Meet the Team

Shorla Oncology was founded by two healthcare entrepreneurs, Sharon Cunningham and Orlaith Ryan who worked together previously in senior positions at EirGen Pharma and have a passion for building organizations and developing products to meet unmet needs.

Shorla Oncology
Shorla Oncology

Executive Team

Sharon Cunningham

Sharon Cunningham

CEO & Co-Founder
US Based

  • Over 14 years in leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry. Led EirGen Pharma’s finance function for seven years prior to founding Shorla Oncology
  • Compliance Officer & member of the SOX disclosure committee for OPKO Health Inc (NASDAQ & NYSE) post acquisition of EirGen Pharma
  • PwC Qualified Chartered Accountant with an MBA from University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and a BSc in Finance from University College Cork, Ireland
  • Certificate in Healthcare Innovation from MIT & Harvard Medical School and a Certificate in Healthcare Leadership from Columbia University
  • Board member at MassBio, the world’s oldest and largest biotech trade association and Young President’s Organization (‘YPO’) Healthcare Business Network
Orlaith Ryan

Orlaith
Ryan

CTO & Co-Founder
Ireland Based

  • Over 14 years in the pharmaceutical industry holding technical & leadership positions in Analytical, QA & Regulatory Affairs.
  • Led numerous regulatory inspections including FDA, HPRA and Saudi FDA during her eight-year tenure.​
  • Coordinated IND’s, INAD’s and pre-development meetings with FDA for OPKO Health Inc.
  • Primary interface with FDA & EMA on the development and registration of new human (including orphan) and veterinary drugs.​
  • Is a chartered scientist and holds an MSc in Regulatory Affairs from the University of Wales, BSc in Applied Biology with Quality Management from Waterford Institute of Technology & a Certificate in Corporate Governance from INSEAD business school.

Sheila Bhattacharya

Chief Commercial Officer
US Based

  • A seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of experience spanning commercialization, market access, strategic accounts, pricing, and contracting across oncology and specialty therapeutics.
  • She has held leadership roles at Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences (including Immunomedics), Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, and Novartis Oncology. Her contributions directly contributed to revenue growth and expanded patient access by developing high performing teams and channel optimization.
  • Most recently, as Vice President of Market Access & Strategic Accounts at Azurity Pharmaceuticals, she led a 21-member organization responsible for supporting multiple product lines while advancing enterprise-wide pricing, reimbursement, and access strategies.
  • She is passionate about mentoring future leaders and supporting initiatives that advance women in leadership in the pharmaceutical industry.