Managing Director and CEO
Krystle van Hoof
krystle.vanhoof [at] mcgill.ca
Over the past two decades, Krystle has held a variety of leadership positions within the non-profit sector, the federal government and the United Nations—most recently as Assistant Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Institute of Gender and Health. She has been recognized for her skills in change management and team building and has a wealth of experience defining strategic goals and guiding day-to-day operations, including the administration of complex financial systems in the health research environment. An expert in knowledge translation, Krystle has led communications departments for two Canadian associations—work that has been recognized with national awards. As Managing Director and CEO, Krystle is responsible for carrying forward the strategic vision of the HBHL initiative while overseeing the ongoing implementation of complex, high-profile funding programs and innovation partnerships within the neuroscience and related communities at McGill, in Canada and beyond.
Project Manager
Kim Reeve
kim.reeve [at] mcgill.ca
Prior to joining HBHL, Kim held the position of Administrative Officer in Department of Languages, Literature, and Cultures and East Asian Studies. Kim has worked in the non-profit sector and has over 15 years of marketing and administrative experience and holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Marketing Major from Concordia University.
Administrative Assistant
Emma-Louise Vanden Busch
emma.vandenbusch [at] mcgill.ca
Emma-Louise brings over five years of experience in higher education administration to HBHL’s team, encompassing diverse roles spanning from public relations to student services. She holds a BA in both Psychology and Anthropology from the University of San Diego, along with a certificate in Strategic Online Marketing. Emma-Louise is also a Certified Nonprofit Professional through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, with a rich background in both professional and volunteer capacities within non-profits.
Policy & Knowledge Exchange Officer
Cora Siebert
cora.siebert [at] mcgill.ca
Cora holds a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from the University of Montreal and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Guelph. She has previously held positions in communications, knowledge translation and public policy at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the International Development Research Centre and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She has lived and worked La Réunion, the UK, Ghana and Uganda.
Funding and Reporting
Senior Advisor, Metrics & Reporting
Alex Iugan
alex.iugan [at] mcgill.ca
Alex joined the HBHL team from the Desautels Faculty of Management, where he worked as Schedule Administrator. Prior to becoming a member of the McGill community in 2020, Alex held various roles in the financial services industry, focusing on employee development, training and continuing education.
Communications
Associate Director, Communications
Chris Maskell
christopher.maskell [at] mcgill.ca
Chris has held various positions as a communications professional—before joining the HBHL team, Chris worked as a Senior Communications & Production Coordinator at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. He has also been a freelance writer for CBC Music and the Ottawa Citizen JazzBlog, and has acted as a freelance assistant producer with CBC Music.
Communications Officer
Roberta Santangelo
roberta.santangelo [at] mcgill.ca
Roberta is a communications specialist with 10 years of experience in public relations, publishing and communications. She holds a Master's degree in Publishing and Journalism from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and she completed a specialized training program in Marketing and Digital Communication at "Il Sole 24ORE" (Italy). Roberta worked for six years in public relations agencies in Italy, building her expertise in event organization, content creation, media relations and social media management.
Communications Associate
Emilie Hackett
emilie.hackett [at] mcgill.ca
Emilie holds a Bachelor’s in English Literature from Bishop’s University and a Master’s in Media Studies from Concordia University. Before joining the HBHL team, Emilie worked as a reporter for The Sherbrooke Record, covering a wide range of topics from sports and community news to provincial and federal politics. During her time as a communications coordinator at a seniors’ residence amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Emilie worked closely with government officials and health care professionals to ensure the safety and well-being of seniors all while undertaking event planning, content creation and social media management responsibilities.
NeuroSphere
Associate Director, Business Development
Adrienne Crampton
adrienne.crampton [at] mcgill.ca
Adrienne Crampton graduated in 2021 from McGill University with a PhD in Rehabilitation Science (focusing on mild traumatic brain injury). Prior to this, she completed her Master’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Ottawa (’17) and her BSc in Kinesiology at McGill University (’15) while competing as a varsity athlete for the latter. Adrienne is a certified Quebec Innovation Consultant (accredited through the Conseil de l’Innovation du Québec) and has worked for both non-profit and for-profit organizations spanning various fields, such as kinesiology, human performance, neuroscience and brain health. Throughout her PhD, she developed a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as for creating conduits between research and industry. More specifically, Adrienne places a strong focus on leveraging her expertise and network to support impact-driven innovation.
Business Development Advisor
Marc St-Jean
marc.st-jean [at] mcgill.ca
Marc is a seasoned professional with an MBA from McGill University and over 15 years of expertise in business development. His career spans diverse sectors, including both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Prior to joining the HBHL team, Marc worked in custom executive education at HEC bringing together top academics and business leaders. His extensive experience in Quebec's high technology industry, particularly in photonics and electronics, underscores his commitment to fostering collaboration. Marc's international exposure includes over five years in Europe, including a stint in technology transfer in Luxembourg. Furthermore, a year-long experience at Pfizer Canada and collaborations with MedTech businesses in the photonics industry give Marc a particular understanding of the Canadian medical technology and pharma industry.
Program Officer
Eve Gesbert
eve.gesbert [at] mcgill.ca
Eve holds a Bachelor's in Media, Communications and Culture and a Master's in Marketing from Oxford Brookes University. Since then, she has worked in Europe and North America for non-profits, for-profits and governmental entities in Tech, Health, Mobility, Urbanism and Culture. Throughout her career, she has worked for various entrepreneurial ecosystems, such as incubators and accelerators. Her expertise includes Content Strategy, Community Management and Event Planning.
Training and Business Development Officer
Karthikeyan Swaminathan
karthikeyan.swaminathan [at] mcgill.ca
Karthikeyan Swaminathan (Karthik) completed his Master's in Neuroscience at McGill University in 2023, receiving awards from MedTech Talent Accelerator, Mitacs, HBHL and McGill University, along with certifications from programs like adMare Bioinnovation Scientist and Quebec Scientific Entrepreneurship. Having previously obtained a bachelor's in Biotechnology, his Master's thesis focused on hyperphosphorylated tau in Alzheimer’s disease. Before joining NeuroSphere, Karthik worked for McGill University and Mitacs while pursuing his Master's, also serving as the HBHL Trainee Committee President and later as Sponsorship Officer. Currently pursuing an online MBA at Quantic School of Business (USA), Karthik aims to apply his skills in research, mentorship and networking at NeuroSphere for the translation of scientific advancements into commercially viable products.
NeuroSphere Entrepreneur-in-Residence (Part-Time)
Laurent Balenci
Over the last 15 years, Laurent has held various executive roles in business development, management and operations in the biotechnology industry. He built his own consulting practice advising entrepreneurs, start-ups and mid-size companies in terms of business, product development, asset management and financing strategies. Laurent has been involved in multiple startup creations and has managed successfully over 35 different development programs ranging from ideation to late-phase clinical trials in both drug and medical device sectors. He helped raise $70 million in public and private transactional events for his clients. Laurent has run multiple due diligence assessments on diverse business opportunities for investor groups. He is also a regular commercialization grant reviewer and business mentor for many organizations. In 2019, Laurent received the DL. Patrick Commonwealth Innovation award for his mentoring contributions in the Boston biotech ecosystem. Laurent holds an executive MBA from the University of Washington and a PhD in Neurobiology from University of Grenoble-Alpes (France).
HBHL-Affiliated Staff
Awards Officer
Sarah Kaderabek
sarah.kaderabek [at] mcgill.ca
Dr. Sarah Kaderabek received her MA and PhD in Russian (Language and Literature) from McGill University. She taught at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and served for two summers as the Resident Director in Moscow for the American Councils for International Education Contemporary Russia study abroad program. From 2008-2017 Dr. Kaderabek worked in the Office of the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, in McGill’s Faculty of Arts. In 2017, she joined the Office of Sponsored Research as a member of the Awards Management team, where she oversees award activation for the HBHL project, Canada First Research Excellence Fund grants, Genome Quebec and Genome Canada funding.
Financial Officer
Louise Schratz
louise.schratz [at] mcgill.ca
Over the last 30 years, Louise has held various accounting and administrative positions both in the private sector and at McGill University. She brings to the HBHL team her extensive experience in overseeing large scale grants gained from administering CFI, Genome and MDEIE grants to name a few. Louise’s collaborative approach in coordinating with both internal and external clients serves to ensure the integrity of the financial reporting. As the HBHL Financial Officer, Louise is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements for the HBHL grant as well as fund(s) activations, monitoring spending of funds and ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines.
