Senior Team

Dr Leonid Shapiro
Managing Partner
Dr Leonid Shapiro
Leonid founded Candesic in 2002 and is Managing Partner. Prior to Candesic, he was a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company in London working in healthcare, technology, and private equity.
Leonid’s experience also includes management roles as COO of a software company and CEO of a telecommunications company. Leonid holds a MD from Duke University, a PhD from the University of Oxford in Radiological Imaging, and an undergraduate degree in Physics from Cornell University. Leonid has published extensively in healthcare, from peer reviewed publications to thought leadership pieces in industry journals. He speaks Russian fluently.
Marc Kitten
Senior Partner
Marc Kitten
Marc is Senior Partner and co-founder of Candesic. Prior to Candesic, Marc was a consultant at McKinsey & Company in London.
Marc’s experience also includes holding a vice president position at Deutsche Bank, based in Frankfurt, Brussels and Paris. For 20 years he has been a visiting professor at Imperial College London and other universities where he lectures Private Equity and Corporate Finance. Marc holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, a Master with specialisation in finance from EDHEC, and attended the Young Managers Program at INSEAD. He is fluent in French and German.
Dr Michelle Tempest
Senior Partner
Dr Michelle Tempest
Michelle is Senior Partner and been with Candesic since 2004. Michelle spent over a decade as a front-line hospital doctor before joining Candesic.
Michelle is an experienced Board member and delivered global growth by evidencing improved clinical outcomes alongside financial returns. She edited ‘The Future of the NHS’ and authored ‘Big Brain Revolution: Artificial Intelligence – Spy or Saviour?’. She qualified as a doctor at Cambridge University, has a legal masters and is a Cambridge Angel. She is on the digital council at the Royal Society of Medicine and mentor’s start-ups.
Floris Wentholt
Principal
Floris Wentholt
Floris is Principal and been with Candesic since 2014. Prior to Candesic Floris worked at various multinationals including for Procter & Gamble in the UK and for Total in Belgium.
Floris’ experience also includes working as a Senior Consultant at Bain & Company, being a lecturer at EDHEC Business School as well as being the founder and lead of a fintech venture. Floris holds a Master in Management from London Business School and a Master in Chemical Engineering from K.U. Leuven. He speaks French, Dutch, and Spanish.
Dr Kristoffer Kenttä
Senior Engagement Manager
Dr Kristoffer Kenttä
Kristoffer is Senior Engagement Manager and joined Candesic in 2019. Previously, Kristoffer was a hospital doctor in Sweden and a senior consultant at EY in Stockholm.
Kristoffer practiced medicine as a physician for five years in emergency care and cardiology at various hospitals including Karolinska University hospital in Sweden. Kristoffer holds a medical degree (MD) from Uppsala University and has also studied business administration at Uppsala University. He is fluent in Swedish.
Jack Zeng
Senior Engagement Manager
Jack Zeng
Jack is Senior Engagement Manager and joined Candesic in 2020. Before that, Jack was a senior consultant at LEK in Australia and held various corporate roles.
Jack’s experience also includes five years as Senior Analyst at the Commercial Insights Business Partner team at McDonald’s in Australia, as well as various leadership roles in educational bodies. He holds a commerce degree with distinction and a law degree from the University of New South Wales.
Fabio Ruffinoni
Engagement Manager
Fabio Ruffinoni
Fabio is Engagement Manager and joined Candesic in 2021. Prior to Candesic, Fabio was a consultant at PwC in Italy for, working in the New Ventures Strategy Team.
Fabio’s experience also includes being a Senior Associate Business Consultant at NTT Data UK, working mainly in the insurance and telecom sectors. Fabio holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from IE Business School in Madrid. He is fluent in Italian, Spanish and French.
Blake Edwards
Engagement Manager
Blake Edwards
Blake is Engagement Manager and joined Candesic in 2020. Prior to Candesic, Blake was a researcher at Invisible Sentinel, a biotech company in Philadelphia (US), working on rapid bacterial diagnostic solutions.
Blake’s experience covers the pharmaceutical, life sciences, and MedTech sectors throughout Europe and the US. Blake holds a bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecule Medicine and a Master's in Management & International Business from the University of Bristol. He was raised in South Africa and has lived in the US, Germany, and Russia before settling in the UK.
Dr Nicolas Correa
Engagement Manager
Dr Nicolas Correa
Nicolas is Engagement Manager who joined Candesic in 2022. Prior to this role, Nicolas served in hospital settings in Chile as an internal medicine consultant and chief of the internal medicine department during the pandemic.
Nicolas' experience also includes strategic initiatives focused on HIV, cancer, and mental health. Nicolas holds a medical degree (MD), a master’s degree in public health from Emory University (MPH), as well as an MBA from the University of Cambridge. He is fluent in Spanish.
Christian Teixidor
Chief Operating Officer
Christian Teixidor
Christian is Chief Operating Officer and joined Candesic in 2023. Prior to Candesic, Christian was COO of the European business of Perella Weinberg Partners.
Christian’s experience includes being COO of HB Titan, an investment management firm, as well as working at Morgan Stanley’s M&A department in London and New York. Christian holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics and an MBA from Northwestern University. He is fluent in Spanish and Norwegian.