Susan Kling Finston is the President of Finston Consulting (June 2005- to present), working with innovative companies on biotechnology, trade and development and currently focused on supporting strategies for Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for climate change adaptation, commercialization of natural products for oral health, translational research for microbiome peptides as COVID-19 therapies, as well as highly innovative energy technologies.  Susan also serves as Senior Advisor at Princeton Capital Advisors.  She is a KOL on intellectual property and innovation and in past years served  as a Cleared Advisor to the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative  (IPR, Tariff/Trade Facilitation).  Susan is a contributor at the following blogs: Schumpeter Circle, celebrating the transformative impact of innovation, and shares thoughts on her 6th decade of life at 2ndmiddleage. She contributes occasional observations on biotech industry trends at ‘best of the web’ biotechblog.

Past Experience:  Executive Director and co-founder, Access and Benefit Sharing Alliance (ABSA) (2005-2010), CEO / Managing Director, Amrita Therapeutics Public Ltd. (2009- 2018); Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), International Division (1999 – 2005); Foreign Service Officer, Department of State, with overseas postings including London, Tel Aviv and Manila (1988 – 1999); Motions Clerk, Federal Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chicago, Illinois (1986 –1988).  Susan graduated from the University of Michigan (U-M), Ann Arbor, J.D./M.P.P., with a B.S. in Philosophy, Honors College. She is a  member of the Illinois State and U.S. Supreme Court Bar. 

Foreign languages are Hebrew and French.