Mark Kessel co-founded Symphony Capital LLC, a private equity firm investing in the clinical development programs of biopharmaceutical companies, in 2002. He is widely recognized as the leader in structuring product development investments for the biopharmaceutical industry. Kessel was formerly the managing partner of Shearman & Sterling, with day-to-day operating responsibility for one of the largest international law firms. He received a bachelor's degree with honors in economics from the City College of New York, and a juris doctor magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law. Kessel is currently of counsel to Shearman & Sterling, and a director of Dynavax Technologies Corp., the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics and Fondation Santé. He also served as a director of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, OXiGENE Corp., Antigenics Inc., Heller Financial Inc. and Harrods (UK) Limited and as a trustee of the Museum of the City of New York. Kessel has written on financing for the biotech industry for Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Nature Biotechnology, The Scientist and other publications, and on issues related to governance and audit committees for such publications as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The Deal and Euromoney.