Our Exceptional People are Key to Our Success
Phyton Biotech’s internationally renowned team of multidisciplinary innovators are at the leading edge of development, manufacturing and commercialization of high-value phytochemicals.
Colin Marr
President, Phyton Biotech Ltd.
As President of Phyton Biotech Ltd., and operating from corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, Colin Marr provides overall leadership to the Phyton Biotech organization across Europe, North America and Asia, representing DFB Pharmaceuticals and its shareholders through strategies for growth and investment in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
In 2016, Colin joined Phyton Biotech in the Vancouver operations as Vice President, Business Development to bring renewed growth of Phyton Biotech’s capabilities and assets. Before joining Phyton Biotech Colin enjoyed many years with BioVectra Inc. as Director, Business Development and prior to that with its subsidiary as Director of Business Development with Atlantis BioActives Corporation. Colin has also held the position of Vice President Sales and Marketing with Island Critical Care, Director of Biotechnology and Life Sciences with Enterprise PEI and Director of Development with the PEI Food Technology Centre.
Colin holds a Master of Science in Oceanography from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and a Hons. BSc. in Physiology/Pharmacology from Western University in London, Ontario.
Jackie Labbe
VP Sales & Marketing
Phyton Ltd.
Jackie Labbe BSc.BM
Vice President Sales and Marketing, Phyton Biotech
Jackie Labbe is responsible for leading the identification of strategic initiatives that utilize Phyton Biotech’s unique technology and assets to drive growth. Through working with stakeholders and commercial partners, Jackie is responsible for strategic planning and execution to support the expansion of Phyton Biotech’s technology and products in the Pharmaceutical, Traditional Medicines, Food Ingredients, Cosmetic, and other, industries. Jackie is also solely responsible for leading API sales, marketing, and the branding of Phyton Biotech, aligned with the vision to expand Phyton Biotech’s technology and products into new markets and geographies.
Jackie has strong business acumen, is resourceful, and passionate about developing relationships that are based on mutual commitment, transparency, and the drive to achieve goals that contribute to Phyton Biotech’s growth.
Ms. Labbe has been leading API Sales and Business Development at Phyton Biotech since 2010 and has been instrumental in its success.
Prior to joining Phyton Biotech, Jackie held various senior management roles in biotech and software development companies, including international Regulatory Affairs at Dey LP in California, and was a key contributor to the development of the new generation EpiPen, as well as Development Director for Electronic Arts in Vancouver.
Jackie holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and has dedicated the majority of her professional career to leadership roles in biotech companies.
Kai Schütte
Managing Director, Operations
Phyton Biotech GmbH
Kai Schütte
Managing Director, Operations, Phyton GmbH
Kai Schütte has served as Managing Director of Phyton Biotech’s development and manufacturing site in Germany since 2015 and is responsible for all operational aspects, which includes leading business development for Phyton Biotech’s fermentation-based development services.
Kai has a long association with the organization and extensive experience with all aspects of its technology, having held various management positions since 1995. He has been instrumental in establishing Plant Cell Fermentation (PCF®) as a commercially viable and broadly applicable technology for supply of plant-derived compounds and for assuring Phyton Biotech’s global leadership in that field.
Kai holds an engineering degree in Biotechnology from the Technical University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and a business engineering degree from the Open University of Hamburg.
Kevin Lu
VP BD – Partnering
Phyton Ltd.
Kevin H. Lu
Vice President Business Development, Phyton Biotech
Kevin Lu leads the business development activities at Phyton Biotech, including working with global clients on new product development, applying Phyton Biotech’s specialty fermentation technology, partnership development, joint-venture formation, and new market territory expansion.
Kevin has more than 15-years of working experience in the pharmaceutical industry under GMP in both North America and China, which covers manufacturing, process development & validation, R&D, quality, data management systems, engineering, facility design, and sales & marketing.
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science, which focuses on chemistry and engineering from the Tianjin University of Science and Technology.
Stephen Ball
VP BD – Strategic Growth
Phyton Ltd.
Stephen Ball
Vice President Business Development – Strategic Growth, Phyton Biotech
As a recent member of the Phyton Biotech team, Stephen is responsible for the identification and development of new business opportunities and state-of the-art technologies that are critical to Phyton’s strategic growth. Stephen will expand Phyton’s business portfolio for specialty fermentation projects covering Pharmaceutical, Herbal Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nutraceutical, Cosmetic and Food Ingredients industries.
Stephen has worked in the biotechnology industry for over 20 years and most recently for Natural Products Canada, where he supported the start-up ecosystem through evaluating early-stage technologies, recommending direct investment opportunities, and supporting their business plan development. Prior to Natural Products Canada, Stephen held the role of Director of Sales & Marketing at BioVectra Inc. and was responsible for managing BioVectra’s strategic partnerships and competitive intelligence to ensure continued growth of the business.
Stephen holds a M.Sc. in Biochemistry and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University.
Dr. Gilbert Gorr
Chief Scientific
Officer
Phyton Biotech GmbH
Dr. Gilbert Gorr
Chief Scientific Officer, Phyton Biotech GmbH
As Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D, Dr. Gilbert Gorr is responsible for all development projects regarding new plant-based cell cultures. In addition, he leads the technical support of Phyton Biotech’s patent prosecution processes, as well as the identification, preparation, and filing of new patent applications. In 2009, Gilbert cofounded Emcid Biotech GmbH where he served as managing director and CSO until realizing a successful exit in 2013.
Prior to Emcid, Gilbert served as CSO of Greenovation Biotech where he was also a shareholder. Gilbert is the inventor/co-inventor of 11 patent families comprising of secondary metabolites produced by plant cell cultures, expression technologies, molecular tools, and glyco-engineering – including antibody optimization. So far, his work has resulted in more than 250 granted patents and numerous scientific publications.
During his career with his teams and multi-national collaborators, Gilbert has been successful in securing research grants funded by state, federal, and international organizations such as the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the European Union, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
After receiving his doctorate degree in natural sciences at Hamburg University for his work on the moss bioreactor/BryoTechnology, Gilbert was Post Doc at the School of Veterinary Medicine Hannover where he worked in the area of pharmaceutical development with special emphasis on dermatology.
Mark Mitchell
Chief Legal
Officer, Phyton Ltd.
General Counsel, DFB
Mark Mitchell
Chief Legal Officer, Phyton Biotech Ltd
General Counsel & Managing Director of DFB Pharmaceuticals (Phyton Biotech ownership)
Mark Mitchell is Phyton Biotech’s Chief Legal Officer and is responsible for all legal matters pertaining to the Phyton Biotech organization and intellectual property. Mark is also Managing Director of DFB Pharmaceuticals, and has over 25 years of experience as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to serving as DFB’s General Counsel, Mark is on the Executive Committee of Phyton Biotech and part of the Nanology management team. As outside counsel, Mark joined the DFB board of directors in 1990, and joined DFB as its Chief Legal Officer in 1993. He has also established and led Quality, Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance functions across multiple pharmaceutical businesses in the DFB family of companies.
Prior to joining DFB, Mark spent twelve years as a corporate lawyer in private practice. He currently serves on the board of DFB Pharmaceuticals LLC, TableTop Media LLC, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas A&M University and a Juris Doctor in Law from Southern Methodist University.
Bryan Radu
General
Manager
Phyton Biotech Canada
Bryan Radu, CPA, CGA,
General Manager, Phyton Biotech Canada
As the General Manager, Bryan Radu is responsible for the day-to-day GMP commercial operations for the production of commercial Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and implementation of the strategic objectives for Phyton Biotech at its Canadian facility.
Bryan has been with Phyton Biotech since 2011 when he joined as Phyton Biotech’s Controller and assumed the General Manager role in 2018. Prior to his role with Phyton Biotech, Bryan was the Controller at a small industrial automation company after spending 11 years with a fireplace manufacturer, all in the Vancouver area of British Columbia.
Bryan holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Laurentian University, as well as a professional accounting designation from the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada.
Albert Thölke
Managing Director, Finance
and Administration
Phyton Biotech GmbH
Albert Thölke
Managing Director, Finance and Administration, Phyton GmbH
As Head of Finance and Materials Management, Albert Thölke joined Phyton Biotech in 2010. He is responsible for finance, controlling, and procurement.
Albert has broad experience in various industries for more than 20 years in this remit. Following his graduation from the University of Applied Sciences Lüneburg in Germany with a degree in Business Administration he worked for multinational companies.
Prior to Phyton Biotech, Albert served as Head of Controlling and Finance in the food industry, as well as in rubber processing. He also gained experience in a world-leading company for warehouse equipment.
Dr. Michael von Gönner
Head of Quality Management
Phyton Biotech GmbH
Dr. Michael von Gönner
Head of Quality Management, Phyton Biotech GmbH
As Head of Quality Management of Phyton Biotech GmbH, Dr. Michael. v. Gönner is responsible for implementing legal requirements in the area of GMP for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, genetic engineering, emission control, and occupational safety.
Michael has more than 20 years of in-depth experience in implementing GMP compliance according to EU and US legislation for oral, sterile, and biotech products. He has also played a key role in drug master file applications related to regulatory affairs, audits, and CMC documentation.
Prior to joining Phyton Biotech, Michael held senior management positions in pharmaceutical companies including GMP Assurance of Aventis Behring (CSL Behring) where he was responsible for GMP compliance in six plants for blood-derived products.
Michael is a biologist by training and received his doctorate degree at Justus Liebig University of Giessen, Germany (Department of Phytopathology and Applied Entomology).
Tim Cowan
Sr. Director QA/RA
Phyton Biotech Canada
Tim Cowan
Tim Cowan is responsible for the Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Regulatory Affairs activities at Phyton Biotech, LLC. He is responsible for ensuring the quality of Phyton’s APIs, the compliance of the Phyton Biotech site, and the management of Phyton Biotech’s regulatory filings. Tim has been in this role since 2009.
Tim holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia. Early in his career, and before transitioning into quality assurance, Tim was an analytical chemist in the petrochemical, metallurgical, and pharmaceutical industries. He has more than 20 years of pharmaceutical quality assurance experience with companies such as QLT and Natural Pharma Canada.