CCRM Welcomes New Board Member and Chief Technology Officer


TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - December 08, 2015) - Vivek Goel, Vice-President Research and Innovation, University of Toronto (U of T), has joined CCRM's Board of Directors. CCRM is also pleased to announce the appointment of Kim Warren to Chief Technology Officer as well as the promotion of two senior staff to the executive team.

As the newest member of the Board, Dr. Goel will bring his significant research and administrative experience to CCRM, helping to further strengthen the relationship with U of T, a founding institutional partner. CCRM and U of T enjoy a close strategic partnership, working together on several important initiatives, including Medicine by Design. CCRM's productive relationship with U of T could not have occurred without the support and guidance of Dr. Peter Lewis, Associate Vice-President, Global Research Partnerships, U of T, and CCRM thanks him for his time serving on the Board of Directors.

"The addition of Vivek to the Board will be invaluable to CCRM as we build the infrastructure in Toronto to make Canada a global hub of regenerative medicine discovery, commercialization and manufacturing," says Greg Bonfiglio, Chair of CCRM's Board of Directors. "I'd also like to thank Peter Lewis for his immense contribution to the Board as he steps down following the end of his term."

As CCRM moves into the next phase of its five-year strategic plan, its organizational structure is adapting to meet market demand. It is with this evolution in mind that Kim Warren joins the CCRM team as its first Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Warren comes to CCRM with extensive scientific and entrepreneurial experience, most recently gained in the position of Head of Development Services for Cell Therapy at Lonza. Dr. Warren has worked at both biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and will be leading CCRM's development and manufacturing teams.

"Having someone with Kim's expertise and experience is key to our continued growth and success," says Michael May, President and CEO of CCRM. "As CCRM advances technologies to the market and establishes new companies, Kim's guidance will be essential. It is in the same vein that we have recently promoted two CCRM team members to executive positions."

In recognition of their contributions to CCRM, Jennifer Moody has been promoted to Vice-President, Commercialization and Nick Timmins has been promoted to Vice-President, Technology. Drs. Moody and Timmins represent the core business units of CCRM, respectively managing its business development and technology development initiatives, and will continue to do so in their new roles.

About the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM)
CCRM, a Canadian not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence program, the Province of Ontario, and leading academic and industry partners, supports the development of regenerative medicines and associated enabling technologies, with a specific focus on cell and gene therapy. CCRM aims to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into marketable products for patients with specialized teams funding, and infrastructure. CCRM sources and evaluates intellectual property from around the globe, offers various consulting services, conducts development projects with partners, and establishes new companies built around strategic bundles of intellectual property. CCRM is the commercialization partner of the Ontario Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the University of Toronto's Medicine by Design. CCRM is hosted by the University of Toronto and was launched in Toronto's Discovery District on June 14, 2011. Visit us at www.ccrm.ca

Contact Information:

For more information, please contact:
Stacey Johnson
Director, Communications
647-309-1830
Stacey.johnson@ccrm.ca
@CCRM_ca