At Best Startup Canada we track over 100,000 Canadian startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top British Columbia based CEO’ operating in the Pharmaceutical space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.ca.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Michael Tan
CEO / CMO of Salvation Labs
Former/first executive director, BCLDB Cannabis Division. Successfully launched Cannabis operations in BC. 20 years of strategic planning and execution with national and multinational corporations. High impact product development, marketing, and operations executive with a track record of driving profitable revenue growth. Start-up business and enterprise leadership, integration, organizational restructuring, customer-centric business modeling.
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About Salvation Labs: Salvation Labs is a multifaceted, tech-forward cannabis and cannabidiol (CBD) company.
Michael Fergusson
Founder & CEO of Ayogo Health
Michael has raced giraffes, terraformed a planet, and hunted vampires, and that was just this morning! He learned to touch type by hunting sharks, and has travelled the entire Oregon Trail without getting scurvy. He also believes that playing is one of the most meaningful and productive things we can do. Michael is the CEO and Founder of Ayogo, a company that has won many awards for their use of game psychology and social networks to help patients take control of their treatments. For this work, Michael was Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year, and was recently named to the PharmaVOICE 100, a peer-nominated list of the 100 most inspiring people in Life Sciences. Michael has been a multi-gold medalist and grand champion at the Western Canadian Martial Arts Championships and lives in Vancouver with his family.
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About Ayogo Health, Viospatia: Ayogo is a Vancouver-based digital health company .
Patrick L McGeer
Founder,President & CEO of Aurin Biotech
Dr. Patrick McGeer is a professor emeritus in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He received his PhD in chemistry at Princeton University and his MD at UBC. In between he worked for the DuPont Company in Wilmington, Delaware where he met his wife, Dr. Edith McGeer. Dr. McGeer is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of British Columbia. He has repeatedly served on scientific review panels for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and on advisory boards for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation and the Canadian societies for Parkinson’s disease, ALS and multiple sclerosis. For many years, he combined his scientific career with politics, serving in the British Columbia Legislature from 1962 to 1986, and in the British Columbia Cabinet from 1975 to 1986. In Government, he worked to promote the development of high technology industry in the province, and also served as President and Chairman of the Board of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, and on the Board of the British Columbia Hydro and Power authority, The British Columbia Petroleum Corporation, and the British Columbia Systems Corporation. He is the Founder of two charitable foundations, the Pacific Alzheimer Research Foundation, and the Canadian Dementia Action Network. Dr. McGeer is the author of more than 680 scientific papers and 8 patents. With his wife Edith and Nobel Laureate Sir John Eccles, he is an author of two scientific textbooks and is the editor of 3 others. Dr. McGeer is the recipient of four honorary degrees and is recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited neuroscientists.
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About Aurin Biotech: Aurin Biotech Inc. is a private company established to advance the development of a remarkable collection of small molecules.
Raj Gulia
Co-founder & CEO of PocketPills
Raj Gulia is a Co-Founder at PocketPills.
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About PocketPills: Pocketpills is Canada’s leading online pharmacy, delivers medication by the dose, straight to customer’s door.
Carolyn Cross
Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Ondine Biomedical
Ms. Cross was one of the initial founders and financial supporters of Ondine Biomedical Inc. in 1999 and currently serves as the Chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer the Company. Ms. Cross has over 18 years direct experience working with early stage companies and has 25 years experience with public market securities. Previously, Ms. Cross was responsible for managing pension, pooled, mutual and private client funds as a Vice President with Royal Bank Investment Management Inc., the fund management arm of the Royal Bank of Canada. She currently sits on the boards of a number of companies including Periowave Dental Technologies, Inc., OrGenX Biopharma Corp., and Sinuwave Technologies Corp, and sits on the Advisory Board of the McGill University Dental School. Ms Cross is a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization, the International Women’s Forum, the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts, the Courthill and Cherie Blair Foundations, and the Association for Professionals In Infection Control and Epidemiology. Ms Cross is the Founder of OrGenX Biopharma Corporation, a WEConnect certified company.
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About Ondine Biomedical: Ondine Biomedical develops non-antibiotic, anti-infective therapies for a broad spectrum of bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.
Erich Mohr
CEO&Founder of MedGenesis Therapeutix
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About MedGenesis Therapeutix: MedGenesis Therapeutix is a biopharmaceutical company developing life-enhancing therapeutics for patients with serious neurologic diseases.
Doug Janzen
Chairman & CEO of Aequus Pharmaceuticals
Doug Janzen has been involved in the Life Sciences industry for the past 19 years. He is currently the Founder and President of Northview Ventures, an organization which invests in and provides strategic advisory services to a number of technology companies. Mr Janzen was part of the founding group of Aequus Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Mr Janzen was President and CEO of Cardiome Pharma, a NASDAQ listed drug development company that raised over $300 million from investors, and completed over $1 billion in licensing deals during his tenure. In 2010, Cardiome’s lead product, Brinavess, was approved and launched in Europe by Merck. Prior to that, he was an investment banker with Cormark Securities, acting as Managing Director of Life Sciences. Mr Janzen is Past Chair of LifeSciences BC, has served as a Director with Biotech Canada and currently sits as a Director on a number of public and private boards. He is a past winner of Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40 Award.
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About Aequus Pharmaceuticals, Northview Ventures: Aequus Pharmaceuticals is a pharmaceutical company that focuses on therapeutic areas, including neurology, ophthalmology, and transplant.
Zeeshan Hayat
CEO of RxToMe
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About RxToMe: Prescription Delivery & Pharmacy Ecosystem
Frederick Sancilio
Chairman, President and CEO of Sancilio and Company
Frederick D. Sancilio is the Principle and Co-Founder of Sancilio and Company.
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About Sancilio and Company: Sancilio and Company develops biopharmaceutical supplements and products.
Aldar Bourinbaiar
CEO of Immunitor
Aldar Bourinbaiar is the CEO at Immunitor.
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About Immunitor: Immunitor develops orally-delivered immunotherapies for a number of serious diseases affecting the world.
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