A seasoned pharmaceutical professional, Chris has led the development and implementation of novel technologies for some of the most complex, innovative new medicines. Previously Director of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls for Poniard Pharmaceuticals, he led the establishment of Poniard’s late-stage clinical and commercial manufacturing for Picoplatin, a next generation platinum therapy. Formerly, Associate Director of Process Development for QLT Inc., Chris led the Process Sciences, Engineering and Pilot Manufacturing groups within QLT and directed the design, construction and operation of a highly advanced sterile manufacturing pilot facility. As well, he managed the development and implementation of innovative processes for manufacturing QLT’s flagship product, Visudyne®, a complex injectable product for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. Prior to QLT, he served as Microbiological Development Scientist for Lifecore Biomedical, and led a team that was the first to receive FDA/CDRH approval for the use of peroxide-plasma sterilization of a medical device, pushing the boundaries of sterilization development for fragile products.

Chris is a member of the Parenteral Drug Association, and is a past member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Pacific Northwest Chapter. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan.

Ross Gold has broad and diverse experience in the design and development of pharmaceutical manufacturing systems, as well as leading engineering teams in pharmaceutical companies. His experience includes API and drug product development for both clinical and commercial manufacturing. Through both corporate roles and his consulting practice, Ross has been responsible for design development and fabrication oversight for novel pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment and the planning and execution of capital projects and process technical transfers. Ross has extensive experience consulting for major biotechnology companies and CMO’s in their manufacturing engineering areas, specializing in automation systems.

Ross is a registered Professional Engineer in the province of British Columbia and a member of the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Formerly Process Engineer with QLT, Inc. Jeroen has an extensive background in pharmaceutical process development, process engineering, mechanical design, automation & validation; having worked on projects in North America and Europe. Jeroen holds a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Prior to QLT, Jeroen has worked with Gist-Brocades (now DSM), the Dutch Institute of Animal Health and Science, and PURAC biochem. Past projects widely varied from the development of a down-stream process for an API, process engineering of a high-containment vaccine manufacturing facility, to equipment qualification and validation. More recently with QLT, Jeroen has led multiple engineering projects; designing and implementing isolation technology and advanced robotics for pharmaceutical and medical devices for use in clinical trials.

Steve Park has extensive experience in designing equipment for various industries with a focus on pharmaceutical and semiconductor/display industries. He has lead multi-million dollar projects for pharmaceutical and medical device industries from the concept development stage through to final equipment validation. He has also successfully lead and supervised many proof-of-principle projects to demonstrate innovative automation designs and methods which ultimately lead to winning customer projects. In his role as Technical Manager at Automation Tooling Systems Inc, he developed project technical guidelines to ensure adherence to GAMP and cGMP requirements and provided input on the development and execution of the engineering process. He is named on a number of patents and patent applications.

Steve holds a Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on robotic system design and control from the University of Waterloo, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario.

With over twenty-five years experience in the design, manufacture and commercialization of advanced industrial sterilizations systems, Mr. Fedegari has a detailed understanding of the many facets of the global pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. He is currently Managing Director of Fedegari Autoclavi SpA, as well as President of Fedegari Asia Pte Ltd. In 2000, he directly managed the creation and is now President of the company’s subsidiary, Fedegari (Suisse) SA, an operation that manufactures laboratory sterilizers in Lugano, Switzerland.
Educated at the Institut Montana in Zug, Switzerland, Mr. Fedegari has also completed coursework in Management and Accounting at University of California – Irvine.

Mr. Vander Laan founded Trojan Technologies Inc. in 1976, acquiring the patent for a small ultraviolet device for private water supply applications. Building upon that concept he developed a company that is now a global leader in its field with revenues well in excess of $100 million per year. In 2004 Trojan Technologies Inc. (at the time a TSX listed company) was acquired by Danaher Corporation. Mr. Vander Laan has continued to work with Trojan Technologies Inc in the role of Senior Advisor. Prior to founding Trojan Technologies Inc., Mr. Vander Laan was Vice President of Canadian Cable Systems Limited (currently Rogers Cable Systems) from 1969 to 1977, where he was responsible for technical operations and personnel for the largest cable television company in Canada.

In 1998, Jeff Brown co-founded Highstreet Asset Management, a London, Ontario-based firm specializing in managing investment funds for Pension Plans, Endowments and Private clients. By 2006, Jeff and his partners had taken Highstreet from a start up company to a firm with a solid reputation as a disciplined investment firm managing over $5.0 billion, at which point the company was sold to AGF Management (TSX: AGF.B).

Jeff is an active community volunteer, a board member for the London International Airport Authority and the Ivey Community Sponsored Investment Fund as well as a fundraiser for Canadian Diabetes. Jeff is a past Chair of the Business Relations Committee with the London Chamber of Commerce and is a judge for the Chamber’s annual Business Achievement Awards.

A graduate of the Ivey School of Business, Jeff obtained his Honours Business Administration degree in 1985, his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1991 and his Chartered Directors designation from the Directors College in 2009.

James Agalloco is President of Agalloco & Associates, a technical service firm to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Jim has over 35 years of industry experience and has worked in organic synthesis, pharmaceutical formulation, pharmaceutical production, project and process engineering, validation and process automation during his career at Merck, Pfizer, Squibb and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Jim holds a BS and MS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Pharmaceutical Studies. He is a past President of the Parenteral Drug Association and served as an Officer or Director from 1982 to 1993. He is a member of USP’s Microbiology and Sterility Assurance Expert Committee for 2005-2010. He is a member of the editorial advisory board’s of Pharmaceutical technology and Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. He is a frequent author and lecturer on the subject of sterilization, aseptic processing, isolation technology and process validation.

Sam has over twelve years experience in programming, design, and qualification of biotechnology and pharmaceutical facilities ranging form clinical to full-scale production plants. Sam’s particular focus is in cGMP manufacturing design including process technology evaluation, capacity analysis, and cGMP environmental classification, and operational analysis. Sam draws from his compliance and process experience to create and develop functionally compliant designs, integrating owner and regulatory requirements. Sam’s experience is international and he has filled the role as project manager and process lead on major capital projects through to construction. Sam is very active in ISPE heading up the Manufacturing technology Subcommittee and is a Steering Committee Member of ISPE COP Sterile Products. Sam is recognized as a leader in fill/finish facility design and containment of highly potent compounds. Sam frequently presents and lectures on subject matters including: Fundamentals of High Hazardous (Potent) Compound Safety, Facility Design Strategies for Aseptic Manufacturing, Manufacturing Dynamics / Capacity Driven Programming, Regulatory Issues for the Biotechnology Industry, Planning, Designing and Managing Renovation Projects, Potent Compound Systems Containment Strategies.