Management
of MSBi Valorisation
MSBiV is
staffed by seasoned professionals who together encompass the full
spectrum of complex business and technical skills required to bring
scientific innovations to market. The company has expertise in all
sectors that MSBiV focuses on, namely,
the physical sciences, life sciences, information and communication
technologies and energy.
MSBiV's
front line team:
- Didier Leconte, MBA,
President & General Manager. Didier has been working in the
innovation sector for nineteen years. As such, he has been involved in
every stage of innovation, project completion, technology transfer,
business development, management of research professionals,
intellectual property protection, and the financing of technology-based
opportunities in both Europe and North America. While starting his
career in the energy
sector, Didier thereafter specialized in science and engineering
related
technology transfer activities, including software. Didier holds
a diploma in materials engineering from Université Paris
XIII
(France) and a MBA in the management of technology from
Université du Québec à Montréal UQAM.
- Mounia
Azzi, Ph.D., Valorisation Director, Life Sciences. Prior to
joining
MSBi Valorisation, Mounia was leading the cellular biology unit at
Bellus Health, formerly Neurochem Inc., where she acquired an
experience in pre-clinical research and development. Mounia holds a
Ph.D. degree from Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France) in
Neurosciences and trained as postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Bouvier
at Université de Montreal. She has a significant
publication record in cellular biology, neuroscience, pharmacology and
biochemistry.
- Philippe
Lapierre, B. Eng., joined the company in February 2009 as
Valorisation Director, Sciences & Engineering. Philippe is located
in Sherbrooke and manages the liaison with Université de
Sherbrooke. Philippe has 8 years of experience as chemical engineer,
including 3 years as sales representative. Philippe also worked in
management and transfer of intellectual property as technology
transfer agent at Université de Sherbrooke. His passion for
technology and market understanding , negotiation and persuasion skills
make him a strong asset to the team. Philippe has a chemical
engineering degree and is currently pursuing a MBA at Université
de Sherbrooke and technology transfer courses.
- Frédéric
Lemaître-Auger, Ph.D., MBA, Valorisation
Director, Life Sciences. Frédéric worked for many years
as Investment Manager, Life Sciences with Desjardins Venture Capital,
and before that, as Investment Analyst, Biotechnology and Life Sciences
at CDP-Capital Technology Venture (Sofinov). Frédéric has
participated in numerous private equity investments in Canada and in
the U.S., and served on the Board of Directors of many biotechnology
companies. Frédéric holds a MBA in finance and management
from HEC Montréal, a M.Sc. in organic chemistry and a Ph.D. in
polymer physical chemistry both from Université de
Montréal.
MSBiV
also benefits from the broad range of complementary expertise and
resources of iNovia Capital, thereby
ensuring a strong expertise in the
areas of venture financing,
technology transfer, intellectual property protection, business
development, operations, marketing, sales and regulatory compliance.
This solid core of know-how is supplemented by MSBi
Valorisation’s extended network of experts in all areas of
technology, science, business, finance and law.
MSBiV
works in close collaboration with McGill University’s Office of
Technology Transfer Office (OTT), SOCPRA
the valorisation and commercialization arm
of Université de Sherbrooke
and the joint initiative of McGill University and Research Institute of
McGill University Health Center called Excellerator, in order to
support
researchers and entrepreneurs alike in
their endeavour to commercialize the results of their research.
MSBiV operates with dedicated Board of
Directors and investment committee.
MSBiV's
directors are Mr. Roger Goulet, Mr. Jan Peeters, Mr. Ian Soutar and Dr.
Mark de Groot, the latter acting as President and Chairman. Mr. Pierre
Villeneuve from the Ministère du développement
économique, de l'innovation et de l'exportation (« MDEIE
») acts as an observer for the Government of Québec on the
Board of Directors.
- Roger Goulet is one of the
co-founders of C-MAC Industries where he acted as vice-president of
R&D in the early days of the company. Mr. Goulet spent most of his
career at the Université de Sherbrooke as a professor of
Electrical Engineering and then as Dean of the Engineering Faculty.
- Jan Peeters is chairman, president
and CEO of Olameter Inc., which he founded in 1998. Olameter is a
leading meter service and data management company in North America. Mr
Peeters is also Chairman of Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Cable Inc., and is a
member of the Board of Intersil Corp. He was previously founder,
vice-chairman, president and CEO of fONOROLA Inc., a leading
facilities-based long-distance telephone company from 1988 to 1998, at
which time it was acquired by Call-Net Enterprises Inc. Mr. Peeters
holds a Bachelor of Mining Engineering degree from McGill University.
- Ian Soutar, CFA is the Vice Chairman
and a Partner of Pembroke Management Ltd. where he is also a Portfolio
Manager. He graduated from McGill University in 1958 as a Mining
Engineer and received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in
1967. He started his investment career with the Sun Life Assurance
Company and spent three years as Manager of the All-Canadian Venture
Fund prior to co-founding Pembroke in 1968.
- Mark de Groot is the President &
CEO of Virage Capital, member of the Board of Directors of iNovia
Capital and Chair of the Board of Directors of MSBi
Valorisation Inc. Prior to founding iNovia Capital in 2001, Mark worked
extensively in both the technology and the life sciences sectors. His
experience in the former sector includes having senior positions in a
healthcare IT company and the bioinformatics division of a
biopharmaceutical company. He also co-founded two software companies,
which are based in Ottawa and Connecticut respectively. In the
life sciences sector he has held senior positions at: a
biopharmaceutical development company; a life sciences company which
combined both contract research organization & drug discovery
activities; and a pharmaceutical multinational.
He also started, and then ran for three years, the first seed-stage
life sciences venture capital fund in Canada, while working at what was
then the largest dedicated life sciences fund in Canada.
He obtained his M.Sc. from Trinity College, University of Toronto and
his Ph.D. in Physics from Oxford University. Thereafter he did
post-doctoral research at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton
and the University of Rome.
MSBiV’s
investment committee is comprised of representatives from iNovia
Capital, McGill
University, Université de Sherbrooke and the MUHC.
