Judith Heikoop has a Master of Science in chemistry and a Ph.D. in medicine. During the first phase of her career, she worked as a researcher for various universities and pharmaceutical companies, with a focus on human genetics, metabolic disease and women's health. In 1998 she became Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company and for more than ten years she led business development projects for companies in the Pharmaceutical, Food and Biotechnology industry. She held senior management positions at, among others, Crucell (Johnson & Johnson), Numico (Danone) and DSM. As of 2010 she operated as an independent interim manager and advisor, working for TI Pharma (establishing the "European Lead Factory") and various investment companies. More recently, Judith guided Vivolta as CEO through a major transition from HighTech machine-builder to MedTech company. Currently, Judith is Chair of the Board of Atro Medical and Board member of the Smart Biomaterials Consortium.