Robert J. Dempsey, MBA

Mr. Dempsey brings more than two decades of domestic and global experience in the ophthalmic space driving successful drug development, business transactions and commercialization. His widespread experience in Ophthalmology stems from diverse Leadership roles across Commercial, Business Development, Medical Affairs and Venture Backed Startups. He brings deep relationships with Key Opinion Leaders and comprehensive knowledge of the ophthalmic ecosystem. Most recently, Robert served as the Chief Executive Officer for AsclepiX Therapeutics following his CEO role at TearClear accelerating business and commercial strategies which led to several value inflection points and positive FDA engagements. In his prior role as Global Head of Ophthalmology at Shire, later acquired by Takeda, he built the ophthalmic franchise and spearheaded the most successful launch to date in eyecare of Xiidra. He led one of only 3 Ophthalmology transactions with >$1B upfront in the last 2 decades for Xiidra, which transacted again 4 years later for $1.7B. He has been instrumental with successful early-stage venture capital and strategic fundraising activities as a Board member and advisor to multiple Ophthalmology companies.

Mr. Dempsey serves on the Boards of iVeena Delivery Systems, TearSolutions, Azalea Vision, and Signal 12. His philanthropic engagement includes founding and serving on the board of The Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration and as Co-Director of the Corporate & Surgeon Partners Program for SightLife. Robert holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Science from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.