Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API) was launched to solve a big challenge. Commercialization within the life sciences. There’s a general lack of understanding of the technical and scientific capacity needed for a life sciences company to commercialize in Canada. API sought to fix that.   Part incubator, part R&D, API helps companies scale up here in Canada where they would normally have to invest tens of millions of dollars just to build out their infrastructure. And the model is working, with growth forecast to see 60 staff currently blossom to 150 in the next 18 months.   I ..read more

Bishop Water Technologies is rapidly growing in Canada. Dedicated to the development of easy-to-use, low energy solutions for solids management, it’s a team that has worked for two decades to develop and optimize affordable technologies. So it may be surprising to hear CEO Kevin Bossy say technical skills have to take a back seat compared to attitude. But he firmly believes it. This attitude has helped Bishop Water grow ten-fold over the last 15 years.   It’s heart and desire that help find the new innovations, and proof positive that low-energy solutions are often found by high energy ..read more

Life Sciences BC CEO Wendy Hurlburt remembers the surge started with a spirit of collaboration just as COVID was beginning to impact the world. Then came the talent crunch that forced many members in BC to find creative ways to keep their operations open. The Metro-Vancouver bio economy has some 1,300 organizations which collectively employ about 16,000 people. Three quarters of those companies have fewer than 20 full-time staff with the largest sub sector being bio-health (50%). The bigger companies are growing exponentially and scrambling to find talent. The smaller companies, still growin ..read more

PEI has become somewhat of a Mecca for the Bio Tech industry in Canada. And the biggest one is BIOVECTRA.  It’s a company adding new team members seemingly every day having blossomed to over 600 in both PEI and Nova Scotia (and most of that growth during a global pandemic).  For two consecutive years the company has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers demonstrating high performance in areas like training and skills development, financial benefits, employee engagement, and health and family benefits.  In this episode, Lester Wood, VP People and Corporate Culture for B ..read more

Anessa is a software company specializing in biogas projects including anaerobic digestions. It’s headquartered in New Brunswick. They’re actively trying to recruit from the biogas side but in Atlantic Canada that’s a challenge. One thing Anessa did right away was adopt the principles of diversity and inclusion into their recruitment practices. Co-found Amir Akbari says there was a noticeable impact when it came to working with international markets – Anessa was able to understand client culture, even languages at times that competitors just couldn’t.  At the same time the internal cult ..read more

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One of the founders of Clean Slate UV is a self-professed “Germaphobe.” It’s that kind of awareness that led to a company that created patented UV technology and intelligent software to solve, among other problems: Smartphones are the third hand we never wash! Clean Slate leverages the power of UV-C light to inactivate some of the most resilient bacteria and viruses without damaging devices. It’s good science that has attracted clients ranging from world-class facilities, to hospitals, to five-star hotels. They’re now in 13 countries. But like many in the biotech sector, attracting employees ..read more

There’s a song by Drake that goes “Started from the bottom – now we’re here.” That could be Ryan Saranchuk’s career theme song at Applied Biological Materials. In this episode Ryan shares ABM’s approach to recruiting and retaining talent for the successful company. And he’s a poster board for the potential within the company having started as a co-op student and now serving as company COO. As the company grows, it’s look for HR talent to help not only with recruitment and retention but performance management and mentorship programs for leadership.   Guest: Ryan Saranchuk, COO Applied Bio ..read more

Episode two of The Science of Talent focuses on the Agri-Bio subsector with Jacqueline Keena of EMILI. The Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of the digital agriculture eco system in Manitoba and across the prairies. It was created to prepare and empower the Manitoba economy to leverage digital disruption. EMILI was founded on two strategic pillars:    To provide information and support to industry as it considers the potential of intelligent technologies such as AI and machine learning  To ensure people who a ..read more

Bio Tech companies are committed to the business of science. It’s what we do every day. But there’s another commitment they’re engrossed in… attracting and retaining talented people. It’s an industry undergoing dramatic change with forecasts indicating the number of jobs will soon outnumber candidates by a ratio of four. So, what are Biotech leaders doing to prepare and respond to this?   In episode one, host Rob Henderson, the CEO of BioTalent Canada talks with Reg Joseph, CEO of Health Cities, a not-for-profit corporation working with clinicians, innovators, philanthropic organizations ..read more