Examining Ontario's Life Sciences Investment Landscape

How Market Forces And Innovation Are Steering Investment and Development Decisions

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  Parimal Nathwani

  Parimal Nathwani has over 15 years of experience in various aspects of the biotechnology industry including corporate finance, business development, transactions, intellectual property management, technology development and operations. He has been actively involved in forming and managing start-ups, preparing and executing on business plans, raising early-stage capital and in- and out-licensing activities. Before joining MaRS Innovation, now Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP), Parimal was a healthcare analyst with a boutique investment bank, where he conducted equity research on publicly-traded biotechnology companies in Canada and the U.S. He has also led commercialization activities out of BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital as part of his role at the University of British Columbia’s Industry Liaison Office, and was a research scientist at a start-up biotechnology company involved in drug discovery targeting ABC Transporters. Parimal received his MBA from Simon Fraser University and his M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia. He currently sits on the boards of TRIUMF Innovations, Zucara Therapeutics, and Vasomune Therapeutics, and is an observer on the board of Encycle Therapeutics.

  Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners

  CEO

  Parimal Nathwani

  CEO

  Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners

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  Gordon McCauley

  Gordon C. McCauley was appointed President and CEO of adMare BioInnovations in 2016 after four years on the Board. Gordon has demonstrated leadership in various roles, notably executive and investment management in public and private biotech companies and venture capital firms. Additionally, Gordon was a senior advisor to several prominent Canadian political leaders and has integrated this experience into his work within the life sciences sector. Gordon is currently the Chair of CGEn, Canada's national genomics enterprise. He is an independent Director of Forus Therapeutics and Montreal InVivo. Gordon Co-Chairs the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Life Science Council and is actively engaged with the Canadian Public Policy Forum Life Sciences Leadership Table. Previously, Gordon has been Chair of BIOTECanada, LifeSciences British Columbia, Acetech, and The Toronto Rehab Foundation. In 2008, he was the first Canadian to join the Board of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington, D.C., serving in leadership roles until 2013. Gordon holds a B.A. in Political Science from McMaster University, an MBA (with honours) from IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland, and earned the ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors and the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Grenoble École de Management in Grenoble, France.

  adMare Bioinnovations

  CEO

  Gordon McCauley

  CEO

  adMare Bioinnovations

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  Jean-Francois Pariseau

  JF Pariseau is a Partner at Amplitude and co-founded the firm in 2018. As a former scientist turned entrepreneur, JF has over 25 years of experience in biopharma, digital, and MedTech. His career spans R&D, entrepreneurship, and corporate strategy, and he has been integral to more than $2.5 billion of venture, licensing, and M&A deals. Prior to launching Amplitude, JF spent 20 years building and growing the life sciences practice for BDC Capital and CDPQ. Prior to joining CDPQ, he co-founded and operated two life sciences startups as CEO and Vice President of Research. JF received his BSc in biotechnology from the University de Sherbrooke, his MSc in biomedical sciences from Université de Montréal, and his MBA from HEC-Montréal.

  Amplitude Ventures

  Partner

  Jean-Francois Pariseau

  Partner

  Amplitude Ventures

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  Garrett Tone

  Garrett Tone is the Executive Director, Life Sciences for Invest Ontario, the province’s economic development agency. Over the last 17 years, Garrett has held a variety of senior leadership roles for both large multinationals and health tech start-ups across an array of industries including MedTech, In-vitro Diagnostics and Biotech. He’s worked with clients around the world, namely the US, Europe, Asia and Australia and with his experience, Garrett brings a unique, well rounded and pan-industry approach to securing high-profile investments on behalf of the province.

  Invest Ontario

  Executive Director

  Garrett Tone

  Executive Director

  Invest Ontario

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  Pari Nejatie

  Pari is a trusted Headhunter with over 20 years of experience in the Life Sciences sector, specializing in executive recruitment. She has a strong track record of placing top-tier talent in roles such as CEO, CFO, COO, and core, key executive leadership positions. Pari partners with organizations to strengthen their leadership teams and enhance human capital performance, offering expert, honest, and tailored recruitment solutions that align with evolving market dynamics and strategic business goals. Known for her integrity, diligence, and commitment to excellence, Pari delivers professional recruitment services grounded in trust and results.

  Nejatie Consulting

  Founder

  Moderator

  Pari Nejatie

  Founder

  Nejatie Consulting

Innovation And Growth In Toronto's Life Sciences Sector

Exploring The Forces Driving Breakthroughs In Sector Growth

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  Doris Qamar

  CEO

  Spec Labs

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  Randal Froebelius

  Randal Froebelius has been a senior member of the MaRS Discovery District Real Estate team for over 18 years participating in the design, construction, property management, leasing and financing of the MaRS Centre, North America’s largest urban innovation hub, located in Toronto. He is currently Project Executive and Senior Adviser to MaRS and led the design and construction of the MaRS Nucleus space at the Waterfront Innovation Centre in Toronto. Randal is currently Chair of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, and is a Past-Chair of BOMA Canada, BOMA Toronto and the BOMA Floor Measurement Standards Committee. In 2019, he became a BOMA Fellow. Randal also serves on the boards of the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology in Sudbury, Ontario, and Halmont Properties Corporation. Randal has 35 years of experience in property management, leasing, project management and construction. Randal holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science (Civil) degree from the University of Western Ontario, an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario. He has held progressive positions with construction, real estate development and management companies throughout his career.

  MaRS Discovery District

  Project Executive & Senior Adviser

  Randal Froebelius

  Project Executive & Senior Adviser

  MaRS Discovery District

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  Sonya Donovan

  Sonya Donovan is the Managing Director, Real Estate at the University of Toronto. Prior to her current position, Sonya was the Director of Real Estate at the University of Guelph, where she spearheaded the implementation of the real estate development strategy for the University’s extensive non-academic real estate land holdings. Sonya worked at Oxford Properties for several years holding progressively senior roles in investments, leasing, and development. Sonya sits on the board of CRE8, a not-for-profit organization that she co-founded with four other women to help increase the advancement and participation of women in the commercial real estate sector. Sonya is a CPA, CA, and an Honours Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario.

  University of Toronto

  Managing Director, Real Estate

  Sonya Donovan

  Managing Director, Real Estate

  University of Toronto

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  Cary Solomon

  Managing Partner

  Seeker Labs

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  Maura Campbell

  Dr. Maura Campbell is the President and CEO of OBIO®, a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization. Dr. Campbell has more than 30 years of experience in all key areas of biotech, including private and public companies, universities and research institutes, and government-funded public sector research organizations. With expertise in technology transfer and commercialization of intellectual property, Dr. Campbell has held various roles in senior management, most recently as the Vice-President of Intellectual Property and Contracts for Turnstone Biologics, which went public on the NASDAQ. Previously, Dr. Campbell served as: Director, Intellectual Property at VBI Vaccines; Research Program Manager, and Manager of Technology Transfer & Commercialization at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute; Director of Intellectual Property for PainCeptor Pharma Corporation; and Manager of Technology Transfer at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems National Centre of Excellence. Dr. Campbell has also served as an IP consultant to a number of Canadian start-ups including Neurochem, Conjuchem, Aonix, AMRIC and Sussex Research Labs.

  OBIO

  CEO

  Maura Campbell

  CEO

  OBIO

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  Jay Levine

  Driven to do work that matters, Jay is a leader in the programming, planning, design, and execution of specialized pharmaceutical, biotechnology, GMP compliant, academic and life sciences research facilities. By integrating architecture and engineering, Jay creates high-performance spaces that facilitate team collaboration, support advanced research, and accelerate breakthrough discoveries. As Science+Technology Practice Area Chair for DIALOG, Jay unites a community of practitioners across five studios, balancing technical pragmatism with creative design vision. His leadership in lab planning and technical building performance innovation has set new standards in architectural practice for laboratory design and research environments.

  DIALOG

  Science+Technology Practice Group Chair, Partner

  Moderator

  Jay Levine

  Science+Technology Practice Group Chair, Partner

  DIALOG