November 3, 2020 – Halifax, Canada – Sona Nanotech Inc. (CSE: SONA) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. J. Mark Lievonen, C.M., to the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Lievonen is the former President of Sanofi Pasteur Limited, the Canadian vaccine division of Sanofi. Under his leadership, Sanofi Pasteur became a billion dollar enterprise in Canada, manufacturing over 50 million doses of vaccines for both domestic and international markets. Mr. Lievonen spearheaded a cancer vaccine program and supported the launch of a five-component pertussis vaccine, which is widely used to this day. He has also served on a number of public and not-for-profit boards and industry organizations including as Chair of BIOTECanada and Rx&D (now Innovative Medicines Canada).
Currently, Mr. Lievonen is the Co-Chair of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, a Director of OncoQuest Pharmaceuticals Inc., Biome Grow Inc., and the Gairdner Foundation. He holds a BBA in accounting and a MBA in finance and marketing from the Schulich School of Business, York University, and is a FCPA.
Mr. Lievonen is replacing Mr. Zephaniah Mbugua, who has served on the Company’s Board since August 2018. “On behalf of the Company and Board of Directors, I would like to thank Mr. Mbugua for his unwavering support of Sona throughout his many years of service, and also welcome Mark to the team.” said Dan Whittaker, Sona Board Chair.
The Company has granted 250,000 incentive stock options under the Company’s Stock Option Plan (“Option Plan”) to Mr. Lievonen. Each option is exercisable into one common share at a price of $3.36 per share and will vest at the rate of 25% every six months. The options will expire five years from the date of grant. All other terms and conditions of the options are in accordance with the terms of the Company’s Stock Option Plan.
Investor Relations Contact:
Arlen Hansen
604-684-6730 | 1-866-684-6730
arlen@kincommunications.com
For more information about Sona, please contact:
David Regan
Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: +1-902-536-1932
About Sona Nanotech Inc.
Sona Nanotech is a nanotechnology life sciences firm that has developed multiple proprietary methods for the manufacture of various types of gold nanoparticles. The principal business carried out and intended to be continued by Sona is the development and application of its proprietary technologies for use in multiplex diagnostic testing platforms that will improve performance over existing tests in the market. Sona Nanotech’s gold nanorod particles are CTAB (cetyltrimethylammonium) free, eliminating the toxicity risks associated with the use of other gold nanorod technologies in medical applications. It is expected that Sona Nanotech’s gold nanotechnologies may be adapted for use in applications, as a safe and effective delivery system for multiple medical treatments, pending the approval of various regulatory boards including Health Canada and the FDA.
NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This press release includes certain “forward-looking statements” under applicable Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the potential applications of Sona’s proprietary technologies. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including the risk that Sona may not be successful in developing applications for its proprietary technologies, or that such applications may not be commercially successful. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Sona disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.