Management

Management

  • Ian Mortimer , MBA, CPA, CMA
    President and Chief Executive Officer
    Ian Mortimer has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer since June 2021, previously serving as President and Chief Financial Officer since March 2018. Mr. Mortimer previously served as our Corporate Secretary from June 2015 to March 2021, as our Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer since March 2015 and as our Chief Financial Officer since October 2013. Prior to joining us, Mr. Mortimer served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (now Arbutus Biopharma Corporation), a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company, from 2007 until October 2013. Mr. Mortimer was responsible for all aspects of Tekmira’s finance and capital markets activities and led Tekmira’s listing on Nasdaq in 2010. From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Mortimer was Chief Financial Officer at Inex Pharmaceuticals and held various other positions at Inex Pharmaceuticals from 1997 to 2004. Since July 2020, Mr. Mortimer has served on the board of directors of Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc., a publicly-traded medical device company focused on advanced in procedural medical imaging tools. Mr. Mortimer has an M.B.A. from Queen’s University, a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Certified Management Accountant. 
  • Sherry Aulin , CPA, CA
    Chief Financial Officer

    Ms. Aulin has served as our Chief Financial Officer since June 2021, and has led our finance function since June 2015, previously serving as our Vice President, Finance since March 2019. From 2011 until 2015, Ms. Aulin provided independent financial consulting and advisory services to various publicly-traded companies including Xenon where she supported the company through its initial public offering process. From 2004 to 2011, Ms. Aulin was at KPMG LLP, most recently as Senior Manager in the assurance practice, where she provided professional services to publicly-traded companies across various industries including in the life sciences sector. Ms. Aulin holds a BCom from the University of British Columbia and is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant.
  • Andrea DiFabio , JD
    Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
    Ms. DiFabio has served as our Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary since November 2022. Prior to joining Xenon, Ms. DiFabio was the Chief Legal & Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary at Repertoire Immune Medicines, Inc. from March 2020 to October 2022, where she developed broad experience supporting all aspects of the company, including business and clinical development, investor communications, risk management, and developing the company’s IP and communication strategy. From 2019 to 2020, Ms. DiFabio served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Codiak Biosciences, Inc. Prior to its acquisition by Sanofi for $11.6 billion in early 2018, Ms. DiFabio served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Bioverativ Inc. from late 2016 to 2018 after playing a key role in this spinoff company of Biogen Inc. Previously, Ms. DiFabio joined Biogen in 2006 as Corporate Counsel and was promoted to Vice President, Chief US Counsel in 2007 and subsequently to various positions of increasing responsibility, where she was involved in key strategic transactions, as well as the approval and launch of numerous neurology products. Prior to her experience at Biogen, from 1999 to 2006, Ms. DiFabio was a member of the executive team and senior legal counsel at Parexel International, a publicly traded clinical research organization. Ms. DiFabio earned a Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude from Boston University, where she also participated in the Executive MBA Program.
  • Christopher Kenney , MD, FAAN
    Chief Medical Officer

    Dr. Kenney is employed by our wholly owned subsidiary, Xenon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and has served as our Chief Medical Officer since August 2021. Dr. Christopher Kenney is a board-certified neurologist with extensive clinical research experience within neuroscience in both industry and academic roles spanning more than 20 years. Most recently, Dr. Kenney served as Chief Medical Officer at Cadent Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on creating breakthrough therapies for neurological and psychiatric conditions, from 2019 until December 2020 when it was acquired by Novartis. Previously, Dr. Kenney was Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs (2018-2019) and Senior Vice President, Clinical Development (2016-2018) at Acorda Therapeutics. Prior to that position, from 2013 to 2016, Dr. Kenney served as Vice President/Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Biotie Therapies, a biotechnology company focused on neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders that was acquired by Acorda Therapeutics in January 2016. Before joining Biotie, Dr. Kenney worked in clinical development at Novartis and Merck Serono. Dr. Kenney’s core medical and neurology training took place at Boston University School of Medicine and at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Dr. Kenney held faculty positions at Baylor (2005-2007) and UCSD (2003-2005). In 2020, Dr. Kenney was appointed as a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
  • Chris Von Seggern , Ph.D., MPH, MBA
    Chief Commercial Officer
    Dr. Von Seggern is employed by our wholly owned subsidiary, Xenon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and has served as our Chief Commercial Officer since August 2020. Most recently, prior to joining Xenon, Dr. Von Seggern was a Partner at ClearView Healthcare Partners from 2011 to 2019, where he developed broad experience overseeing a range of commercial engagements involving multiple therapeutic areas as well as strategic due diligence on in-licensing and M&A opportunities. Through his tenure from 2008 to 2019 at ClearView, Dr. Von Seggern worked across the pharmaceutical sector with emphasis in orphan diseases and transformational technologies. From 2006 to 2008, Dr. Von Seggern served as a Consultant for Leerink Swann Strategic Advisors. Dr. Von Seggern began his career at the National Institutes of Health where he served as an AAAS Science Policy Fellow within the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases from 2005 to 2006. While at the NIDDK, Dr. Von Seggern helped set strategic direction for the Institute focusing on diabetes research and translational medicine. Dr. Von Seggern received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and molecular sciences as well as his Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Von Seggern received his MBA from Northeastern University and he earned his B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Pennsylvania State University.
  • James Empfield , Ph.D.
    Executive Vice President, Drug Discovery
    Dr. Empfield joined Xenon in 2016 and is employed by our wholly owned subsidiary, Xenon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., as our Executive Vice President, Drug Discovery. Prior to joining us, Dr. Empfield served as Vice President, Drug Discovery and Chemistry; Co-Site Head of Research, Boston at Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. from 2011 until August 2015, where he was jointly responsible for the entire Boston research organization and for delivery of lead optimization projects into preclinical development. From 2006 to 2011, Dr. Empfield was Director, CNS Chemistry Department at Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals LP and held various other positions at Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals from 1990 to 2006. Dr. Empfield has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.S. in Chemistry from Bucknell University and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Lebanon Valley College.
  • Robin Sherrington , Ph.D.
    Executive Vice President, Strategy & Innovation

    Dr. Sherrington has served as our Executive Vice President, Strategy & Innovation since March 2019. Dr. Sherrington previously served as our Executive Vice President, Business & Corporate Development since March 2018, as our Senior Vice President, Business & Corporate Development since February 2012, as our Vice President, Business & Corporate Development from January 2010 to February 2012, and has held various positions in business development and other departments since joining us in March 2001. Prior to joining us, Dr. Sherrington worked at Pfizer, Inc., a global pharmaceutical company, as a neuroscientist from 1999 to 2001. Dr. Sherrington also previously served as Director of Neuroscience, from 1996 to 1999, at the biotechnology companies Axys Pharmaceuticals and Sequana Therapeutics. Prior to 1996 Dr. Sherrington was a post-doctoral fellow at University of Toronto and received his Ph.D. from the University College London, and his B.Sc. with honors from University of Reading.
  • Sheila Grant , MBA, MSc
    Executive Vice President, R&D Operations

    Ms. Sheila Grant has served as our Executive Vice President, R&D Operations since January 2022, and has led our R&D Operations function since joining Xenon in August 2020. Prior to joining us, since March 2013, Ms. Grant was Chief Operating Officer at Correvio Pharma Corp. (previously Cardiome Pharma Corp.), which was acquired by ADVANZ PHARMA Corp. Limited in May 2020. Previously, Ms. Grant was Cardiome's VP of Product Development, with the responsibility for the overall management of the vernakalant IV and oral programs. She oversaw the development of vernakalant from its initial pre-clinical studies through to commercialization. Ms. Grant's past roles at Cardiome included Vice President, Commercial Affairs and Director of Business & Clinical Development. Prior to joining Cardiome, Ms. Grant acted as business consultant to De Novo Enzyme Corporation and Coopers & Lybrand. Ms. Grant also worked in research, production, and quality assurance with Schering Agrochemicals U.K., Wellcome Biotechnologies U.K. and Serono Diagnostics U.K. respectively. Ms. Grant holds an MBA degree from Simon Fraser University and an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

     
  • Shelley McCloskey , B.A., Dip. Ed.
    Executive Vice President, Human Resources

    Ms. McCloskey has served as our Executive Vice President, Human Resources since January 2022, and has led our Human Resources department since joining Xenon in September 2019. Prior to joining us, Ms. McCloskey was Vice President, Human Resources and Administration at Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2015 to 2018. Previously, she was Vice President, Human Resources from 2010 to 2015 at STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Canada’s largest life sciences company by number of employees, with operations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In 2005, Ms. McCloskey was named Vice President, Human Resources at Xantrex Technology Inc., a publicly traded global advanced renewable energy and power electronics company that was acquired by Schneider Electric for C$500M in 2008. From 2000 to 2005, Ms. McCloskey served as Vice President, Human Resources and Information Systems at Inex Pharmaceuticals Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. Ms. McCloskey has an B.A. in Psychology and an Education Diploma from the University of British Columbia.