Board of Directors and Management
Farris Smith
Co-founder, President and Chair
Farris Smith is a strategic entrepreneur and a passionate, results-oriented leader focused on value creation and challenging the status quo. Farris brings deep pharmaceutical expertise from prior roles at LEO Pharma — where, as CFO for North America he led a major transformation — and at Novo Nordisk, where for over 20 years he held multiple CFO posts across around the world, earning recognition in 2022 as Novo Nordisk’s Global Finance Leader of the Year.
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Hailing from North Carolina, Farris is a great grandson of Isaac Kannon, who immigrated to the United States in 1905, as he sought opportunity to work hard and provide his family with a healthy and prosperous life. Isaac began to peddle quality goods from a pack on his back, and later, in 1916 opened a retail clothing business called Kannon’s that continues today as a fourth-generation family business. Influenced by his great grandfather’s journey, Farris pursued an international career working in key leadership roles in countries such as Brazil, France, Sweden, Greece, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. It was when work brought Farris and his family to Toronto, Canada in 2016 that they decided to stay — ultimately becoming Canadian citizens. Farris sees the opportunities ahead for Canadians with high-quality affordable medicines and the potential to increase access to care, improve patient outcomes and decrease the burden on the healthcare system.
Farris serves as strategic advisor to Arch Biopartners, a publicly traded Canadian-based leader in the development of peptides, antibodies and small molecules that target acute kidney injury and organ inflammation. He is a former Board Member of Health Products Stewardship Association, an organization that helps provide for the safe disposal of unwanted medications and used medical sharps.
Darryl Firsten
Director
While completing his chemical engineering degree at The University of Toronto, Darryl founded Convocation Flowers, his first of several highly successful businesses. Now over 20 years old, Convocation Flowers is the preeminent North American provider of flowers and other retail items at graduations, with offices in Toronto, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, L.A. and Austin.
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Darryl co-founded and is President of IN8 Developments. IN8 Developments is dedicated to designing innovative, intelligent and efficient housing solutions, where a steadfast commitment to excellence has enabled IN8 to successfully launch and rapidly sell-out over $1 billion dollars of condo units in numerous projects across Southwestern Ontario.
As a passionate and proud Torontonian, Darryl has also co-founded Originate Developments, where he serves as President, a company focused on Toronto-based developments ranging from urban boutique townhomes to midtown 50-story high-rises. Originate Developments is dedicated to executing cutting-edge projects with eye for details and a genuine respect for the community.
Riccardo Trecroce
Director
A skilled and respected lawyer and executive, Riccardo brings more than 40 years of experience in general management and as counsel to executive teams and extensive experience in transactions, corporate governance, strategy and compliance.
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Riccardo has been recognized for providing clear and practical advice, leading effective negotiations and fostering an ethical corporate culture.
As CEO, Riccardo led Patheon Inc. (acquired by Therma Fisher Scientific), a global leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing and development services, after serving as General Counsel and SVP of Administration & Corporate Secretary. Riccardo has been a member of the Board of Directors for Halton Healthcare, an award winning healthcare organization comprising three community hospitals and numerous community-based services in the growing urban and rural communities of Halton Hills, Milton, and Oakville, since 2020 and currently serves as Vice-Chair.
Riccardo’s extensive experience also includes roles as EVP & Chief Legal Officer as well as Partner & Corporate Department Manager at a leading Canadian-based company and law firm.
Dave Suchon
Co-founder, CEO and Director
Dave Suchon is a passionate Canadian with extensive leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including many years as a key part of the Executive Team at Novo Nordisk Canada.
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Dave grew up in Toronto and while he was still young his father suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury. Growing up with disabled parent, Dave understood first-hand the promise of medical research and innovation. This drove him to scientific study and research and he attended The University of Toronto obtaining a biochemistry specialist, while working part-time in the surgical neuromonitoring team at Sunnybrook Hospital. Later, during his time as a researcher at The Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, Dave began to appreciate the challenges Canadian scientists faced in bringing therapies to market and the importance of the patent system.
Dave attended Queen’s University Law School and specialized in intellectual property going on to work at one of Canada’s leading intellectual property firms, focused on pharmaceutical patent litigation. In 2011, Dave joined Novo Nordisk Canada where he quickly rose to the Executive Team, joining as its youngest member in 2015. In his role as Vice President of Corporate Affairs, he concurrently led multiple key teams in the areas of public and government affairs, quality assurance, law, communications, product safety, customer care, business ethics, sustainability and risk.
In 2018, while interim head of Regulatory Affairs, Dave managed the first approval for semaglutide in Canada (Ozempic) and subsequently worked to bring the therapy to millions of Canadians, helping to develop Canada as the second largest market for semaglutide in the world. In 2021, Dave led efforts by Novo Nordisk in establishing the $40M Novo Nordisk Network for Healthy Populations on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin in Toronto, Canada. The Network, a collaboration with the University of Toronto, brings together interdisciplinary experts committed to reducing inequities, risk, and the burden of disease for those living with diabetes and obesity.
For Dave, co-founding Vimy Pharma is the next step in a lifelong passion. Honouring the outsized impact of Canadian researchers like Banting, Best, Collip and Drucker and their work in discovering therapies such as insulin, for diabetes, and GLP-1 for diabetes and obesity, Dave is committed to leading Vimy Pharma – a company anchored in Canada for Canadians helping to bring high-quality affordable medicines to those who need them most.
Chris Burkett
Director
Chris isn’t just a lawyer or a strategist — he’s a builder. He’s spent his career at the intersection of law, business, and innovation, shaping organizations that don’t just disrupt, but redefine the landscape.
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With a BA in History from Queen’s University, a law degree from The University of Windsor, and a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics, Chris brings a rare blend of deep insight and global perspective. He’s been recognized by Legal 500 as ‘Highly Recommended’ and a ‘Next Gen’ leader. Awards like the Robert E. Deignan for pro bono service and the Albert Allmark for leadership and excellence aren’t just accolades — they’re evidence of a relentless commitment to making a difference.
For over a decade, Chris led from the front, guiding complex litigation and compliance matters across industries, including pharma. At Deloitte Canada, he became National Leader, Legal.
Chris is driven by a passion to serve Canadians ensuring access to high-quality affordable, essential medicines, and championing Canada’s place on the global stage. In a world that’s more complex and competitive than ever, Chris believes in one thing above all: that with vision, courage, and relentless execution, we can build successful organizations. Chris believes that Canadians have always been at their best when driven by a sense of purpose and a bold vision.