About Us

Alan Kwong

Founder, CEO & Managing Director

Alan is a senior executive with extensive management and professional experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He was previously employed at Purdue Pharma, Glaxo, Connaught Laboratories (now Sanofi Canada), John Brown Consulting in Chicago and Taro Pharmaceuticals in New York. In 1997 Alan returned to Toronto from New York with a vision and PharmEng Technology was established. Today, PharmEng is an international pharmaceutical consulting company with over 250 staff in Asia, Europe, USA, Canada and Latin America providing consulting services to the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Alan received his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and his M.Sc. and MBA from the University of Toronto.

Alex Della Mora

Executive VP & Managing Director, Canada & Global Marketing

Alex is a Senior Manager with experience in various areas of the health sector, including but not limited to drug development, cGMP Manufacturing, Quality Systems, Compliance, Audits (cGMP), Validation, Clinical Operations and Quality Assurance. He has successfully managed multiple projects, with limited resources and has implemented various procedures and systems to ensure compliance with Health Canada and FDA standards and regulations. He has managed the manufacturing and distribution of products for 1500 associated pharmacies including the IDA and Guardian banners. His excellent communication and customer service skills have resulted in successful project deliverance within strict timelines, budgets and client satisfaction.

Bruce Craven

Executive VP & Managing Director, Americas & Europe

Bruce has over 25 years of technical and leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with an emphasis on project management, QA compliance and validation. Prior to joining PharmEng. He has held various senior leadership positions within well-known industry Engineering and Technical Services companies. He is an experienced executive with a reputation for delivering successful business strategies and client-focused service that deliver quality results and financial success. He is an active member of both the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) and Pharmaceutical Drug Association (PDA) where he has held various leadership and executive board level positions.

Kenny Peng

Executive VP & Managing Director, Asia

Kenny has international experience across multiple countries. He started his career in biomedical sensor design prior to entering the consulting industry, with pharmaceutical equipment and facility design, and subsequently validation where he led multiple technology transfer projects from North America to Southeast Asia. Mr. Peng built a business in regulatory affairs and engineering assisting companies around the world breaking into complex pharmaceutical regulations in Asia, assisting pharmaceutical manufacturers in designing and building modern pharmaceutical facilities. He has worked with many multinational companies within the industry including pre-clinical, clinical, commercial phases, innovation, development manufacturing, and supply chain lifecycle phases.

Alice Wang

Corporate Controller

Alice provides financial management services and leads the global accounting group functions for the company, including managing financial strategy, and overseeing all financial functions and corporate development. She is committed to maximizing long-term shareholder value and maintaining the high level of integrity and transparency. Her responsibilities include financial planning, accounting and reporting, internal controls, tax, cash flow budgeting, and risk control. Ms. Wang has an eye for continuous improvement and also provides both operational and programmatic support to the organizations Managing Directors and project operation managers with budget management, cost-benefit analysis, forecasting needs and efficiency improvements.

Kevin Cui

Director, Global IT

Brooks Fardy

Senior Director, BD & Operation, USA

Brooks is a team-oriented leader with over twenty years of success in directing strategic quality operations in the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industry. He has an industry reputation for delivering successful projects to his clients and organizations. Throughout his career, Brooks has proven experience in developing and implementing superior performance Programs to service the project needs of clients within his business accounts. His focus on a positive company culture, building teams, and establishing career paths for employees are the foundational blocks to build a strong company profile.

Kevin Dempsey

Senior Director, Ireland

Yee Ju Chen

Director, Asia

Yee Ju is based in Singapore and assists with the Business Development of the Asia operations. She has a keen eye for details and brings with her a diverse pharmaceutical career spanning across community retail, commercial merchandising, academia, executive training and engagement for the industry. Her expertise is on regional Regulatory Affairs, Pharmocovigilance and Due-Diligence for foreign Pharmaceuticals, Biotech, Medical Device, Health Food & Cosmetic companies who seek to understand the regulatory and market entry needs into Asia and other parts of the world. She project manages a team of consultants across Asia supporting Clients in market expansion endeavors.

Dr. Nizamil Fairuz Yahya

Director, Malaysia

Nizamil is based in Malaysia with over 20 years of diverse global experiences demonstrated in GMP plant start-up, technology transfer, quality & compliance operations, commissioning, qualification & validation, and various engineering services with clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices and others across North America & South East Asia. Throughout his career, Nizamil has proven his expertise with team-oriented achievement in the completion of the assigned project and helps the clients to succeed in the market. Mr. Fairuz is very involved with ISPE Malaysia & Indonesia and actively participates as a presenter and publisher.

Luiz Grasso

Director, Spain

Luiz is based in Barcelona, Spain, and has over 17 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, chemical, and Vegan medicine industries. He is a Medical Device lead auditor, specialized in Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP), Regulations (EU) 2017/745 & (EU) 2017/746, ISO 13485, and ISO 9001. He has a broad range of experience in areas such as Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Pharmacopeia Compliance, Process Manufacturing, Testing Methods, Technology Transfer, Stability Studies, Project Leadership and Validation. Mr. Grasso is a specialist in PRESENTIAL and REMOTE consulting needs, MDSAP & European directives full AUDIT compliance.

Chris Granby

Director, Ireland

Gary Bendik

Director, Canada

Jeffrey Shek

Corporate Legal Counsel

Jeffrey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from York University and a Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. After completing his articling at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, Jeffrey was called to the Ontario Bar in 2002.
Since then, Jeffrey has practiced law in various capacities, including fourteen years within his sole practitioner firm which offered services in corporate and commercial law, litigation, and dispute resolution.
In 2017, Jeffrey left private practice and now practices law under an innovative model to act as in-house counsel of various small and medium size businesses. In addition, Jeffrey has been a part-time instructor at Seneca College since September 2019, teaching Business Law in the college’s Faculty of Continuing Education and Training.

Jacob J. Thiessen

B.Sc. (Pharm): University of Manitoba; M.Sc.: University of Manitoba; Ph.D.: University of California, San Franscisco, USA

Jake Thiessen is a former Professor, Associate Dean, and current Professor Emeritus at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto. Following 33 years at the University of Toronto, he spent 6 years at the University of Waterloo (UW) where he had strategic responsibility for the development of a new Health Sciences Campus and Canada’s 10th School of Pharmacy.

Jack Thiessen specialized in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, which basically describe quantitatively those forces that affect how the body handles medicines and how medicines affect the body. The dynamic of these two areas influences strategies around patient treatment regimen in all disease states. Research collaborations included some years working with medical oncologists and basic scientists at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Mr. Thiessen’s broad experience has included international projects in areas like Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Nigeria, the role of CCAPP President, Chair for the Drug Quality and Therapeutics Committee of the Ontario Ministry of Health, and Chair for Health Canada’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Bioavailability and Bioequivalence. Currently he serves Health Canada as the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Pharmaceutical Sciences and Clinical Pharmacology. Most recently, he served the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care as an independent reviewer of the under-dosing of oncology medicines discovered in Ontario. In recognition of his lifelong service as educator, researcher, mentor, innovator and leader he was honoured with the 2014 Canadian Pillar of Pharmacy Award.

Hank Klakurka

B.Sc. University of Toronto’s Erindale College

Hank Klakurka has over 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry and has extensive experience in both branded and generic pharmaceuticals. He played a key role in the sale of Merck’s generics division, at the end of 2007, to Pittsburgh-based Mylan Labs for US$6.7B, representing a near-record multiple for the sector. He grew the Merck Generics business from approximately €900M to €1.8B since joining the company in 2001 as head of its Americas Region. He was promoted to CEO of the global group in 2003. The Merck Generics Group was the third largest global generics pharmaceutical company doing business in over 90 countries with a staff of 5000+ employees located in more than 35 countries around the world.

Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Klakurka held progressively more resposible positions with several other major pharmaceutical companies including Astra, Schering-Plough, Johnson & Johnson and Apotex.

Some of Mr. Klakurk’s former roles include:
-Former CEO, Merck Generics Group, Division of Merck KGaA, Germany
-Director, Soho Global Health, Indonesia
-Director, Blue-Zone Technologies Ltd., Toronto, Canada
-Operating Partner, Quadria Capital Investment Management, Singapore, India
-Pharma and Non-Pharma Advisor, several private equity firms, USA, EU, SEA
-Pharma Industry Consultant

Hon. Philip S. Lee

24th Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

B.Sc. University of Manitoba

The Honourable Philip Lee was named Manitoba’s first Chinese-Canadian lieutenant-governor by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2009.

Born in Hong Kong, Mr. Lee came to Canada to study chemistry at the University of Manitoba. During his student career, he was elected Chairman of the University College Student Association. In June, 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by the University of Manitoba. Mr. Lee began his career as a research chemist, where he worked in the area of water research, dealing with water supply and water quality studies for the City of Winnipeg. While building a career in chemistry and business, Philip continued his community work and was active in Winnipeg’s Chinese-Canadian community for over 35 years.

Philip was appointed a member of the Human Rights Council of Manitoba and later became chairperson of the policy review committee for Human Rights, Manitoba. He served as a member of the City of Winnipeg’s Refugee Assistance Committee. In addition to being an Executive Board Member of the Winnipeg Chinese Cultural and Community Centre, he was also a member of the Chinese Development Corporation and the 1995 Manitoba’s 125th Anniversary Committee.

Philip was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1999. He was the recipient of The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and The Queen’s Diamond Jubiee Medal in 2012. He became a member and the Chancellor of the Order of Manitoba in August 2009.

Philip’s leadership has also been recognized through the City of Winnipeg Community Service Award(1984). He served on the Multiculturalism Council of Canada between 1984 and 1988 and received the Recognition of Service Award from the Community and Race Relations Committee, City of Winnipeg(1990). in 1993, Philip received the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Between 1995 and 1999, Mr. Lee was a board member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and a board member of the Alumi Association of the University of Manitoba.

Ravi Joshi

B.Sc. Former Managing Director at PharmEng Technology

Ravi Joshi brings over 30 years leadership experience in Management of Consulting practice, and hands-on experience in Quality Systems, Product Development, GMP and Technical Audits, Commissioning and Validation activities in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

Mr. Joshi holds extensive expertise in pharmaceutical solid dosage formulation and process development and is an expert in conceptual design for sterile and non-sterile manufacturing, filling and packaging operations in pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. He is an innovative strategist, skilled at assessing and implementing cost-effective solutions with efficient training.

Mr. Joshi’s business acumen and unique perspective have provided effective solutions to all clients.