adMare BioInnovations Launches Cohort VIII of the Executive Institute to Strengthen Leadership Driving Canadian Life Sciences Company Growth

Vancouver (BC), Toronto (ON), and Montreal (QC) – December 11, 2025 – adMare BioInnovations (adMare) is pleased to welcome twenty emerging leaders to Cohort VIII of the Executive Institute, its flagship leadership program designed to accelerate the growth of Canadian life sciences companies.

As Canada’s engine for life science company creation and growth, adMare knows that strong companies are built by strong leaders. For the past seven years, the Executive Institute has equipped mid-career executives with the skills, networks and insights needed to scale companies successfully, reinforcing adMare’s mission to transform cutting-edge science into globally competitive companies that improve patient health and strengthen Canada’s economy.

“Our company creation model combines pre-seed investment and commercial development expertise to build strong, investable Canadian companies,” said Sarah Gallagher, Vice President, People & Culture. “The Executive Institute complements this by developing the leadership talent essential to guide emerging Canadian life sciences companies through growth and global expansion. In today’s uncertain economic environment, strong domestic leadership capacity is increasingly critical to Canada’s health and economic security.”

The Executive Institute is a ten-month program that offers a hands-on, curated curriculum designed to elevate leadership effectiveness and fortiy meaningful, cross-Canada, industry connections. Partnerships with BIOTECanada, Bloom Burton & Co., and provincial life sciences organizations enhance the program, enabling participants to attend key industry events and engage in high-value networking opportunities. 

The first seven annual cohorts of the Executive Institute have trained 129 leaders from more than 100 organizations across Canada, with 55% self-identifying as women. With a commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive leadership pipeline, this year’s cohort continues to reflect gender parity and leaders from varied backgrounds, strengthening Canada’s innovation ecosystem with a diversity of perspectives and experiences.

Members of Cohort VIII include:

• Antonios Samiotakis, Director, Bioinformatics, Modelling & Simulations– AbCellera Biologics Inc.
• Kyle Stephenson, Director, Preclinical – Acuitas Therapeutics
• Juliana Munoz Escobar, Associate – Amplitude Ventures
• Antonia Borovina, Managing Director, Investment Banking– Bloom Burton & Co.
• Jim Ding, Director, Head of Chemistry and DMPK – Borealis Biosciences
• Sven Ansorge, Director of Technical Training – CASTL
• Laurent Sabbagh, Scientific Director – Domain Therapeutics
• Vincent Menard, CFO– Feldan Therapeutics
• Anick Auger, Executive Director, Head of Pharmacology – Frontier Discovery, Inc
• Sapna Mahajan, Director, Policy and Partnerships – Genome Canada
• Nabanita Nawar, CEO – HDAX Therapeutics
• Karine Lalonde, Vice President, Clinical Operations – Innospera Pharma
• Bernard Ogbiti, Senior Medical Advisor and Manger of Medical Affairs – Methapharm Inc
• Sacha Kennedy, Director Communications and Media – Moderna
• Laila Asali, Manager, Operations – Morphocell Technologies Inc
• Raja Mathiazhakan, Director, PD/Manufacturing– Northern RNA Inc
• Michelle Brazas, Scientific Director and Director, Adaptive Oncology – Ontario Institute for Cancer Research / Bioinformatics.ca
• Arif Jetha, Sr. Director, Discovery and Preclinical Development – Radiant Biotherapeutics
• Ramsay Beveridge, Associate Director - Head of Chemistry– Ventus Therapeutics
• Constanza Luzon Rosenblut, Senior Medical Director– Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc

To learn more about how the Executive Institute is building the next generation of life sciences leaders in Canada, visit: https://www.admarebio.com/en/executive-institute

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For More Information

Media Contact
Bethany Moir
Senior Director, Public Affairs,
adMare BioInnovations
bmoir@admarebio.com

About adMare BioInnovations

adMare is Canada’s engine for life science company creation and growth. Our unique model identifies breakthrough innovations addressing unmet patient needs and provides pre-seed investment, commercial R&D, IP and business development expertise to generate the key scientific data, value and operating structure needed to build strong, investable, Canadian life science companies. To date, adMare has created 38 companies that have attracted $2.5 billion of real risk capital, have a combined value of $5.8 billion, and have created around 1,000 jobs in Canada.

adMare also offers 200,000+ square feet of turnkey lab facilities and delivers industry-ready talent and executive leadership development programs to help Canadian life science companies scale and succeed. Learn more at www.admarebio.com