When MedTEC Pharma’s founders had the vision to bring cannabis to the medicinal mainstream, they knew they would need to take on a considerable mission: building a professional, pharmaceutical cannabis business from the ground up.
As close associates for over 20 years, Brad Gallard and Richard Barrett were a formidable combination of complementary strengths – Brad with extensive expertise in agribusiness and manufacturing, and Richard with health and medical industry expertise backed by 20 years of international business experience.
Together they leveraged their skills to assemble a team of leading experts and strategic partners, all with the capabilities to address the gaps in this nascent industry.
Leadership Team
Brad Gallard
Managing Director
Brad is no stranger to innovation and enterprise. He brings third generation agri-business expertise, along with his experience building and operating leading food and beverage manufacturing businesses at scale.
Brad is responsible for developing a program for the delivery of the entire supply chain, from cultivation through to manufacturing and distribution. He has provided the business with a strong foundation for scalable production and manufacturing to dedicated market specifications.
Credentials and experience
- Managing Director – Gallard Holdings (third-generation horticulture company)
- Former Board Director – Citrus Board of South Australia
- Former Board Director – Citrus Growers of SA
- Former Board Director – Renmark Irrigation Trust
Richard Willson
Non-Executive Director and Co. Secretary
Experienced, Non-Executive Director, Company Secretary and CFO with more than 20 years’ experience, predominantly within the mining, technology and agricultural sectors for both publicly listed and private companies.
Credentials and experience
- Bachelor of Accounting from the University of South Australia
- Fellow – CPA Australia, and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Non-Executive Director of Titomic Limited (ASX:TTT), AusTin Mining Limited (ASX:ANW), Thomson Resources Limited (ASX:TMZ), PNX Metals Limited (ASX:PNX), Lanyon Investment Company Limited (ASX:LAN), MedTec Pharma Limited, Amplify Equity Solutions, and Unity Housing Company Ltd; and Company Secretary of a number of ASX Listed Companies
- Chairman of the Audit Committees of Titomic Limited, AusTin Mining Limited, and Unity Housing Company
- Chairman of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee of Titomic Limited.
Richard Barrett
Non-Executive Director
Richard brings extensive capability to the building and structuring of a health and manufacturing business.
He previously led the industry cluster MedTEC South Australia, an internationally active alliance of medical technology leaders, researchers and investors. He combines this with 25 years’ experience in building international businesses and global value chain management and technology.
Richard was responsible for building MedTEC Pharma’s world-class team of industry leaders and research partners. He continues to develop these partnerships, as well as strengthen the business’s position with our stakeholders and the community.
Credentials and experience
- 25 years international experience in global value chain management, business and brand development with senior leadership in the medical technology sector
- Member – SA Government Ministerial Advisory Panel for Health and Medical Industries
- Chair – Harrison McMillan Pty Ltd
- Board Director – Vinehealth Australia
- Former Chair – MedTEC South Australia Inc.
- Former Past Vice President – Scholle Corporation
- Former Chair – Northern Adelaide Economic Development Board
Andrew Morris
Non-Executive Director
Managing Director and Practice Principal – Glyn Morris & Co Pty Ltd.
30 years’ experience in private practice accounting, servicing clients in varied industries including Agricultural, Manufacturing, Trade & Professional Services, Tech and Pharmaceutical.
Credentials and experience
- Qualified Accountant UNE
- Chartered Tax Advisor – Tax Institute of Australia.
Dirk Beelen
Chief Commercial Officer
Dirk has over 30 years experience in international pharmaceuticals and medical devices, where he has a strong track record in commercialising new and disruptive products.
He has also worked in the South Australian state government as Director of Health and Medical Industries, which has given him a comprehensive view of the cannabis industry’s evolution.
Dirk’s depth of experience has provided MedTEC Pharma with objective, measured and invaluable advice in the business’s ongoing development.
Credentials and experience
- 30 years’ experience in international pharmaceuticals and medical devices
- Past Vice President Sales & Marketing – Johnson & Johnson Europe
- Immediate Past Director – Health & Medical Industries, SA Government
- Former member – University of Adelaide Health and Biotech Advisory Board
Derek Pfitzner
Area Manager
Derek leads MedTEC Pharma’s operations in the Riverland.
His major beverage company manufacturing experience delivers exceptional capability in quality compliance and systems. Derek has extensive expertise in Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma to ensure manufacturing best practices.
Credentials and experience
- Immediate past Manufacturing Manager / Site Leader – Asahi Beverages (The Better Drinks Co)
- Played a key leadership role in establishing a fully automated fruit juice beverage plant in Regional South Australia.
- Former Production Manager / Site Leader – Charlies Group Australia
- Operations, CapEx budget management, site and team expansion from extensive experience in the establishment of systems and processes, including (HACCP, ISO9001, AS14001, ASAHI MR-GR/Lean/OES, EHS)
Alanna Lean
Head of Compliance and Regulation
Alanna leads critical functions that ensure the company meets highly stringent regulatory, quality, compliance and legal requirements specific to this industry.
Credentials and experience
- Prior Regulatory Consultant – Pharmout
- 10 years International Pharmaceutical experience, including Biologicals, Investigative Medicinal Products, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Medicinal Cannabis.
- Lean Six Sigma certified with extensive GMP production experience
Strategic Advisors
MedTEC Pharma has access to a group of first class strategic advisors and clinical, public health and industry experts.
This group of internationally acclaimed individuals enables the business to create market pathways through the deployment of core intellectual property. This ensures MedTEC Pharma’s work will directly benefit patients whilst optimising revenue.
Mark Harvey
Chairman and Director of public and private companies
Mark’s expertise in patenting seed genetics delivers MedTEC Pharma a significant competitive advantage.
His experience commercialising intellectual property includes a position as Chairman of a NASDAQ Agri / Seed Business, as well as Independent Director of ASX-listed Duxton Broad Acre Farms.
He has a comprehensive understanding of how to patent all components of a plant, providing MedTEC Pharma with the capability to develop a comprehensive IP strategy.
Credentials and experience
- Chairman – S&W Seed Co (NASDAQ: SANW)
- Deputy Chair – Duxton Broadacre Farms (ASX: DBF)
- Member – Agribusiness Advisory Board, Adelaide University
Mathew Palmer
BSc (Hons)
For MedTEC Pharma to succeed as a pharmaceutical company, it needs to strategically navigate the clinical trials and regulatory pathway.
Mathew has over 26 years in drug development across all phases of research in multiple indications; including pain. A key focus is in drug development and commercialisation.
His advice will prove invaluable in de-risking the pathway through the clinical trials process in an effective and economical manner to support our corporate objectives for a high quality and validated medicinal cannabis product.
Credentials and experience
- Chair – AusBiotech SA
- Member – SA State Advisory Board for Clinical Trials and Pharma
- Member – Commercialisation Professionals Adelaide
Anna McClure
MPharm FSHP BCPS
Anna provides MedTEC Pharma with comprehensive pharmaceutical experience; spanning the medicinal and the commercial components of the industry.
As Executive Director of SA Pharmacy (a branch of SA Health), she provides essential capability in bringing a pharmaceutical product into the public domain.
Credentials and experience
- Executive Director – SA Pharmacy (SA Health)
- Hospital Pharmacy Lead – South Australian Medicines Advisory Committee
Prab Takhar
MSc Medical Physics, MSc (Hons) Physics, MPhil Radiation & Medical Imaging
Prab provides expertise in the highly regulated process of turning genetic plant material into medicine. Prab was previously head of Molecular Imaging and Therapy Research Unit at SAHMRI, and remains adjunct director of this platinum-standard research institute.
His work with MedTEC Pharma includes essential advice on creating a TGA- and GMP-certified manufacturing environment.
Credentials and experience
- Head of Cyclotron Unit – University Hospital-Linkoping (Sweden)
- Adjunct Director – Molecular Imaging and Therapy Research Unit (MITRU), SAHMRI
- Previously Global Tracer Centre Project Lead – GE Healthcare
- Medical Physicist, NHS (UK)
Clinical Leadership
Until recently, cannabis has been subject to a highly prohibitive environment, which has prevented the gathering of science-based clinical evidence.
One of MedTEC Pharma’s key differentiators is its investment in clinical trials, in an effort to ensure product uptake by the broader pharmaceutical industry.
Professor Paul Rolan
Principal Clinical Investigator and Lead Regulatory Consultant
Paul plays a critical role advising MedTEC Pharma on clinical trials and access to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
He is a drug development consultant with extensive expertise in early phase medicine development. He has been principal investigator in hundreds of early phase, clinical pharmacology, drug interactions and special patient groups studies.
Paul will provide valuable input into the design, site selection, management and interpretation of data from experimental medicine studies.
Credentials and Experience
- Professor of Clinical Pharmacology and Director of Innovation – Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide
- Fellow – Royal Australasian College of Physicians
- Fellow – Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (UK)
- Fellow – Faculty of Pain Medicine, ANZCA
- Senior Consultant – Pain Management Unit, RAH
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Senior Consultant – Pain Management Unit, NAHLN MD, MBBS (Adelaide)
Authored over 130 research publications. - Principal Investigator in over 700 clinical pharmacology, drug interactions and special patient group studies.