Team
Our Team
HLS Therapeutics is led by a team of seasoned executives. Prior to founding HLS, our management team led the turnaround of Biovail Pharmaceuticals through its restructuring and transformation into a leading CNS-focused company.
EXECUTIVE TEAM
Former Chief Operating Officer at Corbus Pharmaceuticals
Prior to Corbus, he held various commercial leadership positions at EMD Serono, where he was responsible for leading the strategic direction and driving operating results for several important franchises in the U.S. Previously Vice President, Commercial at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, he helped design and build commercial infrastructure, organizational capabilities, and go-to-market plans of their first commercial launch.
Former executive with Cubist Pharmaceuticals through its acquisition by Merck & Co in early 2015.
Mr. Hendrickson is a financial executive with over 20 years of experience at companies such as Procter & Gamble, P&G Pharmaceuticals and Warner Chilcott. He has held leadership roles in finance & accounting, forecasting & financial analysis, business development & planning, customer service, distribution and operations.
Brian has more than 20 years of commercial experience in specialty therapeutic areas. Previously VP of Corporate Development & Global Marketing at Corbus Pharmaceuticals, he held various roles, including VP of Marketing for US Multiple Sclerosis at EMD Serono. With an MBA from Oxford and a bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, he started his career in Sales & Operations at Johnson & Johnson and led brand strategy consulting for large pharmaceutical clients at Monitor Group.
Ryan C. Lennox is a former Senior Counsel at Amgen Inc., where he was responsible for all of the legal affairs of the company’s Canadian affiliate. He also took on increasing responsibility, including managing the legal team and affairs of Amgen’s Intercontinental Region, comprised of Canada, Latin America, Turkey, Middle East and Africa.
Mr. Lennox is called to the bar in both California and Ontario. Prior to joining Amgen, Mr. Lennox practiced corporate law at two international law firms, in San Diego, California and Toronto, Ontario, where he advised a wide variety of clients on corporate finance, M&A, private equity, venture capital and other kinds of transactions.
Dr. Gross spent five years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr. Gross is a pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of experience focused on clinical development, regulatory affairs, manufacturing and quality assurance. He is a former VP of Scientific and Medical Affairs at Cipher Pharmaceuticals, MDS Capital, and Zenith Goldline.
Patricia brings over twenty years in human resources management, in administration and operations in various contexts, including manufacturing, retail, educational and health care institutions. After several years as an HR consultant for a variety of public and private clients, primarily pharmaceutical companies, she joined HLS Therapeutics, where she is leading, among other things, staffing, compensation, talent and organizational development.
Mr. Spence is a finance executive with over 25 years of experience in financial reporting, planning and analysis, treasury, risk management and taxation. Prior to joining HLS in 2018, David held management positions at PwC, Sherritt International and Corus Entertainment, as well as seven years spent as sole proprietor of a tax and accounting practice.
Former Director of Finance and Director of Compliance & Treasury at Biovail Laboratories International SRL and Valeant International (Barbados) SRL.
Mrs. Edinboro is a finance executive with over 20 years of experience in finance, corporate governance, business integration, compliance, operations, and administration in various industries including pharmaceutical, manufacturing, retail, telecommunications, and energy.
Jeff’s 20 years of commercial leadership, both in consumer package goods and the healthcare industry, spans sales, sales management, marketing intelligence, marketing, and operations. Specific to neuroscience, he has 15 years of experience across specialty therapeutic areas encompassing launch to end of patent lifecycles.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mr. Welborn has an extensive investment and advisory background, including at The Beacon Group, LLC, which is now part of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Mr. Welborn has also served on the boards of Intermountain Community Bancorp, Panhandle State Bank, Inc., and Ascena Retail Group, Inc. He has also served as a board observer at West Coast Bancorp. Mr. Welborn holds a B.S. degree in Commerce, with concentrations in Finance and Accounting, from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia in 1998.
Former Chief Operating Officer at Corbus Pharmaceuticals
Prior to Corbus, he held various commercial leadership positions at EMD Serono, where he was responsible for leading the strategic direction and driving operating results for several important franchises in the U.S. Previously Vice President, Commercial at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, he helped design and build commercial infrastructure, organizational capabilities, and go-to-market plans of their first commercial launch.
Ms. Brege is Managing Director of Cervantes Life Science Partners, LLC., a health care advisory and consulting company.
Ms. Brege has extensive public company life sciences experience in the U.S. as both a C-level executive and as a Board member. Ms. Brege currently serves on the boards of Acadia Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACAD), Aratana Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PETX), Pacira Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PCRX), Portola Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: PTLA), and Dynavax Technologies (NASDAQ: DVAX).
Global Head of Technology, Data and Security Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Administration Corporation (“OMERS”).
Mr. Hill has more than 30 years of experience in business management, risk management, technology, finance and accounting. He joined OMERS in 2011 as EVP & Chief Auditor, in 2015 he was appointed to serve as OMERS first Chief Risk Officer and in 2023 he moved to his current role. Prior to joining OMERS, Mr. Hill spent 22 years working at PricewaterhouseCoopers. In his last 10 years there, he served as a Partner specializing in auditing complex public and private companies in a variety of sectors, including pharmaceuticals.
A corporate director with over 30 years of health care experience in corporate and non-profit organizations, including executive positions at Bayer Healthcare (Canada and Global) and Sanofi Canada.
Ms. Beauchamp currently serves on the boards of directors of Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX: ACB) (“Aurora”), as Chair of its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and a member of its Human Resources and Compensation Committee, Extendicare Inc. (TSX:EXE), as a member of the Investment Committee and the Quality and Risk Committee, and Dialogue Health Technologies Inc. (TSX:CARE), a leading telehealth service. Formerly, Ms. Beauchamp served on the board of directors of MedReleaf Corp., prior to its acquisition by Aurora. Ms. Beauchamp also serves as a member of the National Research Council of Canada, is on the board of the Ontario Caregiver Organization, and is a Regional Ambassador with Women Get on Board. Ms. Beauchamp has completed the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management Directors Education Program (ICD.D), and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Bishop’s University.
Dr. Kyle Dempsey is a partner at MVM Partners.
Kyle joined MVM Partners, a healthcare focused private equity fund based in Boston, Massachusetts and London, UK, in 2017. Prior to MVM, he was a consultant at Bain & Company, working mainly in the healthcare practice to support medical device and healthcare provider clients. During his undergraduate and graduate education, Kyle was a prolific researcher and writer, publishing a half-dozen peer-reviewed papers on topics ranging from homologous chromosome pairing genetics to orthopedic surgery outcomes. Kyle completed MD studies at Harvard Medical School and MBA studies at Harvard Business School. He also holds an AB in biochemistry from Bowdoin College. Kyle is also a board director of Optinose, Inc. (NASDAQ:OPTN), and GT Medical Technologies, Inc.; he is also an observer on the board of MDxHealth SA (NASDAQ: MDXH).
Healthcare industry consultant with 30 years of experience with large multinational corporations and as an entrepreneur.
Former Partner and Executive Vice President of the Healthcare division at TANK Worldwide Inc. until it was acquired by WPP plc in June 2022. Prior to joining TANK in 2013, Mr. Roy spent over 20 years in many roles in the pharmaceutical industry, including Vice President of Marketing for Pfizer in Canada from 2008 to 2013, and outside of Canada Mr. Roy has worked on projects in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Roy holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from University of Sherbrooke.
Chief Financial Officer at Inca Networks Incorporated.
Mr. Hanna is a seasoned finance executive with more than 24 years working with C-level executives and Board members within public companies. John has a demonstrated track record in leading successful transformation initiatives. Prior to Inca Networks, he spent 10 years as the CFO of Vecima Networks Inc. (TSX:VCM) with operational P&L responsibilities and successfully monetized non-core assets and acquired strategic assets to grow Vecima’s core business. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hanna held a number of senior financial roles within The Westaim Corporation (TSX:WED) including VP Corporate Development with Westaim Biomedical Corp.
John holds an MBA from the University of British Columbia, a BSc from the University of Victoria and is a designated accountant (CPA, CGA). Mr. Hanna has served on the Boards and Board committees of a number of venture-backed technology companies including Vector 12 and LTG Lasertech.