The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Vancouver for 2022. The software consulting firm Moove It recently ranked Vancouver third among Canadian cities on its Healthtech Index, which assesses cities around the world against 18 factors that indicate the maturity and advancement of their healthtech sectors. For Vancouver, both funding and employment scored particularly high, and it’s no wonder why, given the awardees on this year’s list and the revolutionary companies they represent. Across a range of specialties, from pharmaceuticals to nanotechnology, genomics, and data analytics, among many others, these companies and their leaders are producing innovations that are having significant impacts on patients, their families, and physicians in Vancouver and beyond.
A few of the distinguished leaders on this list include James Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of Precision NanoSystems, who has grown his company to become the leading technology provider for the development of nanomedicines. Meanwhile, Founder and CEO Dr. Michael Gilbert has grown Semios into a leader in the agtech sector, helping farmers use data to optimize every acre and predict, identify, and prevent pest and disease pressure. And Dr. Thomas D. Madden, President and CEO of Acuitas Therapeutics, is a world-renowned expert in the area of nanotechnology and has guided his company to its position as a global leader through the development and application of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology.
Choosing just 25 awardees for this list is never easy, but these leaders stood out through their dedication to advancing healthtech innovation in Vancouver and in the wider market — and they did so from a variety of positions, from CEO to CFO, COO, Senior Vice President, and Senior Director. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Healthcare Technology Leaders of Vancouver for 2022.
1. Ian Mortimer
Company: Xenon Pharmaceuticals
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Ian Mortimer assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Xenon Pharmaceuticals in June 2021, adding to his responsibilities as President, a role which he has held since March 2018. Xenon is a biopharmaceutical company with operations in Vancouver and Boston which is committed to delivering innovative medicines to provide a brighter future for patients suffering from neurological disorders. Mortimer previously served as Chief Financial Officer from October 2013 to June 2021, and as the company’s Corporate Secretary from June 2015 to March 2021. In addition, he held the role of Chief Operating Officer from March 2015 to March 2018.
Prior to joining Xenon, Mortimer served as Executive Vice President and CFO at Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (now Arbutus Biopharma Corporation), a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company, from 2007 until October 2013. Mortimer was responsible for all aspects of Tekmira’s finance and capital markets activities and led Tekmira’s listing on the Nasdaq in 2010. From 2004 to 2007, Mortimer was CFO of Inex Pharmaceuticals and held various other positions at Inex Pharmaceuticals from 1997 to 2004. Since July 2020, Mortimer has also served on the board of directors of Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc., a publicly-traded medical device company focused on advances in procedural medical imaging tools. Mortimer holds an MBA from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of British Columbia, and is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant.
2. James Taylor
Company: Precision NanoSystems
Title: Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
James Taylor is a Co-Founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Precision NanoSystems, Inc. (PNI), a commercial stage biotechnology company at the convergence of nanotechnology, genomics, and precision medicine. PNI empowers researchers to advance nanomedicines for the treatment and diagnosis of disease. Taylor earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in engineering physics from The University of British Columbia and a PhD in genetics from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle.
Taylor worked at the Seattle-based venture capital firm Accelerator Corporation while earning his PhD and has extensive experience in the science and commercialization of microfluidics, nanotechnology, and systems biology. He has led PNI since its inception and has grown the company to be the leading technology provider for the development of nanomedicines. Taylor is a Director of Life Science British Columbia and an active participant in the bio-entrepreneurial community.
3. Kevin Chaplin
Company: Kardium
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Kevin Chaplin joined Kardium as Vice President of Business Development in 2008 and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in May 2019. Kardium is developing a revolutionary medical device for the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation. The Globe® Pulsed Field (PF) System is the most complete solution for AF, offering single-shot pulmonary vein isolation, high-definition mapping, and atrial ablation — all in a single catheter.
Chaplin has been active in many areas at Kardium, including product development, marketing, clinical development, business development, and financing. Prior to Kardium, he held product management, marketing, and technical positions at Kodak, Sierra Wireless, and Accenture. He started his career working as an engineer at the deepest gold mine in the world. Chaplin has a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Cape Town.
4. Michael Gilbert
Company: Semios
Title: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Michael Gilbert is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Semios, a groundbreaking agtech company helping farmers use data to optimize every acre. Semios produces a scalable data analytics platform for growers of tree fruit and tree nut crops that helps predict, identify, and prevent pest and disease pressure. The Semios analytics engine draws on multiple sources of data and information including a robust, wireless network of in-canopy sensors on every customer farm measuring climate, soil, and insect pest activity.
Dr. Gilbert is passionate about making technology more accessible to farmers to help build a more sustainable future for all. He holds a PhD in natural product organic chemistry from The University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry-nutrition from the University of Ottawa. Dr. Gilbert spent 25 years in research and development for pharmaceutical companies before turning his expertise to agriculture. Since founding Semios in 2010 with the goal of unleashing the power of nature to combat pests without pesticides, he has grown the company into an industry leader with millions of sensors in fields around the world. Dr. Gilbert combines his extensive expertise with a progressive leadership style, and encourages those around him to push the boundaries of precision agriculture while embracing risk and experimentation.
5. Gordon McCauley
Company: adMare BioInnovations
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
Gordon McCauley was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of adMare BioInnovations in 2016 after serving on the company’s board for four years. He is an accomplished life sciences investor and executive. McCauley has served as President and CEO of Viable Healthworks Corp. (a national healthcare service business) and Allon Therapeutics Inc. (a neuroscience biotechnology company that developed novel therapeutics from preclinical to global phase 3 studies before being sold), and as Co-Founder and Partner of NDI Capital (an institutionally-backed life sciences investment fund). He has also been a senior executive of several successful healthcare enterprises, and a senior advisor to several prominent Canadian political leaders.
McCauley has served as a director of a number of private and publicly traded companies. Currently, he is a director of adMare (and a number of its portfolio and subsidiary companies) and BIOVECTRA (a leading Canadian biotech and pharmaceutical CDMO), chairs the boards of both BIOTECanada (Canada’s national biotechnology industry organization) and CGEn (Canada’s national genomics enterprise), and is a director of Montréal InVivo. He has previously served as Chair of Life Sciences British Columbia, Acetech, and The Toronto Rehab Foundation. McCauley was the first Canadian appointed to the board of The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington D.C., where he served in leadership positions until 2013. He earned a BA in political science from McMaster University; an MBA (with Honours) from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland; and holds the ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.
6. David Main
Company: Notch Therapeutics
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
David Main is President and Chief Executive Officer of Notch Therapeutics, an early-stage biotech company working to maximize the benefit of cell therapies through a proprietary T cell-production platform which combines sophisticated product design with commercial-compatible processes to enhance patient outcomes. Previously, as Chairman and CEO of Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, which he co-founded in 2006, Main oversaw the advancement of the company’s lead product from target validation through Phase 3 clinical trials. He also led the transition of Aquinox from a private company to a NASDAQ-listed public company with approximately $300 million raised in equity capital, and then completed the successful merger of Aquinox with Neoleukin Therapeutics.
Prior to his leadership of Aquinox, Main served as President and CEO of INEX Pharmaceuticals and as a Vice President of QLT. He formerly served as the Chair of LifeSciences BC (formerly BC Biotech), BIOTECanada, and Accel-Rx, as well as a Director of BIO.org. Main began his career as a licensed pharmacist at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, B.C. He holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy.
7. Bill Hunter
Company: Canary Medical
Title: Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
As Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Bill Hunter is responsible for the assembly of Canary Medical’s management team, the development of corporate strategic initiatives, and participation in both business development and corporate finance activities.
Dr. Hunter brings 30 years of experience in healthcare as a former practicing physician, serial medtech entrepreneur, and chief executive. He most recently was CEO of Correvio, where he oversaw the development of its own direct sales force in Europe, the acquisition of a company with a complementary product (AGGRASTAT), the assembly of an international distribution network, the in-licensing of three additional products, and an over fivefold increase in valuation. Prior to that, Dr. Hunter was Founder and CEO of Angiotech, a world leader in the emerging field of drug-loaded medical devices and implants which achieved a market capitalization of greater than $2 billion.
Dr. Hunter is an innovator and inventor with more than 200 patents and patent applications, including the discovery and development of Persona IQ, the TAXUS® Drug-Eluting Coronary Stent, the Ranger® drug eluting balloon, the Zilver PTX Peripheral Drug-Eluting Stent, and the Quill barbed wound closure device. He has overseen the development of products used in more than 50 million patients, generating revenues of over $25 billion. Dr. Hunter holds a Doctorate of Medicine from University of British Columbia, a Master of Science from University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Science from McGill University.
8. Suzanne Gill
Company: Genome British Columbia
Title: President and Chief Executive Officer
As President and Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne Gill leads Genome British Columbia in applying the power of genomics in ways that better the lives of all British Columbians. Gill has been at the forefront of catalyzing sustainable, public-private partnerships across the life sciences ecosystem for more than 20 years. She provides a wealth of experience in the Canadian innovation environment, including economic development and stakeholder relations, and in helping to shape and implement strategy for organizations at the nexus of research, innovation, and commercialization. She is passionate about the important work of integrating genomics into society by supporting responsible research and innovation and fostering an understanding and appreciation of the life sciences, helping BC rise to the challenges of the 21st century.
Working with Genome BC’s partners, Gill’s focus is on building upon the company’s successes in precision health, natural resources, and education while growing BC’s thriving life sciences research and innovation ecosystem. Genomics has proven to be an important tool in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and rare diseases and the prevention of adverse drug reactions. Genomics is also providing new and transformative ways to address BC’s environmental challenges, such as determining which plants and trees will be better able to adapt to new environmental conditions, as well as identifying and managing invasive pests and disease-causing pathogens that pose threats not only to forests but also many fruit crops.
Previously, Gill was a founding executive as the Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs with the Digital Supercluster (2018-2022), an industry-led organization that aims to accelerate economic growth and position Canada for global leadership in transformative digital technologies. In addition to fostering an essential relationship between industry, academia, and government, she also led the development and launch of Digital Supercluster’s inaugural Capacity Building Pilot Program aimed at connecting employers to job ready digital talent. Prior to joining the Digital Supercluster, Gill was at Genome BC for over a decade and last held the role of Vice President, Corporate Development, responsible for corporate strategy, corporate performance management, and government relations. She moved to BC following her work at the Ontario Genomics Institute as part of the start-up team and was responsible for the oversight of a $300 million research portfolio at the time when Canada was making its first large scale investments in research in the sector. Gill holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto and an MSc from the University of British Columbia. She has been on the Board of Directors of Innovate BC since 2018.
9. Peter Li
Company: Applied Biological Materials
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Peter Li is the Chief Executive Officer of Applied Biological Materials. Applied Biological Materials (abm) provides quality research reagents and custom services at incredible prices. It has an extensive product range to make abm the one-stop supplier for all research needs: PCR, RT-PCR, qPCR, antibodies, siRNA, miRNA, CRISPR, stable cell lines, immortalized cell lines, growth factors, and various viral expression systems (adenovirus, lentivirus, AAV). It also provides custom services for the more challenging or time-consuming parts of research projects. Custom recombinant adenovirus, custom lentivirus, custom cloning, gene synthesis, protein production, and sequencing services are a few examples of abm’s assortment of services available.
Li first got his start in 1984 as a doctor at Henan Qi County First People's Hospital. Later, he worked as a Lecturer at Xinjiang Medical University, before eventually becoming a researcher at The University of British Columbia, his most recent position prior to joining Applied Biological Materials. He also served stints as Chief Scientist for Adenovirus Vector at Clontech and as Chief Scientist for Transgenic Technology at Sangamo BioSciences. Li graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD and from Xinjiang Medical University with a master’s degree and an undergraduate degree.
10. Benjamin Arazy
Company: Arazy Group Consultants
Title: Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Benjamin Arazy is passionate about making advanced medical device technology and best medical practice accessible and available to patients and physicians around the world as fast as possible. He is the Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Arazy Group Consultants Inc., a global regulatory affairs firm that provides MedTech manufacturers with a technology solution for global market access to their medical and IVD devices. Arazy earned an undergraduate degree in political science and government from the University of Haifa.
In 2013, Arazy Group introduced LICENSALE®, an advanced registration and license management technology solution designed specifically for regulatory affairs professionals in the medical and IVD device industry. Since then, it has been widely used in new product registrations, license amendments, renewals, and transfers. Leveraging experience, software database management, machine learning, and A.I., Arazy Group launched the next medtech registration technology platform LICENSALE 2.0, which includes LICENSALE® – Global Medtech Registration System and REGISLATE® – Global Medtech Registration Management Software (RMS). These products currently serve more than 2,200 medical device manufacturers and are covering services in 140 countries.
11. Dr. Thomas D. Madden
Company: Acuitas Therapeutics
Title: Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer
President and Chief Executive Officer of Acuitas Therapeutics, Dr. Thomas D. Madden is a world-renowned expert in the area of nanotechnology. Dr. Madden co-founded Acuitas in February 2009 and has guided the company into its position as a global leader through the development and application of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology. Acuitas partners with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and prestigious academic institutions around the world, providing its proprietary LNP delivery technology to enable new drugs based on nucleic acid therapeutics. Acuitas’ recent achievements include the use of its LNP delivery system in the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine COMIRNATY® that is being administered around the world. This success resulted in the recently announced partnership with Pfizer that enables the American multinational pharmaceutical company to use Acuitas Therapeutics’ LNP technology for up to 10 targets for vaccine or therapeutic development. Under Dr. Madden's leadership, the team continues their work with partners to address serious illness and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis, malaria, and more.
Dr. Madden obtained his BSc and PhD in biochemistry from the University of London, U.K. He has held several senior academic and industry positions including Assistant Professor in Pharmacology at the University of British Columbia and Senior Director, Technology Development and Licensing at Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. At Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Madden was responsible for the development of several liposomal anticancer agents including Marqibo™ (liposomal vincristine), Alocrest™ (liposomal vinorelbine), and Brakiva™ (liposomal vinorelbine). All of these products were subsequently licensed to Talon Therapeutics. Dr. Madden headed the team that developed the cationic lipid MC3 and the LNP carrier used by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals for Onpattro™. Onpattro™ was approved in 2018 in the U.S. and Europe for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis, a rare condition characterized by an abnormal buildup of a protein called amyloid in the body’s organs and tissues. Onpattro™ is the first in a new class of drugs, called RNAi therapeutics, to receive regulatory approval.
While Dr. Madden is internationally respected for his professional expertise and achievements, he has also earned a reputation for his collaborative approach. He credits the success of Acuitas Therapeutics and its exceptional standing on the world stage to the team’s commitment to excellence and the company’s culture of cooperation, both internally and externally. Dr. Madden has over 60 publications in peer-reviewed journals relating to LNP technology and the development of pharmaceutical products, including recent publications in Nature. In 2020, Dr. Madden was made a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in recognition of his contributions to the field of nucleic acid delivery. Along with Acuitas Therapeutics’ co-founders (Drs. Pieter Cullis and Michael Hope), Dr. Madden was recognized by the 2022 Governor General’s Innovation Award. They received this prestigious award for their work in developing LNP systems to deliver nucleic acid drugs.
12. Karim Qayumi
Company: Interactive Health International
Title: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
The brains behind CyberPatient is its incredible founder, Karim Qayumi, MD, PhD. Qayumi has an impressive background that fuelled his inspiration to start a game-changing software that would make a difference in the medical field. He is a Professor of Surgery at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Founder of the UBC Centre of Excellence for Simulation Education and Innovation (CESEI). He is also a Chair of the Technology Enabled Learning for Vancouver Coastal Health, and the Regional Director of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Qayumi has extensive international teaching experience, obtaining a whopping 11 awards in the field of medicine, including the most prestigious award from The University of British Columbia in 1999: The Killam Teaching Prize. He is also the author of 109 peer-reviewed publications and has been invited to lecture and present at more than 200 conferences and meetings around the world. One of his books, “Basic Surgical Techniques,” has been translated into many languages, including Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, and others.
It’s clear that technology is evolving quickly, and Qayumi understands the importance of being a part of the growth. His focus is now on technology-related research and innovation. Amongst his many patents and innovations, there is the development of technologies such as an online learning management system, called Electronic Platform for Education and Research, or e-PER, as well as robotics for tele-homecare and patient-centered medical records. Qayumi is also the Founder and CEO of CanHealth International, a registered Canadian non-profit charity that aims to equalize health education between developed and developing countries.
13. Dr. Kishor Wasan
Company: Neglected Global Diseases Initiative, University of British Columbia
Title: Co-Founder and Co-Director
Dr. Kishor Wasan is the Co-Founder with Dr. Bob Hancock and currently the Co-Director (with Dr. Richard Lester) of the Neglected Global Diseases Initiative at the University of British Columbia (NGDI-UBC). Neglected global diseases disproportionately affect the poorest of the global population. NGDI-UBC creates a network to bring together groups interested in making a positive impact and enabling sustained scholarly activity and education in this area. The mission of NGDI-UBC is to develop interventions for neglected global diseases and ensure their delivery to those in need.
Dr. Wasan completed his undergraduate pharmacy education at the University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD in cellular and molecular pharmacology from the University of Texas Medical Centre in Houston. He has been a practicing pharmacist in both the retail and hospital settings and still maintains a pharmacist license from the State of Texas. Dr. Wasan has received more than 25 awards for his contributions to health sciences — including the Canadian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences Leadership award for outstanding contributions to Pharmaceutical Sciences in Canada — and he is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and the Canadian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Wasan has published more than 550 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts in the area of lipid-based drug delivery, lipoprotein-drug interactions, and global health.
14. Sean Marshman
Company: STEMCELL Technologies
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Sean Marshman is the Chief Financial Officer of STEMCELL Technologies, a Canadian biotechnology company that helps power leading-edge life science research around the world. Scientists performing stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research are among those who rely on STEMCELL’s cell culture media, cell separation products, instruments, accessory products, and services. Since the launch of the company by Dr. Allen Eaves in 1993, STEMCELL has reinvested all profits back into the research and development of products to better support the international research community.
Today, STEMCELL is the largest biotech company in Canada, with more than 1,800 employees globally, most with scientific or engineering degrees. Through its many regional offices, as well as its distribution centers in Vancouver, Seattle, Grenoble, and Singapore, STEMCELL delivers its innovative, specialized products to more than 70 countries.
Previously, Marshman served as CFO of Longview Aviation Capital, his most recent position prior to joining STEMCELL. Before that, he worked for Vifor Pharma for over 11 years, rising to the position of Vice President of Finance. He also served stints at Eastman Kodak, Dassault Systèmes, and KPMG. Marshman graduated from University of Toronto – Rotman School of Management with a master's degree in accounting and business management.
15. Glen Ibbott
Company: Aurora Cannabis
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Glen Ibbott is the Chief Financial Officer of Aurora Cannabis, a licensed producer of medical cannabis and consumer use cannabis. Aurora is one of the world's largest and leading cannabis companies and is dedicated to helping people improve their lives. Ibbott is an experienced healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in financial leadership, mainly in the life sciences sector. An innovative, decisive, and insightful professional, he has excelled in delivering revenue and profitability growth (both domestically and internationally) and strategy execution and shareholder value creation, including key contributions to numerous corporate transactions.
Prior to joining Aurora , Ibbott was CFO at QLT Inc. and played a key role in QLT's $500 million merger with Aegerion Pharmaceuticals to form Novelion Therapeutics. Ibbott completed MBAs at Cornell University and at Queen's University, is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), as well as a U.S. CPA, and earned a BBA in accounting from Simon Fraser University.
16. Tim Fernback
Company: Konscious Foods
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Tim Fernback is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Konscious Foods, a North American food manufacturing company backed by the expertise of a highly successful entrepreneur with a proven track record of launching new products into the Canadian and international markets. The company’s chefs create plant-based seafood that its customers choose over and alongside traditional options. All of its dishes have no GMOs, clean labels, and short ingredient lists. Its products are 100% plant-based and are currently being launched in both restaurants and within the freezer aisle of both regional and national grocers, allowing everyone to start to enjoy a new level of taste-good, feel-good, convenient meals.
Fernback is an accountant and business advisor to medium-sized businesses in the Vancouver area with a strong background in both venture capital and investment banking. Over the past 30 years, he has held progressively senior executive positions; and over the past 15 years, he has held several CFO positions with successful high-tech and hyper-growth companies. In addition to these senior finance and operations positions, Fernback has successfully worked as a consultant in a variety of industries including agritech, biotechnology, retail, SaaS, software, hospitality, manufacturing, mining, oil & gas, and real estate development. For many of these engagements, he has often been asked to analyze a company, strategy, business unit, or business opportunity using both quantitative and qualitative techniques, as well as to assist in raising capital and to implement key corporate growth objectives.
Fernback currently acts as both a director and officer of private and publicly traded companies in Canada, Australia, and the U.S. He successfully completed an Honours BSc in microbiology/biochemistry from McMaster University, an MBA in finance/strategy from The University of British Columbia, and a CPA, CMA accounting designation from the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.
17. Neil Klompas
Company: Zymeworks
Title: President and Chief Operating Officer
Neil Klompas joined Zymeworks in March 2007 and currently serves as its President and Chief Operating Officer. Zymeworks is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of next-generation multifunctional biotherapeutics. Its suite of therapeutic platforms and its fully integrated drug development engine enable precise engineering of highly differentiated product candidates. Klompas served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer from 2007 to 2022. Prior to joining Zymeworks, he worked with KPMG LLP in Canada and the United States, most recently (from 2005 to 2007) with KPMG’s pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical device M&A transaction services practice in Princeton, New Jersey, where he advised on transactions including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic alliances. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2005, Klompas worked with KPMG’s Canadian biotechnology and pharmaceuticals practice.
Klompas currently serves on the board of directors of Liminal BioSciences Inc. and previously served as a director of Ovensa Inc. He was a Master Corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces as well as a paramedic for the British Columbia Ambulance Service. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia. Klompas also holds a degree in microbiology & immunology from the University of British Columbia.
18. Andrew Booth
Company: AbCellera
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Andrew Booth became AbCellera’s Chief Financial Officer in 2019 after spending nearly four years on the company’s board of directors. Prior to joining AbCellera, Booth spent 10 years at STEMCELL Technologies, where he held roles as the CFO and the Chief Commercial Officer. Before STEMCELL, he spent seven years at General Electric, ending by leading M&A/Business Development for GE Healthcare’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa business and GE Healthcare’s global Life Sciences business based in London.
Booth is chairman for Precision Nanosystems and a director at the National Board of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. He is also a former director at the BC Tech Association, at Life Sciences BC, and at Light Integra Inc., and he co-founded and served as a director of Zaber Technologies, which designs, manufactures, and sells precision motion control equipment. Booth holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BASc in engineering physics from The University of British Columbia.
19. Lawrence Wong
Company: bioLytical
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Lawrence Wong, CPA, CGA, is bioLytical’s Chief Financial Officer. Wong is a highly skilled finance professional with more than 15 years of experience across a variety of industries. Known for his track record of creating and implementing solutions to maximize efficiency and aligning financial metrics with corporate strategies, Wong is responsible for the leadership, strategy, and direction of all bioLytical’s financial operations.
Prior to joining bioLytical in 2018 as Director of Finance, Wong held a series of senior finance positions within the beverage alcohol industry. Most recently, he was the Corporate Controller for one of Canada’s leading premium wine agencies. Reporting directly to the founder and president, he oversaw all aspects of accounting, finance, information technology, business intelligence, and supply chain. During his tenure, Wong was instrumental in ensuring strategic success across multiple facets of the business, including sales and acquisitions of boutique agencies, debt restructuring, and capital financing. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Simon Fraser University.
20. Sukhi Jagpal
Company: Sierra Oncology
Title: Chief Financial Officer
Sukhi Jagpal is the Chief Financial Officer at Sierra Oncology, a late-stage biopharmaceutical company on a quest to deliver targeted therapies that treat rare forms of cancer. Sierra harnesses its deep scientific expertise to identify compounds that target the root cause of disease to advance targeted therapies with assets on the leading edge of cancer biology. Sierra’s team takes an evidence-based approach to understand the limitations of current treatments and explore new ways to change the cancer treatment paradigm. Together, they are transforming promise into patient impact.
Previously, Jagpal was the CFO of QLT Inc., a dual-listed biotechnology company also based in Vancouver. During his tenure, he assisted QLT in developing its finance capabilities to deal with several growth phases, which included raising capital and completing several acquisitions. Prior to joining QLT in 2003, Jagpal held senior finance positions with Pivotal Corporation, 360networks Inc., and KPMG LLP. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant, a Chartered Business Valuator, and holds an MBA from the S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and an MBA from Queen’s University, Kingston.
21. Tanya Colhoun
Company: PPD, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Title: Vice President, Pillar Head, Neuroscience, Rare Disease
Tanya Colhoun is the Vice President, Pillar Head, Neuroscience, Rare Disease of PPD, which is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. PPD clinical development and analytical services enable customers to accelerate innovation and increase drug development productivity. Utilizing patient-centered strategies and data analytics, PPD’s capabilities cover multiple therapeutic areas and include early development, all phases of clinical development, peri- and post-approval, novel approaches to patient recruitment and investigator sites, and comprehensive laboratory services. It is recognized as a global industry leader in accelerating promising medicines from early development through regulatory approval and market access, and serves pharma, biotech, medical device, and government organizations with custom-tailored solutions, including full-service partnerships and functional service partnerships.
Colhoun is an experienced clinical research professional with almost 25 years of experience in the CRO industry. She is a global pillar head responsible for growth, delivery, customer satisfaction, and most importantly, improving the lives of patients. Colhoun first got her start in 1995 as a medical writer at PAREXEL. From there, she went on to IQVIA, where she served as a portfolio lead and line manager, and then as a senior director and global delivery head. Colhoun graduated from the University of Surrey with a Master of Science in biology and from the University of London with a Bachelor of Science in biology.
22. Tiffany Chiu
Company: AbCellera
Title: Vice President, Communications
Tiffany Chiu has served as the Vice President, Communications of AbCellera since 2020. AbCellera’s antibody discovery and development engine is specifically designed to address the barriers of conventional discovery in order to help bring new medicines to the clinic — and patients — sooner. AbCellera is partnering with more than 35 leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on 160+ drug discovery programs. The company discovered two COVID-19 antibody therapies that have been used to treat an estimated 2.5 million patients, saving thousands of lives.
Prior to joining AbCellera, Chiu co-founded and currently serves as director of Centrifuge Media Lab, a communications firm for leading biotech, life science, and tech organizations. She was also previously the Global Communications Lead for Accenture at Best Buy Canada. She is a director of Spring for Kids, a Canadian non-profit organization that supports children with cleft and craniofacial disorders by providing funding for education, research, surgical missions, and the continued care of patients and their families. She is a past president and board member of the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre. Chiu completed her Bachelor of Science in integrated science and science communication from The University of British Columbia.
23. Michael Gallad
Company: Illumina
Title: Senior Director, Canada and Latin America
Michael Gallad is the Senior Director, Canada and Latin America for Illumina. Illumina’s goal is to apply innovative technologies and revolutionary assays to the analysis of genetic variation and function, making studies possible that were not even imaginable just a few years ago. These studies will help make the realization of personalized medicine possible. With such rapid advances in technology taking place, it is mission critical to have solutions that are not only innovative, but flexible, scalable, and complete with industry-leading support and service. As a global company that places high value on collaborative interactions, rapid delivery of solutions, and prioritizing the needs of its customers, it strives to meet this challenge. Illumina’s innovative, array-based solutions for DNA, RNA, and protein analysis serve as tools for disease research, drug development, and the development of molecular tests in the clinic.
Gallad first joined Illumina in 2015. Previously, he was a capillary electrophoresis business leader at Thermo Fisher Scientific (Life Technologies), and before that he worked in sales for Applied Biosystems. Earlier in his career, he worked with Thermo Fisher Scientific as a biotech instrument specialist. Gallad earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Calgary.
24. Imelda Centeno
Company: Unilab
Title: Senior Vice President
Based in Vancouver, Imelda Centeno is the Senior Vice President of Unilab, Inc. Established in 1945, Unilab today is the realization of the grand vision of its founders — to be a firmly established industry leader distinguished by its corporate culture that places people at the center of everything. Unilab is now the leading pharmaceutical company in the Philippines, and its portfolio includes some of the biggest prescription and consumer healthcare brands in the country.
Centeno has over 20 years of experience in organization development, human resources management, and executive Leadership, along with proven success in transforming business processes and organization culture to align with business objectives. She is also highly experienced in providing strategic leadership and tactical advice to foster organizational transformation and managing change. Before joining Unilab, Centeno was a Human Resources Director for J&J Philippines. She graduated from Polytechnic University of the Philippines with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
25. Paul Tardi
Company: Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Title: Executive Director of Formulation Research
Paul Tardi is the Executive Director of Formulation Research for Jazz Pharmaceuticals, an Ireland-based biopharmaceutical company that researches and develops new therapies for the treatment of complex diseases. Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharmaceutical company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. It is focused on developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases who often have limited or no options, so they can live their lives more fully. By transforming biopharmaceutical discoveries into novel medicines, Jazz is working to give people around the world the opportunity to redefine what’s possible — to make the “small wins” big again.
Tardi first got his start in 1995 as a section leader of drug targeting at Inex Pharmaceuticals. From there, he served as Senior Director of Preformulation at Celator Pharmaceuticals (now a subsidiary of Jazz Pharmaceuticals). Tardi graduated from the University of Manitoba with a PhD in biochemistry and an undergraduate degree in microbiology.
