Biography - Albert Friesen

Albert D. Friesen holds a Ph.D. in protein chemistry from the University of Manitoba. He has been instrumental in the founding and development of several health industry companies, including ABI Biotechnology (now Apotex Fermentation), Canada’s first profitable biotech company, and also led the development of Canada’s first biotech product, WinRho. Dr. Friesen is a founder of the Industrial Biotechnology Association of Canada (now BIOTECanada). He is currently President and CEO of Medicure Inc., and President of Genesys Venture Inc. (GVI), which provides the expertise for launching and managing emerging health and biotechnology ventures.

Dr. Friesen led the establishment of CentreStone Venture Partners, a $22 million life sciences fund based in Winnipeg, and currently serves on the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council, which advises on a range of Manitoba’s economic priorities. He also serves on the Manitoba Innovation Council, as Co Chair, the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Council of Canadian Academies, and the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Advisory Board of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.