CYBIN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Chief Quality
- Risk Officer
Former Chief Quality, Patient Safety, HSE & Risk Officer at UCB, Inc leading a team of 1500+ colleagues in 54 countries.
Former President at UCB, Inc. leading US commercial operations through the restructuring into CNS and Immunology Business Units with annualized 27% P&L growth ($2.2B in revenue).
Various Director level research, regulatory and managerial roles at Eli Lilly from 1997 to 2006.
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Officer
- Chief Scientific Officer / Lead NCE Inventor of Multiple Successfully Partnered Drug Discovery and Development Programs
Lead NCE inventor of multiple successfully partnered drug discovery and development programs.
Passionate about developing novel treatment protocols in CNS therapeutics to advance unmet medical needs. Translate business strategy into optimal solutions by building and partnering with premier providers
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Team Board of Directors Advisor
An experienced Corporate Director and CEO: Doug has chaired the board of directors of a NASDAQ-listed company and as a CEO for the past 12 years has built and turned-around three pharmaceutical companies.
During Doug's 30 years of experience in the healthcare sector, he has formed cohesive management teams, recruited board members, completed 15 corporate acquisitions across three continents and has raised $4 billion of both public and private capital.
Led the turnaround of Norwich Pharmaceuticals alongside investors and became the Founding CEO of parent company, Alvogen Group. During his 5.5 year tenure as CEO, Alvogen grew from inception to $450 million in revenues across 35 countries.
In early 2014, Doug led the recapitalization of NASDAQ-listed Pernix Therapeutics, raising $65 million. Within the first year of taking the helm as Chairman and CEO, Doug rebuilt the management team and board of directors, combined several operating locations, and grew the company's enterprise value from $80 million to around $800 million. Under Doug's leadership, Pernix raised $465 million of capital.
Job Titles:
- Head of Therapies
- VP, Clinical Development
Dr. Alex Kelman is the Head of Therapies at Cybin and an Attending Psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Prior to his current role at Cybin, Dr. Kelman was the Director of Training of the UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence in the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Dr. Kelman has published manuscripts on behavioral health equity, mindfulness, compassion, trauma-informed systems of care, and novel methods of service delivery and has done extensive community-based and academic teaching in these areas.
Anthony Back is a recognized leader in the fields of palliative care and oncology.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
- SVP, Clinical Development
Dr. Atul R. Mahableshwarkar is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has had multiple leadership roles in Academia, Clinical practice, the Scientific Community and the Pharmaceutical Industry with a track record for innovative problem solving and delivering successful outcomes.
Dr. Mahableshwarkar has Lead development programs in Anxiety disorders, Alzheimer's, Bipolar disorder, Cervical Dystonia, Childhood Onset Fluency Disorders, Frequently Relapsing Bipolar disorder, Major depression, Social Anxiety Disorder, Parkinson's disease, Plantar Fasciitis, Schizophrenia, Tourette's Syndrome, Upper limb spasticity leading to successful filing of INDs, NDAs, and an sNDA.
He's had leadership roles as CMO and SVP/VP for clinical Development in growth stage startup and small Biotech/Pharma responsible for pipeline and working with C-Suite on strategic company growth, presentations to and interactions with investors, company Boards and external audiences including regulators such as the FDA, EMA, PMDA etc. Significant input in due diligence for Companies, platforms and molecules for both internal and external (Venture Capital) organizations.
Dr. Mahableshwarkar has over 180 scientific publications/posters/oral presentations and is a founding Member of two Scientific societies and serves on the Scientific, Program, Leadership and Executive Committees of various Scientific Societies.
International leader in the field of depression. He serves as Psychiatrist-in-Chief in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Dean for Clinical & Translational Research, and Slater Family Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
In 2007, he founded and is now Executive Director of the Mass General Psychiatry Clinical Trials Network and Institute ("CTNI"), the first academic contract research organization ("CRO") specialized in planning and coordination of multi-center clinical trials in psychiatry.
He has authored or co-authored more than 800 original articles published in medical journals with international circulation, edited eight books, and published more than 50 chapters and over 600 abstracts. Dr. Fava earned his medical degree from the University of Padua.
Job Titles:
- Medical Director, Clinical Development
- Physician With Training in Psychiatry
Dr. Samantha Bostrom is a physician with training in Psychiatry and Pediatrics, along with post-residency education in psychopharmacology. For 26 years prior to joining the Cybin team, she was executing cutting-edge research for psychiatric conditions across all age groups for major pharmaceutical companies and CROs. She has contributed to ensuring the safety and efficacy of treatments for conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, autism, ADHD, and anxiety.
Dr. Bostrom served as a consultant to clinical research sites and pharmaceutical companies looking to optimize operations and improve research outcomes. She is committed to participant-centered protocol design, with a strong focus on integrating real-world insights to reduce site burden, enhance participant retention, and ensure robust data collection.
In her current role at Cybin, Dr. Bostrom offers guidance to fellow principal investigators and research teams, fostering collaborative relationships and promoting excellence in site-sponsor communication. Her dedication to clinical research on a global scale continues to have a significant impact on the lives of individuals affected by psychiatric conditions.
Former FDA Director for the Division of Psychiatry products, where he served for 29 years.
Dr. Laughren was responsible for overseeing the review of all psychiatric drug development activities conducted under INDs and the review of all NDA's and supplements for new psychiatric claims.
Prior to joining the FDA in September 1983, Dr. Laughren was affiliated with the VA Medical Center in Providence, RI, and was on the faculty of the Brown University Program in Medicine.
He has authored and co-authored many papers and book chapters on regulatory and methodological issues pertaining to the development of psychiatric drugs, and is a frequent speaker at professional meetings on these same topics. Dr. Laughren has received numerous awards for his regulatory accomplishments.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Clinical Development
Ellen James, Ph.D. Senior Director, Clinical Development PhD and postdoctoral training at Imperial College London 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry specialising in clinical development Lead for successful proof-of-concept study with DMT in major depression Author of many scientific publications, posters and presentations Responsible for the clinical development of psychedelic compounds since 2019
Responsible for a wide range of legal matters including intellectual property, contracts for R&D and Clinical Trials, GDPR, and UK employment matters.
Former Ontario health minister responsible for one of the largest healthcare systems in North America (2014 - 2018).
Eric So - Chairman, Founder, President
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Executive Chairman
- President
- Co - Founder, Executive Chairman and President / Co - Founder and Managing Director of Trinity Venture Partners Inc., a Boutique Merchant Bank
Veteran founder, investor, operator and advisor to disruptive companies, he began his career practicing in the areas of corporate commercial, securities, finance and mergers and acquisitions at a leading international law firm.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Controller
- VP, Corporate Controller / Former Controller at Knight Therapeutics Inc
Erica Olson VP, Corporate Controller Former Controller at Knight Therapeutics Inc. Former auditor at Ernst & Young Holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy from McGill University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant
Job Titles:
- Director for the Division of Psychiatry
Gabe Fahel - Chief Legal Officer
Gabe Fahel brings extensive experience in corporate commercial matters and government relations with more than 20 years as counsel with law firms, private and public companies, and government and non-governmental organizations. Gabe has a broad range of experience managing multijurisdictional and multidisciplinary teams in fast-paced and politically charged environments. He has been engaged in complex and intractable areas of international law and advanced novel legal issues of law before every level of court in Canada, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Gabe is also a founding board member of Psychedelics Canada.
Job Titles:
- SVP, Research & Pre - Clinical Development
Neuroscientist and drug discoverer with a proven record of progressing novel molecular entities into clinical trials.
Over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with scientific leadership and managerial roles in Research & Development at Schering Plough, Sanofi, and Merck.
Contributed to the clinical testing of several compounds with one of the compounds (rolapitant) approved and marketed as VARUBI for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
Managed the out-sourcing of in-vivo studies to Contract Research Organizations (CROs) for Merck's major therapy areas.
Prior to joining Cybin, George was Chief Executive Officer and director of Small Pharma, which he initially joined in 2015 as a director.
George has over 15 years of experience in investment banking and international capital markets having worked at a number of global financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Nomura, Lehman Brothers and CIBC. His experience spans a broad range of transactions including debt and equity financings; mergers, disposals and acquisitions; private equity buyouts and debt restructurings. He has also worked across a number of industries including healthcare.
George holds a BA from the University of Oxford and a MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Job Titles:
- Independent Director
- Independent Director / Former Chief Operating Officer at Loblaws, Canada 's Largest Food and Drug Retailer
Grant Froese Independent Director Former Chief Operating Officer at Loblaws, Canada's largest food and drug retailer. 38 years experience within the retail industry. Extensive background in merchandising, supply chain management, digital, marketing and innovative strategies. Served on various private and public boards.
Greg Cavers Chief Financial Officer 15+ years experience creating efficient scalable operations financial reporting, IFRS; regulatory reporting OSFI. Former Ontario Securities Commission contracted Director of Finance. Former Scotiabank senior manager of enterprise functions. Former CFO of Global Maxfin Investments Inc. Former CIBC small business lending controller. Authority over assets of $31B for external reporting on a monthly and quarterly basis.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder / Co - Founder and Managing Director of Trinity Venture Partners Inc, a Canadian Boutique Merchant Bank
John Kanakis Co-Founder Co-Founder and Managing Director of Trinity Venture Partners Inc, a Canadian boutique merchant bank. Co-Founder of multiple start-ups across various sectors. 10+ years experience in medical device manufacturing and regulatory frameworks. Successfully raised over $100M for various start-ups.
Job Titles:
- SVP Chemistry & Manufacturing
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with detailed knowledge of pharmaceutical development.
Direct detailed experience in synthetic organic, analytical and formulation development chemistry with excellent trouble shooting ability.
Experience in outsourcing / technology transfer management to domestic and international CROs to support clinical and preclinical projects for drug substance and drug product.
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance, Ethics & Administrative Officer / Former Lead Compliance Program Designer of the Non - Medical Cannabis Compliance Program at a Major Canadian Retailer
Former Lead Compliance Program Designer of the non-medical cannabis compliance program at a major Canadian retailer.
Marcelo Gutierrez graduated with a PhD in Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences from the University of California, San Francisco. In 1994, he started his career in Clinical Pharmacology at Forest Research Institute in New York City where he was responsible for the clinical pharmacology program of all drugs in the CNS division, successfully bringing four drugs through NDA submission and approval including Celexa, Lexapro and Namenda.
He joined Actelion Pharmaceuticals in Allschwil, Switzerland in 2008 as Deputy Head, Clinical Pharmacology, responsible for the CP programs of several drugs in various therapeutic areas including anti-infectives, cardiovascular and allergy.
In 2012, he joined Novartis in Basel, Switzerland as Head of Global Scientific Development, responsible for reviewing the portfolio of NIBR drugs prior to transfer to Novartis Pharma Division. He also developed clinical pharmacology courses for non-CPs and helped build translational medicine capability in emerging countries (with a focus on Africa).
Since 2021 and before joining Cybin, Marcelo held the position of Head, Clinical Pharmacology, DMPK and Bioanalytics at Amylyx Pharmaceuticals, developing medicines for ALS and other orphan diseases. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking (mainly Asian cuisine), tennis, volleyball and traveling.
25 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a project manager and CMC consultant, specialising in analytical and formulation development
Job Titles:
- Independent Director
- Private Equity & Investment Banking Executive
Mark Lawson is private equity & investment banking executive with over 20 years of experience in the North American capital markets and is the Managing Partner at Clermont Capital Partners.
He was previously an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in New York where he was involved in the execution of over $6 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions, $8 billion worth of debt offerings and $500 million of equity financings in the healthcare, technology, and media & telecom sectors.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Statistical Sciences from The University of Western Ontario, Canada and his MBA from The Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Job Titles:
- President of Both the American College of Preventive Medicine
- SVP, Patient Safety & Pharmacovigilance
Dr. Rahman has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, primarily in Pharmacovigilance, but also in Clinical Development, Pharmacoeconomics, Medical Affairs, Manufacturing, and Regulatory Affairs.
Previously, Dr. Rahman served in leadership positions at global healthcare companies, including Organon and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, where he played an integral role in leading the pharmacovigilance strategy and prioritizing patient safety.
Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Rahman worked in academia as an Assistant Professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Ohio, and in public health, as the Medical Director of a Community Health Center in New York.
Dr. Rahman currently serves as the President of both the American College of Preventive Medicine and the Guyanese Diaspora Charity. In addition, he is an Adjunct Associate Professor at both Columbia University & the University of Guyana. He is a trained Family Physician who is board-certified in Public Health & General Preventive Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director, Legal & Corporate Services
25 years of experience working with leading corporations in administrative support roles to senior leadership.
10+ years of law firm and in-house corporate law clerk experience working in rapidly evolving tech-based industries.
Oversight of national and international legal and corporate matters with specialty in corporate restructuring, tax reorganizations, acquisitions, and public company listings and filings.
Job Titles:
- Chief Growth Officer
- Co - Founder
- Co - Founder and Chief Growth Officer / Co - Founder of Global Canna Brands Which Was Granted the First Ever Tier 3 Cultivation License in Jamaica
Co-founder of Global Canna Brands which was granted the first ever tier 3 cultivation license in Jamaica.
Highly skilled executive with 20+ years of management experience in pharmaceutical development operations, early stage, and late-stage development.
Strategic professional with proven expertise in CMC ensures that pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical drug products are consistently effective, safe and high quality.
Experienced in laboratory research, scale up, and technology transfer to ensure optimal product quality of drugs from R&D to late-stage approval.
Strong knowledge of establishing strategies for Process Control, Process Qualification and Process Performance Qualification in order to produce coast saving processes and manufacturing of complex molecules from lab to commercial scale.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel & IP Counsel
Responsible for a wide range of legal matters including contracts, intellectual property, US employment agreements, and contracts for R&D, Pre-clinical, Clinical, Regulatory, and Business Development teams.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
Ryan Richardson Director of Information Technology IT professional with 20 years experience A passion for technology & data insights Driving innovative, cost effective, secure IT solutions
Job Titles:
- CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures, Inc
- Strategic Advisor
Sanford R. (Sandy) Climan is CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures, Inc. Founded in 1999 by Mr. Climan, EMV is active in media investment and strategic advisory work, with a particular focus on innovative technologies and entities currently impacting the traditional boundaries of business, media, and entertainment. He is an investor, producer and considered a media visionary.
Throughout his career, Mr. Climan has held senior management positions in the media and entertainment industry. Mr. Climan served as Corporate Executive Vice and President of Worldwide Business Development of Universal Studios, where Mr. Climan oversaw corporate international strategy, strategic marketing and five studio operating divisions. In addition, Mr. Climan served in senior positions in motion picture and television production and distribution at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its affiliated production companies.
Mr. Climan was the founding head of CAA's corporate practice, working with global companies including Sony Corporation on its acquisition of Columbia Pictures, Matsushita Electric on its acquisition of MCA/Universal, Credit Lyonnais on its restructuring of MGM, Coca-Cola, NYNEX, Bell Atlantic, Pacific Telesis and other Fortune 500 Companies. Additionally, while at CAA, Mr. Climan was part of the senior management team for 12 years, representing talent including Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, Danny DeVito, and Michael Mann, as well as many prominent film and television production companies.
Notable achievements include: Executive Producer of the first digital live-action 3D motion picture, "U2 3D" and Producer of "The Aviator," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, for which Mr. Climan was awarded a British Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Mr. Climan has served as a bridge between Silicon Valley and Hollywood since the mid-1990s, and has been an active venture investor, board member, and senior advisor to numerous entrepreneurial companies in media, technology, fintech, and healthcare.
Mr. Climan serves on several charitable boards, including the American Cinematheque and the World Arts Forum of the World Economic Forum. From 2008-2012, Mr. Climan served as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For over twenty years, Mr. Climan served on the board of The Fulfillment Fund, the leading organization for mentoring at-risk public high school students in Los Angeles. Mr. Climan has also served as an advisor on entertainment and media to the World Economic Forum and its Annual Gathering in Davos, Switzerland, as a member of the Advisory Board to the Yale CEO Leadership Institute of the Yale School of Management, and as a member of the philanthropic Advisory Board of Lifestyles Magazine. Mr. Climan was awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2018 and serves as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Ellis Island Honors Society.
Mr. Climan holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School, a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Harvard College.
Job Titles:
- Member of the TSX Venture Exchange Ontario Advisory Committee
- Regulatory Advisor / Partner and Co - Chair of Capital Markets Group at Aird & Berlis LLP
Sherri is a member of the TSX Venture Exchange Ontario Advisory Committee and a former member of the Ontario Securities Commission Small and Medium Enterprises Committee.
Job Titles:
- Independent Director
- Independent Director / Former Senior Vice President With Shoppers Drug Mart Responsible for Developing New Growth Strategies and the Connected Health Network
Former Senior Vice President with Shoppers Drug Mart responsible for developing new growth strategies and the connected health network
Job Titles:
- SVP, Clinical Development
Established Global Program/Asset Strategy and Clinical Development Team Leader with 25+ years of experience in pharma/biotech management and New Drug Development for serious medical conditions in multiple therapeutic areas (psychiatry/neurology, rare diseases, immunology/oncology, GI/GU, and others).
Highly experienced in all phases of new drug development (pre-candidate and Phase 1 - 4) of diverse treatment modalities (small molecules, antibodies, oligonucleotides, and gene therapies) and cross-functional program leadership within highly matrixed, multinational corporations.
Has led or supported the global development and approval of psychiatric products for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, insomnia, and depression and neurological products for spinal muscular atrophy.