Board of Directors
Rory Riggs - Chair
Mr. Riggs is Chair of the Board of GeneNews. He is the Managing Member of Balfour LLC, an investment management company. Mr. Riggs is the past President of Biomatrix, Inc., a NYSE listed company which successfully developed and marketed one of the leading viscosupplementation products in the United States, Synvisc®, for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Prior to Biomatrix, Mr. Riggs was Chief Executive Officer of RF&P Corporation and was also a Managing Director of PaineWebber Inc. Mr. Riggs holds a B.A. from Middlebury College, Vermont, and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, New York.
Heiner Dreismann - Lead Director
Dr. Heiner Dreismann is Lead Director and Interim CEO for GeneNews and the former President and CEO of Roche Molecular Systems (RMS), a division of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. and the company that pioneered molecular diagnostics in the clinical arena. Dr. Dreismann led the introduction of PCR-based tests in Europe as early as 1992 and witnessed first hand the industry growth over the last two decades. During his tenure as CEO, RMS annual sales doubled to US$ 1.0 billion and the portfolio of tests and hardware sales were greatly expanded. Prior to being appointed CEO, Dr. Dreismann held other senior positions within Roche Diagnostics in the areas of Global Business Development, Business Unit Manager for PCR and Microbiology, as well as R&D positions in microbiology and infectious diseases, and in manufacturing.
Dr. Dreismann earned a Master’s Degree in Biology and a PhD in Microbiology/Molecular Biology both from Westfaelische Wilhelms University in Muenster, Germany. Dr. Dreismann joined the GeneNews Board of Directors in 2006 and currently holds positions as Lead Director and Chair of the Company’s Strategy Committee in addition to the interim CEO position.
James Howard-Tripp
Mr. Howard-Tripp is President and CEO of Labopharm Inc., a publicly traded international pharmaceutical company. His career in pharmaceuticals extends over twenty-five years and three continents and includes responsibility for research and development, manufacturing, sales and sales management, marketing management at both the domestic and international level, as well as strategic planning and portfolio management. His business development activities have included acquisitions, mergers, divestitures, licensing, as well as co-development and co-selling agreements. Mr. Howard-Tripp joined Labopharm Inc., an international pharmaceutical company, as Executive Vice President in March 2000 and assumed the positions of President and Chief Executive Officer in July 2000. From 1996 to 1998 he held several vice presidential positions with Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc. and became President and Chief Executive Officer of the company in 1998. He is also a founding member and past-Chairman of the Canadian Health-Care Licensing Association. Mr. Howard-Tripp is currently the chair of GeneNews’ Corporate Governance Committee and a member of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee.
Garth MacRae
Mr. MacRae is a Director of Dundee Corporation, a merchant bank and financial services company, since 1994. Mr. MacRae is a Chartered Accountant, having received his designation in Manitoba in 1957 and has been a member of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants since 1970. In addition to being a Director of GeneNews and of Dundee Corporation, Mr. MacRae is a director of a number of other public and private companies, including young emerging growth companies. In addition, Mr. MacRae has been interim President and CEO of Breakwater Resources Limited since November 2004. Mr. MacRae is currently the chair of GeneNews’ Audit Committee and a member of the Corporate Governance Committee.
Harry Glorikian
Harry Glorikian joined the GeneNews Board of Directors in April 2008 and is a member of the Strategy and the Human Resources and Compensation Committees. He is the Managing Partner of Scientia Advisors, an international management and strategy consulting firm with a concentration in biotechnology and life sciences. Mr. Glorikian’s expertise spans more than two decades within the life sciences and healthcare industry in areas including diagnostics, molecular biology, proteomics, cellular biology and biodefense. Mr. Glorikian earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and an MBA degree, both from Boston University.
David Sable
Dr. Sable served as resident and chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and as fellow in reproductive endocrinology at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He was also director of the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey and managed a proprietary healthcare portfolio at Deutsche Bank. Dr. Sable is a graduate of the Wharton School and the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Medicine.
Gailina J. Liew
Ms. Liew is the President and Chief Operating Officer for GeneNews and a member of the Company’s Strategy Committee and executive team. She joined the Company in 2000 and was responsible for establishing the initial intellectual property strategy and organizational infrastructure for GeneNews. More recently, she has lead the commercialization effort for ColonSentry™ and is responsible for the execution of the company’s strategic vision. Ms. Liew is currently responsible for the general management and operations of GeneNews. Prior to GeneNews, Ms. Liew was Corporate Counsel for the Ontario Lead Investment Fund, a joint public-private venture capital fund.
Ms. Liew earned a B.Sc. degree in Molecular Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Toronto, an LLB degree from the University of Western Ontario and a joint MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and the Schulich School of Business, York University. She is a licensed member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
