New regulatory programming and personnel to advance Saskatchewan’s bio-economy (July 6, 2006)

Saskatoon, July 6: Ag-West Bio Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lisette Mascarenhas as the Vice President of Health and Nutrition, Janice Tranberg as Regulatory Affairs Director and Krista Dennis as the Communications Director.


Consumers, looking for healthy alternatives, are driving the natural health product and functional food industry. And Saskatchewan is emerging as a leader in this market. Our long history as a producer of consistent, high quality products, abundant natural resources, excellent science and research infrastructure and innovative agricultural processing industry places Saskatchewan with a natural advantage. Starting August 15, 2006, Dr. Lisette Mascarenhas will work to further this advantage through her role as Ag-West Bio’s VP of Health and Nutrition.


Lisette has a PhD in applied microbiology and an MBA from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently managing a Genome Alberta project which has a primary focus on the identification and development of diagnostics arising from genomics-based research. Prior to this project, Lisette worked at the College of Medicine at the U of S and at AAFC, Saskatoon. She has lived in Saskatchewan for 15 years and has an excellent knowledge of the province and the research community.


As an organization representing Saskatchewan’s bio-economy, Ag-West Bio is also taking a leadership role to guide, educate and inform the sector of current and emerging regulatory issues impacting our province and country. Janice Tranberg, former Communications Director with Ag-West Bio, has assumed the position of Regulatory Affairs Director. Janice will be involved at provincial, regional and national levels in regulatory and policy development and act as a conduit for information between regulators and industry. With over 10 years experience in Saskatchewan’s life sciences community and strong science background, Janice will bring a wealth of experience as she represents members and stakeholders on regulatory issues impacting our province.


The position of Communications Director has been filled by Krista Dennis, former Project Manager with Ag-West Bio. Krista’s marketing education and involvement in event coordination and communications at Ag-West Bio over the past two years make her the ideal candidate for the position.


“Ag-West Bio is looking forward to welcoming Lisette to our team,” said Dr. Ashley O’Sullivan, President and CEO of Ag-West Bio. “Having such qualified people to fill the roles of VP of Health and Nutrition, regulatory affairs and communications will allow Ag-West Bio to actively engage the sector and continue to build Saskatchewan’s bio-economy.”