On June 25, the PEI BioAlliance held its 2020 Annual General Meeting, where it confirmed new and returning executives and members, including a new chair of the Board of Directors. On the agenda were past highlights from the quarter, including the bioscience community’s response to COVID-19, the launch of the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL), and the positive results of the fast-growing sector demonstrated in the Economic Impact Assessment.

Incoming board chair

Oliver Technow, CEO of BioVectra was selected as the new chair of the PEI BioAlliance Board of Directors, for a two-year term. Oliver has more than 30 years of experience in the global bioscience sector, and has held numerous leadership positions in commercial development, marketing and brand management and life cycle management in Europe and North America. Oliver has served on the PEI BioAlliance Board of Directors since 2017.

The Board of Directors thanked outgoing chair Russ Kerr for his partnership building and advocacy for the bioscience sector on PEI. Russ served as chair of the board since 2013.

New board members

Appointed to the board for two-year terms were Cheryl Stewart-Walsh, Director of Innovative Medicines Canada, and Mohammed Moin, CEO of Somru Biosciences.

Cheryl Stewart-Walsh is an experienced executive with a background in building and delivering strategic initiatives, partner engagement and capacity building. She is currently the Director responsible for Atlantic Canada for Innovative Medicines Canada, which consists of over 40 companies, from international organizations to start-ups, that are discovering and developing new medicines and vaccines.

 

Mohammed Moin is the co-founder and CEO of Somru BioScience, a biotechnology company developing solutions to accelerate biologics and biosimilar drug development. In this role, he is responsible for leading the company’s strategic direction, operations, and growth. Mohammed has a proven executive management track record and more than 14 years of experience driving growth in the technology industry.

Four members of the Board of Directors were also re-confirmed for new two-year terms: Steve Howatt (Atlantic Agritech); Russ Kerr (Nautilus Biosciences CRODA); Brian Stewart (Elanco); and Melanie Wildman (Nutracelle).

Additionally seven ex officio members and observers on the Board of Directors were re-confirmed: Dr. Alaa Abd-El-Aziz (President, University of Prince Edward Island); Ron Atkinson (Economic Development Officer, City of Charlottetown); Patrick Dorsey (Vice President, ACOA PEI and Tourism); Mark Grimmett (Associate Director, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada); Denise LeBlanc (Director General, Aquatic and Crop Resource Development, National Research Council Canada); Erin McGrath-Gaudet (Deputy Minister, Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Government of PEI); and Dr. Alexander (Sandy) MacDonald (President, Holland College).

Stepping down this year is long-time member Barry Stickings, former chair of BioCity Nottingham. The Board of Directors thanked Barry for his twelve years of service as a Board member, mentor, and guide in the development of the PEI BioAlliance.

PEI BioAlliance Board Executive Committee

Chair: Oliver Technow, President, BioVectra, Inc.
Vice Chair: Brian Stewart, P. Eng., General Manager, Elanco PEI
Treasurer: Debbie Plouffe, Vice President, Research, Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada
Secretary: Ron Keefe, President, Regis Duffy Bioscience Fund Inc.
Past Chair: Russ Kerr, Research Fellow, Nautilus Biosciences CRODA