ZENTEK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Professional Investor
Brian Bosse has been a respected professional investor for nearly 30 years with corporate capital allocation policy being his key business specialty. He forms and motivates great teams revolve around stakeholder return on investment using leadership styles that fuel employee intellectual curiosity. Formerly Brian served Dundee Corporation's Goodman & Company Investment Counsel as portfolio manager of the Goodman Bluespring Fund. He earned an honors degree from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics in Waterloo Ontario plus the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Brian joined Zentek in May 2018 as director and officer following a successful proxy battle.
Job Titles:
- Chief Science Officer
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Dr. Colin van der Kuur, B. Sc., M. Div., D. Min. (VP of Science and Research): was the first graduate from the University of Guelph with a Specialized Honours in chemical physics in 1993 and subsequently completed a doctorate in leadership in 2010. He worked in the non-profit industry for 25 years including serving as the Director of Church Planting for the Fellowship Pacific where he trained and coached executives. Through his leadership, Zentek is rapidly expanding a high-value IP portfolio through internal research, collaboration and licensing world-leading technology.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Francis brings an entrepreneurial mindset to his science and healthcare background, which has been foundational to Zentek's early success. Francis has significant experience in intellectual property development and management, including the research, development, and patent granting of ZenGUARD(TM) - a graphene-silver composite used to enhance the pathogen filtration of various types of media. He also has deep knowledge and experience in the areas of strategic planning, fundraising, and capital markets.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Head
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Surgeon
Joseph Armand Korkis is a board-certified Otolaryngologist and Head and Neck surgeon. Dr Korkis is a graduate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and spend 9 years in post graduate studies in Ireland and Canada. He is the assistant Clinical Professor in the department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck surgery at McMaster University. He was a founder of the residency program of Otolaryngology surgery along with Head and Neck surgery at McMaster University and is involved in the undergraduate and postgraduate MD training programs at McMaster.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Advisory Board
Kenneth Reed, M.D. is a board certified dermatologist in private practice and serves as a scientific advisor to several innovative biotechnology companies. After completing a residency at the Harvard-MGH combined dermatology program, he established a clinical practice in a Boston suburb, DermAsap, and has continued as a principle investigator for a number of biopharmaceutical companies. He currently serves on the board of directors of Red Hill Biopharma and Minerva Biotechnologies. Dr. Reed is also a cofounder of Early Cell, a company focused on early detection of circulating fetal cells, and Lispiro LLC, which focuses on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and age related disorders.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Professor
Yingfu Li is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University. He earned a PhD in Biochemistry from Simon Fraser University in 1997, where he discovered a DNA molecule that catalyzes porphyrin metalation, which won him Governor General Academic Gold Medal and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Doctoral Prize, both in 1998. He was awarded a Medical Research Council of Canada postdoctoral fellow in 1999 and carried out his postdoctoral research at Yale University between 1997-1999, where he studied a series of catalytic DNA molecules for DNA phosphorylation, DNA capping and DNA ligation. In November 1999, he joined McMaster University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, was promoted to Associate Professor in 2005 and Full Professor in 2010. At McMaster, he has established a research group focusing on artificial nucleic acid molecules with catalytic and/or binding properties. He has published extensively in the fields of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular evolution of nucleic acids, including over 200 research and review articles, over 20 book chapters, 1 book. He has filed over 30 patents on functional nucleic acids and diagnostic tests. He has also served as an Associate Editor of Journal of Molecular Evolution and as a member of editorial board of Scientific Reports, and Analysis and Sensing. He has received several recognitions, including Canada Research Chair, New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institute of Health Research, Premier Research Excellent Award from Ontario Government, McBryde Medal from Canadian Society of Chemistry.
Job Titles:
- Executive Chairman
- Member of the Board of Directors
Eric Wallman is a graduate of the University of Manitoba in 1983 and obtained a full CA designation in 1986. He has held senior accounting and finance positions in industry since 1991 and has been an active investor in the junior mining market since 1992. Currently, Eric is the Senior Vice-President, Finance and Administration with Bothwell Cheese, the largest independently owned cheese manufacturer in Canada. His role includes strategic planning for Bothwell Cheese and two related companies. Mr. Wallman is also an active board member of the Western Dairy Council.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Greg Fenton is a seasoned investment professional, with a Bay Street career spanning nearly 30 years. He has worked in various capacities with ever-increasing responsibility in both the Canadian banking and investment management sectors. Greg has been a partner in three investment management firms, heading the Risk Solutions Group at Scotiabank and leading Liability Driven Investment Group at National Bank Financial. His experience spans many disciplines: capital markets, investment management, actuarial, pension, insurance, accounting, tax and risk management. He also acts as an advisory board member to numerous corporations.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Ilse Treurnicht's career spans scientific research and commercialization, building health and cleantech firms, venture and impact capital, and public policy. She is managing partner of TwinRiver Capital (an impact investment firm), a general partner at North South Ventures (a seed stage med fund), chair of the Public Policy Forum and a director of the Equality Fund.
Ilse was CEO of MaRS Discovery District in Toronto from 2005-2017 as it developed from a nascent organization into a leading urban innovation hub. She joined MaRS from her role as CEO of Primaxis Technology Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm (1999-2005).
She was chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance (2010), served on the Government of Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation Council (2014-2016), Canada's Advisory Council on Economic Growth (2016-2019), and the Advisory Committee on Open Banking (2018-2021), as well as the boards of several technology firms and non-profit organizations.
Ilse holds a doctorate in chemistry from Oxford University, which she attended as a Rhodes Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
John Snisarenko brings with him 35 years of specialty pharmaceutical, medical device and commercialization experience spanning from start-up to large pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including 15 years in the United States in executive positions with Genentech and Shire. He was also a key member of the Genentech/Novartis Global Alliance Partnership for Lucentis in ophthalmology. Currently, he serves as an Independent Director, Board Member and Advisor to numerous companies.
John holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and an MBA in Marketing and International Business from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner
Lisa Sim is a partner with Miller Thomson LLP and member of the Executive Committee. Lisa practises intellectual property law with a focus on protecting, commercializing, and managing the intellectual assets of her clients. She is a registered patent agent in Canada and the United States, as well as a registered Canadian trademark agent.
Job Titles:
- Commercial Partner
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Vice President, Strategy and Product Development
Nick Hansford has joined Zentek after more than 7 years' experience in Management Consulting. Nick brings with him global experience across strategy, operational excellence, manufacturing, and business transformation. Nick has a proven track record of making connections and building effective teams to help organizations realize their vision.
Job Titles:
- Engineer
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- VP, Development
Peter Wood is a geological engineer with over 35 years' exploration and project management experience in the mining industry. During this time, he has worked with several major mining companies including Newmont, Homestake, and HudBay and has also been actively involved in the exploration and development of gold, base metal, platinum-group element, and magmatic nickel-copper deposits with many junior exploration companies. Peter graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours BASc in Geological Engineering in 1983 and an MSc in Geology in 1987. He joined the ZEN team as Vice President, Exploration in January 2013 and has been responsible for the successful completion of the company's NI 43-101 compliant initial resource estimate and subsequent PEA study and, more recently, with the company's market development and R&D initiatives. Peter was promoted to ZEN's Vice President and subsequently President in 2018. Peter has taken on a role with Albany Graphite Corporation in July 2023.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Member of the Advisory Board
Mr. Kaza graduated from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Finance Summa Cum Laude at age 19 and has spent the last 25 years consistently focused on disruptive technologies. He started his career in Silicon Valley at a prominent investment banking group founded by Frank Quattrone where he worked on numerous transactions involving companies such as Amazon, Apple, Northern Telcom, and Lam Research. Mr. Kaza then entered the money management business as a Vice President at Pequot Capital Management, at the time one of the world's largest alternative asset managers with a focus on technology investing. He was then hired by Stanley Druckenmiller as a Managing Director at Duquesne Capital Management to focus primarily on technology investing.
In 2003, Mr. Kaza founded Seasons Capital Management, which he helped grow into a multi-billion-dollar alternative investment manager that oversaw several technology-related investment strategies. In 2010, Mr. Kaza shifted his focus to running primarily internal capital with a continued primary focus on disruptive technologies. Consistent with this focus, Mr. Kaza was introduced to the Zentek management team during the Summer of 2021, when he became a shareholder.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development
Prior to leading Zentek's Business Development and Investor Relations efforts, Ryan spent nearly 15 years working in large public companies, most recently with Nutrien Ltd. (formerly Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.) where he held a number of positions of growing responsibility in Investor Relations, Risk Management, Corporate and Sustainability Reporting, Treasury, Internal Control Compliance and Finance Transformation. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, a Chartered Professional Accountant and Certified Treasury Professional.
Job Titles:
- Executive & Administrative Inquiries / Are You Looking for Other Company Information? Contact
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Wendy has more than three decades of experience in finance and accounting leadership roles for both private and publicly traded companies. Most recently, Ms. Ford served as VP of Finance and CFO of Mancor Industries, a precision manufacturer of metal components and sub-assemblies. Prior to this, Ms. Ford served as CFO of AirBoss of America, a publicly traded company on the TSX, focused on the compounding, defense, and automotive industries. She has served in leadership roles including financial reporting, auditing, taxation, and compliance for Nasdaq and TSX listed companies. Ms. Ford is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and is a graduate of the University of Toronto.