Charlottetown, PE – August 10, 2026. The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) is pleased to announce the appointment of Heather Delage, an accomplished life sciences commercial executive based in Prince Edward Island, and Maxime Pesant, Vice-President, Private Equity and Impact Investing - Life Sciences, at the Fonds de solidarité FTQ in Montréal, to its Board of Directors.
CASTL is also pleased to announce that Matthew J. Carlyle, President, CEO and Director of adMare BioInnovations, has been appointed Chair of the Board, and Ron Keefe, Counsel, Stewart McKelvey; Partner, Island Capital Partners, has been appointed Vice Chair.
“Heather and Maxime bring complementary expertise in life sciences commercialization, investment and ecosystem development that will strengthen CASTL’s national perspective and support our continued growth,” said Penny Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of CASTL. “We are also grateful to Matthew and Ron for taking on these expanded leadership roles as CASTL continues to build the skilled workforce Canada’s biomanufacturing sector needs.”
CASTL’s Board of Directors for 2026-27 includes:
• Matthew J. Carlyle, Chair – President, CEO and Director, adMare BioInnovations
• Ron Keefe, Vice Chair – Counsel, Stewart McKelvey; Partner, Island Capital Partners
• Heather Delage – Life sciences commercial executive and former Chief Commercial Officer
• Maxime Pesant – Vice-President, Private Equity and Impact Investing – Life Sciences, Fonds de solidarité FTQ
• Paula Casalino – VP, Operations – Canada, IPS – Integrated Project Services, ULC
• Sarah Gallagher – VP, People & Culture, adMare BioInnovations
CASTL extends its sincere thanks to outgoing Board members Rory Francis and Cheryl Stewart-Walsh, who each served three years on the Board. Their insight, commitment and contributions helped guide CASTL through an important period of national growth and development.
“CASTL plays a vital role in building the highly skilled workforce needed to strengthen Canada’s life sciences and biomanufacturing sectors,” said Matthew J. Carlyle. “I am honoured to serve as Chair and look forward to working with this accomplished Board and the CASTL team to advance the organization’s national impact, expand access to industry-informed training and help position Canada for continued growth and innovation.”
About Matthew J. Carlyle
Matthew J. Carlyle is President and CEO of adMare BioInnovations, Canada's life sciences company creation engine. A nine-year leader at adMare, he previously served as COO and CFO, and brings extensive experience in biotechnology, finance and venture capital, including as a partner at a national venture capital firm and CFO of Allon Therapeutics and Viable Healthworks. Matthew has raised and deployed over $500 million and helped build and finance numerous life sciences companies. Matthew holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and earned the ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
About Ron Keefe
Ron Keefe has been a member of the PEI BioAlliance since its inception and served as its Chair for several years. He is counsel at Stewart McKelvey, where he was previously a partner, and a partner in Island Capital Partners, a venture fund supporting early-stage companies. Ron formerly served as Chief Executive Officer of BioVectra Inc. and Diagnostic Chemicals Limited, now Sekisui Diagnostics. He has extensive corporate governance experience, serves on numerous boards and dedicates considerable time to mentoring founders and emerging businesses.
About Heather Delage
Heather Delage is a retired Chief Commercial Officer with more than 30 years of experience in the life sciences sector. She began her career at Diagnostic Chemicals Limited before joining BIOVECTRA, where she held progressively senior commercial leadership roles and helped build the company’s global client base. As a member of the executive team, she contributed to positioning BIOVECTRA for its US$925-million acquisition by Agilent Technologies in 2024. Heather also mentors biotechnology startups and scaling companies through the Emergence program.
About Maxime Pesant
Maxime Pesant is Vice President, Private Equity and Impact Investing - Life Sciences, at the Fonds de solidarité FTQ. He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Montréal InVivo. Before joining the Fonds, Maxime was a partner at AmorChem and held a finance role at NuChem Sciences. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant with the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (Quebec Order of Chartered Accountants) and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
About Paula Casalino
With more than 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry, leading large‑scale capital projects for vaccine, pharmaceutical and advanced therapy manufacturers, Paula has overseen multi‑million‑dollar facility builds and expansions across Canada and the United States. She founded IPS’s Canadian operations in 2017 and previously served as North American Head of Engineering for the world’s leading vaccine producer. Her expertise spans GMP facility design, construction, commissioning, qualification and validation, as well as team development and operational excellence.
About Sarah Gallagher
Sarah is a seasoned human‑resources executive with over 20 years of leadership experience in organizational development, diversity and inclusion, talent management and employee well‑being. As Vice President, People and Culture, at adMare BioInnovations, she leads the people strategy that supports the growth of Canada’s life‑sciences innovation ecosystem. Prior roles at Vancouver Airport Authority and TELUS Communications saw her spearhead culture‑building initiatives and large‑scale change‑management programs.
About CASTL
The Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) is Canada’s biomanufacturing training partner, dedicated to developing skilled talent to drive the country’s thriving biomanufacturing sector. With state-of-the-art, GMP-simulated facilities from coast to coast (in Charlottetown, PE; Montreal QC, and Vancouver, BC), CASTL delivers hands-on, industry-informed training alongside flexible online learning. As Canada’s exclusive provider of National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) programs, CASTL offers world-class education with support from adMare BioInnovations, shaping the next generation of life sciences professionals.
Media enquiries
Heidi Reinblatt
Director, Marketing and Communications
Canadian Alliance for Skills & Training in Life Sciences (CASTL)
heidi@castlcanada.ca