Our
Team
Our Team
We bring together industry experts from the business and science community working together to bring revolutionary treatment to the mental healthcare landscape.
Doug Drysdale
Chief Executive Officer
- 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.
- From November 2017 to July 2020, Doug was a Director and CEO of Tedor Pharma, a family-owned contract manufacturing business. Doug’s efforts to turnaround the business resulted in 60% revenue growth in 2019, leading to Tedor being recognized as one of America’s fastest-growing companies, making it to the 2020 Inc 5000 list.
- Former Head of M&A at Actavis Group, leading 15 corporate acquisitions across three continents, between 2004 and 2008, including a high-profile public hostile takeover attempt in Central Eastern Europe. Over this period, Doug raised approximately $3 billion of capital and managed lending syndicates including 25+ banks, to fund the company’s growth. Actavis was sold to Watson Pharmaceuticals in 2012 for EUR4.25 billion.
- Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in Microbial and Molecular Biology from the University of East Anglia in the U.K. and was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, in 2012. Doug is an enthusiastic traveler, having traveled to over 45 countries, is an avid reader and enjoys cooking and boating.
Eric So
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.
- Successfully raised hundreds of millions for various companies and navigated value creation, various exits and liquidity events for investors and shareholders.
- Bachelor of Science Major in Anatomy and Cell Biology and Minor in Psychology from McGill University.
- Bachelor of Laws from the University of Windsor.
Aaron Bartlone
Chief Operating 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.
Lori Challenger
Chief Compliance, Ethics & Administrative Officer
- Former Lead Compliance Program Designer of the non-medical cannabis compliance program at a major Canadian retailer.
- ISO 19600 Certified Senior Lead Compliance Manager.
- PROSCI Certified Change Management Practitioner.
- Vast experience and knowledge in the design and operation of foundational programs (regulatory compliance, operational) and organizational design & strategy implementation and execution.
Amir Inamdar MBBS, DNB (Psych), MFPM
Chief Medical Officer
- Qualified psychiatrist and pharmaceutical physician with over 20 years of clinical and drug development experience.
- Successfully progressed numerous candidate drugs through preclinical development and early phase clinical trials to proof-of-concept studies
- Experienced in leading global teams overseeing development of novel medications across a range of psychiatric indications including treatment resistant depression, narcolepsy, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance use disorders.
Alex Nivorozhkin Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
- Lead NCE inventor of multiple successfully partnered drug discovery and development programs.
- Technology developer of the proprietary formulations for CNS drugs.
- Seasoned medicinal chemist, drug delivery expert and founder of multiple biotech companies.
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.
Paul Glavine
Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer
- Co-founder of Global Canna Brands which was granted the first ever tier 3 cultivation license in Jamaica.
- Sold first cannabis startup Truverra to Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX:FIRE).
- Has advised on M&A and other financings in excess of $50M.
- Serial entrepreneur and investor with vast experience in the biotech and cannabis sectors.
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.
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.
George Tziras
Chief Business Officer
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.
Allison House-Gecewicz
SVP, Clinical Operations
- 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
- Well networked in developing and nurturing strong Key Opinion Leader (KOL)relationships in Phase I – IV Trials.
- Extensive background in various therapeutic areas (TAs) with a special emphasis on CNS indications. Experience includes, Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment, schizophrenia (CIAS, negative, and positive symptoms), bipolar disorder (mania and depressive state) and MDD.
- Significant experience with the unique challenges in phase I (first in human, SAD, MAD, complex cohort management) and orphan indications (Friederichs’s ataxia, behavioral variant FTD, FTD with Progranulin Mutation).
Geoff Varty Ph.D.
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.
- Published research in over 130 journal articles and abstracts.
Kenneth Avery Ph.D.
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.
Eric Hoskins
Independent Director
- Former Ontario health minister responsible for one of the largest healthcare systems in North America (2014 – 2018).
- Former elected Member of Ontario Provincial Parliament with Cabinet positions in Health, Economic Development and Trade, Children and Youth Services, and Immigration.
- Government of Canada Chair, Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare.
- Physician and public health specialist with more than thirty years’ experience in public policy, complex diplomacy, international affairs, health care, media and economic development at the intersection of business, politics and complex social and political circumstances.
- Proven negotiator and navigator at the highest levels of government and bureaucracy.
Dr. Anthony Back
Clinical Advisor
- Anthony Back is a recognized leader in the fields of palliative care and oncology.
- Board-certified physician at Colorectal Services at University of Washington Medical Center, co-director of the University of Washington Center for Excellence in Palliative Care, and a University of Washington professor of Oncology and Medicine and an adjunct professor of Bioethics and Humanities.
- He is triple board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Medical Oncology and General Internal Medicine. He was the principal investigator for the Oncotalk interventions, co-wrote Mastering Communication with Seriously Ill Patients, released the first iPhone app for clinician communication skills, and is a Contemplative Studies Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute.
- His clinical and research interests include patient-physician communication and quality of life palliative care.
- Dr. Back earned his medical degree at Harvard Medical School.
Theresa Firestone
Independent Director
- Former Senior Vice President with Shoppers Drug Mart responsible for developing new growth strategies and the connected health network
- 15 years in senior roles with Pfizer Inc in Canada, Europe and Asia, including Regional President, Emerging Markets Asia (China).
- 35 years experience in health care including senior leadership
Dr. Maurizio Fava
Clinical Advisor
- 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.
Sherri M. Altshuler
Regulatory Advisor
- Partner and Co-Chair of Capital Markets Group at Aird & Berlis LLP.
- co-Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Capital Markets Group.
- Recognized in 2017 as one of Lexpert magazine’s Rising Stars: Canada’s Leading Lawyers Under 40 and, in 2018, as a leading lawyer to watch in the area of Corporate Finance & Securities.
- 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.
Dr. Thomas Laughren
Clinical Advisor
- 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.
Mark Lawson
Independent Director
- 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.
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.
Mirza I. Rahman, MD, MPH, FAAFP, FACPM
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.
Dr. Atul Mahableshwarkar, M.D.
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.
Tom Macek, PharmD, PhD
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.
Marie Layzell
VP, CMC
- 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a project manager and CMC consultant, specialising in analytical and formulation development
- Co-founder of biotech company Small Pharma, which was acquired by Cybin in 2023
- Author or reviewer of the quality sections for numerous regulatory submissions
- Responsible for the development of numerous drug product formulations
- Advised multiple large pharma projects on CMC drug development
Pradip Pathare Ph.D.
VP, CMC
- 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.
- Post-doctoral research with Nobel Laureate Prof H.C.Brown, Purdue University.
Alex Kelman, Ph.D.
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.
Marcelo Gutierrez, Ph.D.
VP Clinical Pharmacology
- 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.
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
Emma Hodge
Head of Legal, Europe
- Responsible for a wide range of legal matters including intellectual property, contracts for R&D and Clinical Trials, GDPR, and UK employment matters.
- Over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, including as an in-house patent attorney with major pharmaceutical companies.
- Chartered (UK) Patent Attorney, European Patent Attorney, Solicitor (England and Wales).
Naomi Morris
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.
- Responsible for maintaining corporate records and database.
Robert Mino JD, MBA, MS
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.
- Over 20 years of diverse experience including general counsel, IP attorney, commercial roles, and laboratory researcher
- Registered Patent Attorney, USPTO, Licensed to Practice Law in FL, DC, and MA
- Regulatory Affairs Certificate for Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices, RAPS; Copyright Law Certificate, Harvard University
- JD, MBA, MS (Molecular Genetics, Pharmacology), University of Florida; BS (Genetics, Chemistry), University of Georgia
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
Sanford R. Climan
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.