Board of Directors

Anthony J. Giovinazzo is an internationally recognized expert in intellectual property, drug development and commercialization, including numerous licensing agreements, with more than 25 years’ experience in Central Nervous System diseases. Most recently, he was co-inventor, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Cynapsus Therapeutics, a NASDAQ listed specialty pharmaceutical company that developed the first successful sublingual apomorphine thin film strip for Parkinson’s disease, the drug today known as Kynmobi, was approved for commercialization by the FDA and Health Canada in 2020. At Cynapsus, Mr. Giovianazzo built the leadership team, raised US $136 million including an over-subscribed IPO and NASDAQ and led the negotiations with several pharmaceutical companies that resulted in the CAD $841 million all cash acquisition by Sunovion Pharmaceuticals (Dainippon Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals), a 120% premium to market close on the day of announcement.

Mr. Giovinazzo is the co-author of several peer reviewed papers and author of several papers on strategic and financing issues in the biopharmaceutical industry. He was a Canadian finalist in Life Sciences for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year (2014). In 2017, he was the recipient of the Finance Monthly Game Changers award and an inaugural recipient of the Bloom Burton Award, which honors a single winner from several candidates, as the best of the best in Canadian Life Sciences as judged by a panel of US experts. He is a Chartered Director and Audit Committee Certified, both from The Directors College, a degree granting affiliate of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He also completed the Leadership and Strategy in Pharmaceuticals and Biotech from Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts in 2006, a Masters of Business Administration from IMD, Geneva, Switzerland in 1986, a Graduate Certificate Studies in Canadian Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Ontario in 1984, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting from McMaster University in 1978.

Dr. Allen Davidoff (15 years drug development experience) is the founder and CEO of XORTX. Allen has a broad range of clinical and regulatory experience and senior management experience in pharmaceutical R&D including two investigational new drug (“IND”) applications or supplemental IND’s, two phase I studies (four of which were multi-country), seven phase II studies, and one NDA. Prior to forming XORTX, Allen was the Chief Scientific Officer, VP Product Development and co-founder of Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (seven years) ( Trillium TRIL:NASDAQ) and Senior Scientist and Head of Pharmacology at Cardiome Pharma Corp.

George Scorsis is a results-focused executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in highly regulated sectors such as pharmaceuticals, and consumer-packaged goods. Exceptional at scaling businesses, optimizing operations, and managing complex environments, he has led multi-million dollar businesses through transformative growth.

George was the President of Red Bull Canada and was instrumental in establishing the company in the country. George moved into the cannabis sector as President of MettrumHealth Corp., where he helped the company become one of Canada’s premier licensed producers. He led the direction for Mettrum’s $430 million acquisition by Canopy Growth Corp. He subsequently Founded and acted as CEO of Liberty Health Sciences that was also acquired for over $372 million by Ayr.

He has also founded several companies in both Biotech and the regulated FMCG segments while also continuing his board activities with companies that are listed on the TSX and NASDAQ.

Richard Grieve is the Chief Operating Officer at Bardel Entertainment Inc., bringing expertise in finance and operational strategies within the media production environment. Their background reflects a strong focus on leadership in media production and financial oversight. Progressing through various roles at Bardel Entertainment, they have demonstrated capabilities in financial management and business affairs. Responsibilities have included serving as Vice President, Finance and Business Affairs, Director, Finance and Business Affairs, and Senior Vice President, Finance and Business Affairs, Executive Producer. They also contributed to corporate governance as a Board Member. These roles involved overseeing operational functions, driving strategic initiatives, managing financial performance, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Bardel Entertainment, Richard Grieve was a Financial Accountant at EY, where they analyzed financial data and prepared financial reports, demonstrating applied knowledge of financial accounting principles.

Mika Grasso is an Investment Director at a family office, where he oversees the firm's direct investment and co-investment activities, driving portfolio construction and capital deployment across private markets.

Prior to his current role, Mika held positions at Goldman Sachs, Paulson Investment Company, and Zions Bancorporation. He began his career as a healthcare investment banker, where he developed deep expertise advising early- to growth-stage biopharmaceutical and life sciences companies on capital markets transactions and strategic financing solutions. Over the course of his career, Mika advised a broad range of companies navigating the full continuum drug development, from preclinical research through clinical-stage programs and commercialization. His work spanned companies pursuing novel prescription therapeutics, products with FDA Orphan Drug Designation ("ODD") targeting rare and underserved disease populations, and assets across multiple therapeutic areas seeking to access the capital necessary to advance their pipelines and reach patients.

Mika holds an MS in Finance with a concentration in Investment Management and a BS in Business Administration, both from the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business.