Archived events
Life Sciences - BC’s Innovation Future
May 16, 2023 @ Vancouver, BC
This month’s event was presented by
Meet the panelists
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Andrew Booth is the Chief Financial Officer at AbCellera and was on the company Board of Directors from 2016 to 2019. Prior to joining AbCellera, Andrew was at STEMCELL Technologies for 10 years holding roles as the Vice President of Instrumentation, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Commercial Officer. Andrew joined STEMCELL from GE Healthcare based in London, UK where he led M&A for GE Healthcare’s EMEA and global Life Sciences businesses.
Andrew completed his MBA at INSEAD in France in 2003 and completed his BASc in Engineering Physics with honours at the University of British Columbia in 1998. Andrew has spent his entire career in technology businesses including immediately following graduation as an engineer at Creo Technologies and being a co-founder of Zaber Technologies - both in Vancouver.
Andrew has had a variety of Board roles including being the past Chairman of Precision Nanosystems, a Director on the National Board of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, and a member of the Science World Advisory Board. He has also been a frequent mentor of the BC New Ventures Business Plan Competition and a member of the Board for the BC Tech Association and Life Sciences BC. Andrew regularly participates in panels and advisory committees across Canada on innovation, entrepreneurship, and scaling companies.
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Born in Ottawa and raised in Nova Scotia, Dr. Eaves obtained his undergraduate degree in biology from Acadia University, his medical degree from Dalhousie University and his PhD in medical biophysics from the University of Toronto. He specialized in internal medicine and medical oncology in Toronto and Vancouver following which he became a research scholar for what is now known as Michael Smith Health Research BC. In 1985, Dr. Eaves was appointed Head of Clinical Hematology at the University of British Columbia, the Vancouver General Hospital, and BC Cancer where he served for 18 years and focused on building one of Canada’s first and largest bone marrow transplant programs. He has served on many boards and committees for various medical and scholarly societies throughout his decades-long career and co-authored more than 200 articles in leading scientific journals.
In 1981, Dr. Eaves co-founded the Terry Fox Laboratory for Hematology/Oncology Research where he served as Director for 25 years. In 1993, he founded STEMCELL Technologies by mortgaging his home and has since grown it into Canada's largest biotechnology company with over 2000 employees who develop cutting-edge products and services for the global life sciences community.
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Small businessperson, tech entrepreneur, and change maker, Brenda Bailey was elected MLA for Vancouver-False Creek in 2020 and named British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation in December 2022.
Minister Bailey brings to her role a passion for expanding opportunity and economic innovation nurtured over a lifetime building new businesses, leading economic development initiatives, and serving the community. In every role she has taken on, she has worked to create a more inclusive community and economy.
Minister Bailey blazed new trails for women in tech as co-founder of Canada’s first women-owned and operated video game studio. She helped strengthen and diversify B.C.’s creative tech industry as head of British Columbia’s interactive and creative digital marketing association, DigiBC.
Today, as Minister of Jobs Economic Development and Innovation, Minister Bailey’s focus is working with business, Indigenous and community leaders to drive the government’s Stronger BC Economic Plan forward. For Minister Bailey that means growing an economy that benefits all British Columbians with support for business, expanded access to post-secondary education and skills training, meeting our climate commitments, and fostering innovation across our economy.
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Darryl Knight joined Providence Health Care as Vice-President, Research and Academic Affairs in 2019. His role also includes accountabilities as President, Providence Health Care Research Institute; Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia; and Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Medicine, UBC.
Darryl obtained his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 1993. In 2004, he was recruited to UBC as the Canada Research Chair in Airway Disease. He was recruited back to Australia in 2013 and was Professor and Head of School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy at the University of Newcastle. Continuing this pattern, Darryl was recruited back to Canada in 2019 taking up his current role.
Darryl is a cell biologist with an international reputation in the area of lung and airway remodelling. His research career has focused on understanding how abnormal epithelial cell-fibroblast interactions influence the severity and chronicity of respiratory diseases. To date, he has published over 166 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters (h-factor 55; 9120 citations - Google Scholar, May 2019).
Darryl has a strong track record of obtaining research grant funding (>$20 million), including leading a successful application for $7 million from the CFI in 2012. He is regularly invited to present his work and chair sessions at major national and international meetings.
Darryl has strong research leadership credentials. From 2009-2012 he was the Associate Director of the UBC James Hogg Research Centre and sat on the executive of the Institute for Heart and Lung Health. He sits on several national and international scientific research committees, and is on the editorial board of 5 international journals. Darryl has been primary supervisor for 7 Post-doctoral fellows, 17 PhD and 2 MSc students and over 18 Graduate students.
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President & CEO of Life Sciences BC, Wendy Hurlburt, holds a critical leadership role in B.C.’s dynamic life sciences ecosystem. She takes a collaborative approach to building relationships between local SMEs, global partners, educational institutions, and government to support the thriving sector and is a highly regarded spokesperson in key international markets. Regarded as a promoter and advocate for the sector, Wendy attracts new business and investment opportunities to the province.
Wendy is passionate about volunteerism and seeks out tangible ways to give back. She is a member of the Government, Budget, and Finance Committee for the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, a member of the Clinical Trials BC Advisory Council, Michael Smith Health Research BC, a member of the external advisory committee of the Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcomes, a data governance advisor to the Association of Privacy Professions, Vancouver Chapter, a committee member with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Life Sciences Strategy Council, and a board member with Invest Vancouver and Science World.
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As President and Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne Gill leads Genome BC in applying the power of genomics in ways that better the lives of all British Columbians. Suzanne has been at the forefront of catalyzing sustainable, public-private partnerships across the life sciences ecosystem for more than 20 years. She provides a wealth of experience in the Canadian innovation environment, including economic development and stakeholder relations, and in helping to shape and implement strategy for organizations at the nexus of research, innovation and commercialization.
Previously, Suzanne was a founding executive as the Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs with the Digital Supercluster, an industry-led organization that aims to accelerate economic growth and position Canada for global leadership in transformative digital technologies. In addition to fostering an essential relationship between industry, academia and government, she also led the development and launch of Digital Supercluster’s inaugural Capacity Building Pilot Program aimed at connecting employers to job-ready digital talent.