Ceapro Bolsters Board of Directors with Appointment of Top Executive from Global Pharmaceutical Industry
Ronnie Miller, President and CEO of Roche Canada from 2000-2022 retiring after 43 years of leadership service in the Pharmaceutical Industry joins the Company’s Board of Directors
EDMONTON, Alberta, March 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ceapro Inc. (TSX-V: CZO; OTCQX: CRPOF) (“Ceapro” or the “Company”), a growth-stage biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of active ingredients for healthcare and cosmetic industries, today announced the appointment of leading international pharmaceutical industry executive, Ronnie Miller, to its Board of Directors.
Glenn Rourke, MBA, Chairman of the Board, stated, “We are delighted and honored to welcome Mr. Miller to our Board of Directors. He is an accomplished global executive with exceptional leadership skills and recognized achievements at all levels in the healthcare industry. With his vast expertise and successful track record, we believe Mr. Miller is the ideal candidate to provide guidance to Ceapro’s leadership team to successfully bring it to the next level as a life sciences company.”
Mr. Miller brings more than 43 years of extensive and broad leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Until March 2022, he served as President and CEO of Hoffmann-La Roche Limited (Roche Canada). In his 22-year tenure in this role, he was responsible for the growth and success of the Canadian Pharmaceuticals Division, particularly as it relates to Roche’s mandate of developing and delivering innovative healthcare solutions for Canadians. Prior to his appointment as President and CEO, Mr. Miller advanced through a series of successive sales and management positions across the industry to become the National Sales Manager for Roche in the United Kingdom in 1988 and continued to move globally as a Product Manager in Switzerland and Deputy Divisional Director of the Pharmaceutical Division in Japan. He moved back to Switzerland to head up a global product launch before returning to the UK as Pharmaceuticals Director.
In addition to managing Roche Canada where he pioneered global operating models, Mr. Miller was heavily involved in the Canadian Healthcare Ecosystem. He was re-elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC), the national association representing Canada’s research-based pharmaceutical companies, from 2019 to 2022. Additionally, he served as Chairman of the IMC Board in 2007 and has since fulfilled two subsequent terms as Past Chair. Prior to this, Mr. Miller was the Chair of the IMC Prairies Core Team and sat as Co-Chair of the Health Research Foundation. He also served on several committees including the IMC Public Affairs, Stakeholder Relations, the British Columbia Sub-Committee, and was Chair of the Federal Affairs/FPT Relations Standing Committee.
Over the course of his career some of his major accomplishments include, managing to get the Montreal Heart Institute designated as the hub for translational medicine studying cardiometabolic disease in the global network of Roche International; launching the National Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence to drive digital intelligence in Health in 2020; and convincing Swiss Parent Company Hoffmann-La Roche to locate its Global Pharma Technical Operations in Mississauga, Ontario; a $500 million investment.
Mr. Miller commented, “It is my great pleasure to join the Ceapro Board of Directors at this important time as the Company expands its natural ingredient product expertise into additional potential therapeutic indications. To-date the board and management team have built a solid foundation by putting all the pieces in place for long-term growth. As the Company continues to progress, I look forward to actively working alongside the team to maximize the potential and value of Ceapro.”
Gilles Gagnon, M.Sc., MBA, President and CEO of Ceapro, added, “Mr. Miller brings invaluable experience in managing and building international pharmaceutical companies and especially in developing and mentoring top talented people who fosters innovation for the benefit of patients. We firmly believe that his business acumen combined with his successful business development track record and vast industry network will prove to be invaluable as we expand our business model though the development of natural products and technology platforms into the expansive nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets.”
With his Board appointment, Mr. Miller was granted options to get 150,000 common shares of Ceapro, each with an exercise price according to TSX-V regulations. Each grant vests in three equal installments, the first of which vests immediately with the second and third instalments vesting on the first and second anniversaries of the date of grant. Each option is exercisable, once vested, for a period of five years from the date of grant.
About Ceapro Inc.
Ceapro Inc. is a Canadian biotechnology company involved in the development of proprietary extraction technology and the application of this technology to the production of extracts and “active ingredients” from oats and other renewable plant resources. Ceapro adds further value to its extracts by supporting their use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, and therapeutics products for humans and animals. The Company has a broad range of expertise in natural product chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology and process engineering. These skills merge in the fields of active ingredients, biopharmaceuticals and drug-delivery solutions. For more information on Ceapro, please visit the Company’s website at www.ceapro.com.
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Jenene Thomas
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