investigational products for neurological and psychiatric indications. Thereafter, Jouni has worked as an independent consultant helping biotech companies and academic groups in drug discovery and early product development as well as commercialization of academic innovations. Jouni received his PhD in neurochemistry at the University of Kuopio and was a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Irvine. Jouni is an independent consultant at Aranda.