Management
Howard J. Verrico, MD
CEO and Chairman of the Board
Dr. Verrico obtained his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1985 and has been a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia since July 1986. Dr. Verrico has extensive experience as a venture capitalist in the junior capital markets. He has acted as a venture capitalist for over 30 years, funding numerous start-ups and early-stage companies both in the private and public marketplace. He is the original founder of Sirona Biochem building the company by investing his personal funds starting in 2006, He has accumulated his large share position through personal share purchases. He currently is solely focused on the success and growth of SIRONA Biochem as it enters a stage of rapid growth.
GĂ©raldine Deliencourt-Godefroy, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. GĂ©raldine Deliencourt-Godefroy is an award-winning synthetic chemist and the founder of French-based biotechnology company TFChem. Since the acquisition of TFChem by Sirona Biochem in March 2011, Dr. Deliencourt-Godefroy has assumed the role of Chief Scientific Officer. Her scientific research in carbohydrate chemistry has led to the discovery of new drug families and the development of drug candidates for diabetes and obesity, cosmetic ingredients and biological adjuvants. Previous to founding TFChem, Dr. Deliencourt-Godefroy was a scientific leader at INSA (National Institute of Applied Sciences) in Rouen, France, where she developed a new technology for stabilized carbohydrates. Previous roles also include a post-doctoral position at the University College London and doctoral research at the Research Institute of Fine Organic Chemistry in Rouen, France. Dr. Deliencourt-Godefroy received a PhD and Master's in Organic Chemistry as well as her business degree from the University of France. She is the author of several publications and patents and is also the recipient of the acclaimed Francinov Research and Innovation Medal, French Ministry of Research Award and the French Senate Award.
Christopher Hopton, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Christopher Hopton, Sirona Biochem’s Chief Financial Officer, brings 28 years of expertise in financial management and operations. His extensive experience covers areas of financial planning, accounting policy and business process improvement. As a business investment and finance consultant, Mr. Hopton has worked with several public and privately-held companies. Most recently, Mr. Hopton was the Chief Financial Officer of Central Resources Corp., a junior mineral exploration company. Formerly, he held the position of Division Controller at Canadian Airlines where he was responsible for an annual operating budget of $200M. Mr. Hopton was also involved in the restructuring of 360 Networks, a network communications company, which led to a buyout by Bell Canada. Mr. Hopton earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada and received his professional designation as a Certified General Accountant.
Michelle Seltenrich, MBA
Vice President, Operations
Michelle Seltenrich brings 21 years of expertise in publicly traded biotech companies. Her experience ranges from both academic and industrial R&D lab management to corporate mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Seltenrich was previously the Manager of Business Development at Forbes MediTech, a NASDAQ traded company, where she was responsible for international business development, in-licensing and M&A. She co-led a team in the successful acquisition of a U.S.-based biotech company. Ms. Seltenrich holds a BSc from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in Technology Management from Simon Fraser University.