External Board of Directors
James A. McEwen PhD, P Eng.
Dr. McEwen is Chairman of the Board. He is also president of a group of successful biomedical companies based in Vancouver that focus on the development and worldwide commercialization of new medical technologies. He and his companies currently hold over 100 issued patents. He is a professional engineer and was recently elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society. Dr. McEwen has successfully developed and commercialized a number of new medical devices that are in widespread use around the world. From 1975 to 1990, Dr. McEwen founded and served as director of the Biomedical Engineering Department at the Vancouver Hospital & Health Sciences Centre. He is also a founder and director of the Medical Device Development Centre (MDDC), a successful not-for-profit center associated with the Vancouver Hospital that facilitates the collaborative development and evaluation of new medical technology. As a result of the success and widespread impact on the public of some of his innovations, Dr. McEwen received the $100,000 Principal Award for Innovation in Canada from the Ernest C. Manning Foundation in 1997. Dr. McEwen received his PhD in electrical engineering (biomedical) from the University of British Columbia.
Jim Heppell LLB
Mr. Heppell is President and Fund Manager of BC Advantage (VCC) Funds, a venture fund focused on financing early stage life science and technology companies. Over the past twenty years, Mr. Heppell has acted as a director, officer or advisor to approximately one-third of the life science companies that have spun out of BC universities. He has also worked with a number of US life science companies. Mr. Heppell is currently Chairman of the Board for Inovio Biomedical (AMEX:INO) and a director of Protox Therapeutics (TSX-V:PRX) and Urodynamix Technologies (TSX-V:URO). He is a past director of BC Biotech and a past member of the Securities Policy Advisory Committee to the British Columbia Securities Commission. Over the years, he has written a number of articles and taught numerous courses on corporate finance and corporate governance issues as they relate to life science companies. Mr. Heppell has a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and an LL.B. from the University of British Columbia.
Ken Spencer PhD, MBA
Dr. Spencer is the former CEO and co-founder of Creo Products. Founded in 1983, Creo has grown to over 4,000 employees to become BC's largest high technology company with sales of $1 Billion. Since retiring in 1995, Dr. Spencer spends much of his time mentoring CEOs and serving on company boards. Dr. Spencer has a B.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia and an MBA and a Honorary Doctorate from Simon Fraser University.
Amos Michelson MBA
Mr. Michelson was the Chief Executive Officer of Creo Inc from June 1995, until Kodak purchased Creo in May 2005. He joined Creo in 1991 and served in various positions as Vice President Business Strategy, Managing Director and Chair of the Board of Directors until his appointment as CEO. Prior to joining Creo, he was the CEO of Opal Inc., a semi-conductor equipment company and prior to this Mr. Michelson held various positions with Optrotech Ltd., a developer and manufacturer of optical and imaging systems for the electronic industry, most recently as its Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Michelson holds a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford Business School and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. He is a past member of the Premier's technology Council and in 1999 was named Entrepreneur of the Year, along with Dan Gelbart, by Ernst & Young. In 2005, Mr. Michelson was named the BCTIA Person of the Year, an award presented to an individual, who has made an outstanding contribution to the technology industry during the year.
Heiner Dreismann PhD
Previously, Dr. Dreismann served as President and CEO of Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD) where he created an industry leading product portfolio and spearheaded global marketing and sales efforts resulting in the doubling of the overall sales of the company during a six year period. During this time, he was also appointed member of Roche Diagnostics' Global Executive Committee. Prior to RMD, he was head of the Integration Office for Roche Diagnostics where he managed the merger of Boehringer Mannheim with Roche Diagnostics. Additionally, Dr. Dreismann is currently on the boards of several public and private biotech and diagnostic companies. Dr. Dreismann received both his M.A. in Biology and his Ph.D. in Microbiology/Molecular Biology from Westfaelische Wilhelms University in Muenster, Germany.
H. Christian Fibiger PhD
Until July 2007, Dr. Fibiger was Vice President and Global Head of Neuroscience at Amgen. In this position he was responsible for Amgen's worldwide Neuroscience discovery efforts ranging from early exploratory research through clinical candidate selection. He was also responsible for evaluating and implementing collaborative efforts, external alliances and licensing agreements in Neuroscience with biotechnology companies and academic institutions. Before joining Amgen in 2003, Dr. Fibiger served as Vice President of Neuroscience Discovery Research and Clinical Investigation, and LRL Europe at Eli Lilly and Company. Before moving to Lilly in 1998, Dr. Fibiger served as Professor and Head of the Division of Neurological Sciences and Chair of the University Graduate Program in Neuroscience at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He has made numerous contributions to neuroscience research and, during his academic career, was among the top 100 most cited scientists in neuroscience. He has received many honors for his research contributions, including the Clark Institute Prize in Psychiatry, the Heinz Lehmann Award of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the Killam Research Prize, the Gold Medal in Health Sciences from the Science Council of British Columbia and the Tanenbaum Distinguished Scientist Award in Schizophrenia Research. He is a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). Dr. Fibiger received his B.Sc. in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of Victoria in 1966 and his Ph.D. in Psychopharmacology from Princeton University in 1970.
Founding Chair & Investor
Donald B. Rix MD
Dr. Rix was the founding Chairman of the Board from December 2004 until January 2008. He is an active member of the local biotechnology community. He serves on the boards of several organizations including, Perceptronix Inc., BC Advantage Funds, QHR Technologies Inc. as well as on the Premier's Technology Council. Dr. Rix is a founder and the Chairman of the Board for both MDS Metro Laboratory Services, the largest independent community medical laboratory in British Columbia and Cantest Ltd., a life sciences company that provides professional analysis and consultation. Dr. Rix received his MD and his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Western Ontario. He has an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Western Ontario and a Doctor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University. Additionally, Dr. Rix has been awarded the Order of British Columbia for outstanding achievement, the Lifetime Leadership and Achievement Award from the British Columbia Biotechnology Association and the Ernst & Young 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year in Health Sciences. In 2006, he was awarded a Doctor of Laws from UBC and was also inducted into the Business Laureates BC Hall of Fame.