WHO WE ARE
We share a passion for helping our clients grow
For over 40 years, Kx Advisors (operating as the healthcare consulting practice of Kaiser Associates) have provided advisory services to help leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies fully capitalize on product opportunities, navigate the environment with greater certainty, and maximize the lifetime commercial value of their portfolios.
We do this by conducting comprehensive primary research and data-driven analysis at all stages of the product lifecycle to inform the decision making of sales, marketing and strategy executives.
The Kx approach establishes the required fact base to vet critical decisions and brings together data from disparate sources to develop holistic strategies.
With offices in Washington D.C, London, and Boston, Kx Advisors possesses the unique ability to generate global insights from physicians, thought leaders, patients, competitors, partners, regulators, suppliers, and payers.
The Kx approach establishes the required fact base to vet critical decisions and brings together data from disparate sources to develop holistic strategies.
How we’re different
We focus on growth strategy
Unlike large consulting firms who toggle between operational work and heterogenous strategy work, we live and breathe healthcare growth strategy. As a result, we have developed deep expertise in exploring new business models, evaluating new technologies, entering new markets, and capitalizing on new policies. Our focus drives results.
We prioritize pragmatism and clarity
We pride ourselves on developing elegant solutions to complex problems. We share a passion for helping our clients devise winning strategies and gain organization buy-in through clear business cases, impactful storytelling, and actionable recommendations.
We believe in data-driven decision making
Insight generation and quantitative rigor define our consulting approach. We are experts at designing research to inform quantitative models, developing forecasts in emerging and innovative markets, and quantifying what is difficult to quantify.
We deliver a first-class client experience
We value collaboration and partnership above all else and design our engagements to follow a highly iterative process. We start fast, deliver against compressed timelines and respond to changing client needs with agility. Our senior leaders remain actively involved throughout our engagements and set a high standard of excellence.
Leadership Team
Dan O’Neill
Managing PartnerDan O’Neill is a Managing Partner at Kx Advisors. He is based in Washington, DC.
Dan has significant experience developing commercial growth strategies for leading Pharmaceutical, Medical Device and Health Technology clients. Since joining Kaiser Associates in 2006, Dan has developed expertise across all major therapeutic areas and project types. Specific emphases include commercial due diligence, strategic marketing, product launch planning, market opportunity assessments, and competitive strategy. He has expertise in integrated research and quantitative modeling techniques related to product pricing and forecasting.
Dan started his career in finance and banking where he developed his quantitative background. Dan holds an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a BBA from the University of Kentucky.
Bob Serrano
Managing PartnerBob Serrano is a Managing Partner at Kx Advisors. He is based in Washington, DC.
Bob has nearly 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, specializing in specialty pharma, interventional medicine, and clinical diagnostics. Bob has extensive expertise in building growth strategies across therapeutic areas including oncology, dermatology, neurology, immunology, and cardiology. Prior to Kaiser Associates and Kx Advisors, Bob held several strategy and sales roles at Abbott (now AbbVie), and led North American laboratory marketing for QIAGEN’s molecular diagnostics business.
Bob earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Master’s in Health Administration and a BS in Nutritional Science from Cornell University.
Jenna Riffell
Managing PartnerJenna Riffell is a Managing Partner at Kx Advisors, based in London, UK, where she leads Kx’s European practice.
Jenna has advised Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and biotech companies on growth strategy across the value chain. She specializes in pharma/biotech, health IT, and medical devices, with particular expertise in dermatology, ophthalmology, rare diseases, and oncology. Her work includes portfolio strategy, geographic expansion strategy, commercial due diligence, strategic marketing, and launch planning.
Jenna holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a BSCh, Combined Honors in Chemistry and Biochemistry, from the University of British Columbia. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, before moving into consulting via boutique life science consultancies prior to joining Kaiser in 2015.
Sean Vander Linde
PartnerSean Vander Linde is a Partner at Kx Advisors and is based in Washington, DC.
Sean brings deep experience leading engagements across the healthcare value chain with provider, health IT, biopharma, and medical device companies. His expertise includes advising clients on corporate strategy, market opportunity assessments, new product launch, and commercial due diligence. Prior to joining Kaiser Associates and Kx Advisors, he worked at L.E.K. Consulting and PwC focusing on healthcare.
Sean holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nikil Kumar
PartnerNikil Kumar is a Senior Vice President at Kx Advisors who is based in New York.
Nikil has partnered with a wide array of pharmaceutical and biotech clients on developing powerful and pragmatic growth strategies. He has worked across many therapeutic areas with a specialized focus on oncology in both solid and hematologic malignancies. His work primarily focuses on market opportunity assessments, portfolio strategy, product launch strategy, and marketing strategy.
Prior to joining Kx Advisors, Nikil held strategy consulting roles at BGB Group and Omnicom Health Group. Nikil holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Stony Brook University.
Ella Maughan
Senior Vice PresidentElla Maughan is a Senior Vice President at Kx Advisors. She is based in New York.
Ella has more than 10 years of experience in biopharma strategy, equity research, and communications, and a translational research background. She applies this breadth of experience to develop tailored medical strategies in partnership with biotech and pharma clients across functions. She has extensive experience in therapeutic landscape assessment, competitive intelligence, strategic brand and portfolio planning, Medical Affairs strategy, integrated evidence planning, and clinical development strategy.
Ella’s areas of expertise include oncology, inflammation and immunology, infectious diseases, rare diseases, cardiology, biosimilars, and vaccines.
Before joining Kx Advisors, Ella worked in Medical Communications and Strategic Consulting at BGB Group and as a Senior Biopharma Research Strategist at Piper Sandler. She holds a PhD in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis from Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences and completed her thesis research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Masha Dumanis
Senior Vice PresidentMasha Dumanis is a Senior Vice President at Kx Advisors and is based at the firm’s Boston office.
Masha is a recognized thought leader and sought out advisor in the MedTech and Digital Health sector, even more so in her areas of deep expertise: Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Women’s Health.
Masha brings to Kx and its clients over 13 years of experience in healthcare strategy consulting supporting companies with growth strategy, Go-To-Market strategy, commercial due diligence, market access, M&A and corporate strategy.
Masha prides herself on establishing deep relationships with clients to understand their needs and to guide them with data driven decision making.
Prior to joining Kx, Masha worked as a Vice President at Health Advances, a Parexel consulting company and served as leader of its MSK practice area. Masha holds an A.B. cum laude in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard College. She also serves as Senior Advisor to the Journal of Orthopaedic Experience & Innovation (JOEI).
Chris Waybill
Vice PresidentChris Waybill is a Vice President at Kx Advisors and is based in Boston, MA.
Chris works closely with clients to develop tailored growth strategies across all of Kx’s key sectors and therapeutic areas. He has developed specific expertise in dermatology, interventional medicine, and health IT. Chris’s functional expertise spans a broad range of services, including financial modeling and forecasting, inorganic growth strategy, pricing and market access, commercial operations, and data analytics.
Prior to joining Kaiser Associates and Kx Advisors, Chris worked as a power systems engineer at Clark Energy & Structured Finance. Chris holds a B.S.E in Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University.
David Geschwind
Vice PresidentDavid is a Principal at Kx Advisors and is based in San Francisco, CA.
David has extensive experience leading growth strategy engagements for Pharma, Biotech, MedTech, and Digital Health clients. Specifically, he advises clients on product launch strategy, commercial operations, financial modelling, forecasting, commercial due diligence, pricing, and market access.
David’s therapeutic areas of expertise include interventional medicine, medical aesthetics, eye care, dermatology, and oncology.
David holds a B.A. in Computer Science and Economics from Swarthmore College.
Chloe Lok
PrincipalChloe has nearly 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry, leading engagements in pharma, biotech, and digital health with particular expertise in the areas of respiratory, oncology, psychiatry, dermatology and rare diseases. She brings deep experience in qualitative and quantitative primary research techniques, as well as portfolio and strategic planning, strategic marketing, patient journey mapping, and financial modelling and forecasting.
Chloe holds an MSc in Management from Imperial College Business School of Imperial College London, and a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Reading. Merging her passion for both business and science, Chloe launched her consulting career at a pharma and healthcare market research-based consultancy before joining Kx Advisors.
Allie Fascione-Hutchins
PrincipalAllie partners with clients to develop both upstream and downstream growth strategies across all of Kx’s key sectors and therapeutic areas. Specifically, she collaborates with biopharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic companies, in therapeutic areas including dermatology, critical care, and cardiology. Functionally, Allie’s expertise encompasses market entry strategy, commercial due diligence, opportunity forecasting, long-term franchise planning, and commercial benchmarking. Her work integrates data analytics, competitive intelligence, and voice-of-customer research to create simple and meaningful solutions to complex problems.
Prior to Kx, Allie worked with companies in the financial services and consumer goods industries as a strategy consultant. Allie holds a B.S. with Honors in Economics, with a Mathematical Economics concentration from Haverford College.
Jenny Knauss
PrincipalJenny has nearly 10 years of experience in the healthcare industry, working across consulting and communications. She brings deep expertise in oncology, both solid tumors and hematological malignancies, and has partnered with Medical Affairs and Commercial clients to inform strategy from early clinical development and landscape analyses through launch planning, brand strategy, and lifecycle management.
Prior to joining Kx, Jenny worked in healthcare consulting at McKinsey & Company and medical communications at BGB Group. She holds a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences.
Women@Kx
Empowering Our Employees At Every Step
Gender diversity is a keystone in Kx’s inclusive company culture. Our firm supports women at each stage of their career, from new employees to established senior leaders.
Established in 2020, Women@Kx is a monthly meet-up group to provide our consultants with the tools they need to succeed while advancing gender equality in a fast-paced consulting environment. Led by Managing Partner Jenna Riffell and Vice President Evelyn Tee, the group focuses on empowering women and allies by offering opportunities for professional development, mentoring, and building meaningful networks.
Awards & Recognition
Celebrating Our Team
Kx works each day to empower our clients and our people to change the world. We’re proud to be publicly recognized for our efforts, especially as a leader for top talent.
What’s happening at Kx Advisors
Kx Advisors
Locations
Our global reach
Kx Washington, D.C.
1615 L Street, NW, Suite 1300Washington, DC 20036
Kx London
30 Crown Place, 10th FloorLondon EC2A 4EB, UK
Kx Boston
100 Summer Street, Suite 1600Boston, MA, 02110