Leadership Team

Mr. Zettl founded ZYUS’ wholly owned subsidiary, Life Sciences Inc., in April 2018. Prior to becoming the President and CEO of ZYUS, Mr. Zettl was the founder of ZYUS Life Sciences Inc. and co-founder of Prairie Plant Systems Inc. in 1988 (“PPS”) and CanniMed Ltd. in 2013 and their parent company, CanniMed Therapeutics Inc. In 1991, Mr. Zettl led the development of CanniMed’s first biosecure underground growth chamber in Flin Flon, Manitoba. In February 2003, he founded SubTerra (and PPS’s second biosecure underground growth chamber) at White Pine, Michigan and, in 2004, acquired the mine site for conversion into a biopharmaceutical production facility. Under his leadership, both PPS and CanniMed Ltd. became the first two licensed producers of cannabis under the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations made under the CDSA in 2013. In 2016, CanniMed was awarded a licence for the production and sale of medical cannabis oils and was acquired in March 2018 for approximately $1.2 billion, the largest acquisition of a cannabis company at the time. Mr. Zettl contributes to the community through his involvement as director of the Canadian Environmental Technology 114 Advancement Corporation – West, Chair of Harvest Community Inc., a non-profit assisting people with intellectual disabilities, and past Chair of Ag-West Bio Inc., an organization supporting growth in the agricultural biotechnology industry. He has also been the chairman of the board of P.M. Power Group Inc., a company owned by PPS, since 2016. In 2014, Mr. Zettl was awarded the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Prairies Business-to- Consumer category. Mr. Zettl received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan. 

Mr. Carpenter, BA (Economics), MBA, CFA, has more than 20 years of investment experience, spanning both the buy and sell-side. He had spent the last ten years in agriculture equity research, where he was a Brendan Wood Top Gun-ranked analyst and StarMine Award recipient. Prior to joining ZYUS in 2018, Mr. Carpenter worked as a Managing Director for both ATB Capital Markets (formerly AltaCorp Capital) from 2017 to 2018 and Canaccord Genuity from 2008 to 2015. Mr. Carpenter received his Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto.

Mr. Hyshka, B. Comm (Finance) has more than 20 years of experience as a business and finance leader in the life sciences space.  He has extensive experience establishing and scaling high-growth companies and a proven track record in raising capital.  Throughout his career, he has successfully raised over $75 million in Canada for different small to mid-size enterprises in the agriculture, medical device and therapeutics industries.

Mr. Livingstone holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and a Master of Science in Clinical Pharmacy, both from the University of Saskatchewan. Scott has a proven track record of operational success in both public and private healthcare sectors, including hospital and community pharmacy practice, social sector policy and health care informatics. Prior to joining ZYUS, Mr. Livingstone served as the CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Information Network (now eHealth Saskatchewan), President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, chair of both the National Steering Committee and the Saskatchewan Provincial Advisory Committee for the Pan Canadian Oncology Drug Review, and the inaugural President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority. These leadership positions have enabled Mr. Livingstone to play an active role in evidence-based assessment of oncology drugs, oncology drug safety and the sustainability of cancer control which, together with his passion for patient safety and patient-centered approach to care, makes Mr. Livingstone an ideal fit for ZYUS and its clinical research initiatives.

Dr. Stakiw completed her medical degree and internal medicine residency at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by specialized training in hematology at Queen’s University and a clinical fellowship in lymphoma and stem cell transplantation at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. She has held several key leadership positions including Provincial Leader of Hematology, Medical Director of Saskatchewan’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, and Medical Director of the Saskatoon Cancer Clinic. Dr. Stakiw also previously served as Director of Clinical Trials at a regional cancer centre in Ontario and as Director of Patient Research and Innovation for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency. Known for her patient-centered approach and expertise in managing complex hematologic conditions such as multiple myeloma and leukemia, Dr. Stakiw continues to serve as a Clinical Professor in Hematological Oncology at the University of Saskatchewan while maintaining an active clinical practice. Her extensive clinical and leadership experience will be instrumental in advancing ZYUS’ clinical development program.