Jo Close

Chief of Staff at BiomeBank

Advisor

Jo Close is a strategic leader with more than 20 years’ experience in biotech and medical technologies, combining scientific depth with operational expertise to accelerate innovation. Her career has taken her across the entire innovation ecosystem—from universities and research institutes to startups, angel investment, and national health charities. She is currently Chief of Staff at BiomeBank, where she leads cross-functional strategy and operations to advance microbiome-based therapies—including Australia’s first approved FMT product and a pipeline of co-cultured bacterial therapies for chronic disease.

Jo is known for building impactful initiatives from the ground up. She established and led MTPConnect’s South Australian operations, securing $25 million in funding and forging over 450 industry connections to accelerate biotech and medtech innovation. She also cofounded the nationally recognised Medical Device Partnering Program, which has assessed more than 1,000 innovations and supported over 120 product development projects—later expanding it across Australia.

Her experience includes executive roles with early-stage ventures such as QuantX Labs (quantum timing) and Aucentra Therapeutics (oncology), where she built business functions and led early business development. She was also instrumental in transforming Cure4 Cystic Fibrosis into a national medical research charity, significantly growing its fundraising capacity and research investment.

Jo brings together deep scientific training (Bachelors in Biotechnology, Honours) with commercial and governance expertise (Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors). Her ability to engage diverse stakeholders and translate bold strategy into action has made her a catalyst for innovation across Australia's life sciences sector.