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Leadership Team

Dr. Nima Ziraknejad

Ph.D., P.Eng. Founder and CEO

An inventor by nature, I have devoted my life to technological innovation, taking sector-specific problems and transforming them into practical, commercialized solutions.

As CEO, I am responsible for leadership and operations at NZTech, which includes securing and managing the financing, and making decisions on all strategic activities. My role also extends to cultivating relationships in business, technological and financial spheres to grow business development and productivity.

Creating transformative change in the healthcare sector is my passion. I am constantly exploring new horizons and connecting the technologies we have invented to more practical applications in the medical field.

My passion and drive to develop new technologies – achieved by understanding users’ unmet needs – ensures that we attract highly-skilled experts to our team who have an important contribution to make and who know that something tangible will result from our collaborative efforts.

Pranav Saxena

B.A.Sc., P.Eng. CTO / Chief Technology Officer

Pranav has a B.A.Sc. in engineering physics, with specialization in electrical engineering, from UBC. He has over 9 years of experience in development of embedded hardware, machine vision, and robotics for various sectors. Pranav managed the team and product design process to deploy the first devices successfully adopted by surgeons. Today, he leads the engineering team to manage NZTech’s continuing product developments.

Jordan Karyanto

B.A.Sc., P.Eng. Hardware Engineering Manager

Jordan has a B.A.Sc. in engineering physics, with specialization in mechatronic science option from UBC. He has over 7 years of experience ranging from IT, academia, traditional manufacturing to the biomedical field. Jordan is one of the designer behind NZTech’s product designs, electronics, sensors, and overall engineering design. As the Hardware Engineering Manager, Jordan oversees hardware design, product development, regulatory certification, production, and product deployment.

Board of Directors

DR. Nima Ziraknejad

Ph.D., P.Eng. Founder and CEO

An inventor by nature, I have devoted my life to technological innovation, taking sector-specific problems and transforming them into practical, commercialized solutions.

As CEO, I am responsible for leadership and operations at NZTech, which includes securing and managing the financing, and making decisions on all strategic activities. My role also extends to cultivating relationships in business, technological and financial spheres to grow business development and productivity.

Creating transformative change in the healthcare sector is my passion. I am constantly exploring new horizons and connecting the technologies we have invented to more practical applications in the medical field.

My passion and drive to develop new technologies – achieved by understanding users’ unmet needs – ensures that we attract highly-skilled experts to our team who have an important contribution to make and who know that something tangible will result from our collaborative efforts.

Dr. Lesley Esford

Dr. Lesley Esford, the former President of LifeSciences BC, received her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from UBC and has spent many years in academia, industry and government in positions supporting the growth of the Life Sciences sector. Since 2006, she has worked as an ITA for NRC-IRAP, helping over 100 entrepreneurs developing a wide array of products and services, at every stage of the innovation process, from concept to commercialization.

Dr. Kaley Wilson

Dr. Kaley Wilson is the Principal and Director of Business Development at Quark Venture, a global health science venture capital group based in Vancouver. She is responsible for identifying and evaluating investment opportunities in collaboration with Quark's Investment Committee. Dr. Wilson also served as the interim CEO of ARTMS Products Inc., where she played a pivotal role in securing significant financing and implementing a global sales and marketing strategy. She served as interim CEO at Sitka, a biotherapeutics company with innovative nanoparticle technology.

In addition to her role at Quark Venture, Dr. Wilson is an Advisor and Mentor for Ontario Bioscience's Capital Access Advisory Program, a member of various committees including GlycoNet's Commercialization Committee and Nanomedicines Innovation Network's Research Management Committee. She holds director positions on the boards of Canary Medical, Microbion, IOME, and Crohn's and Colitis Canada, where she chairs the Research Committee. Dr. Wilson is also an Observer on the Boards of ARTMS, Oculogica, and Alpha-9.

Before joining Quark Venture, Dr. Wilson worked as the Associate Director of Partnerships at the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), where she played a vital role in establishing and maintaining strategic alliances with industry, academia, and government. Her expertise includes drug discovery in the areas of infection, inflammation, and immunity.

Dr. Wilson earned her Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia, specializing in lipid-encapsulated nucleic acids' immunomodulatory activity and vaccine potential. Her achievements during her Ph.D. include prestigious scholarships and awards, such as the Doctoral Research Award from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Gattefosse Canada/Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Award in 2008.

Dr. David Liu

Dr. Liu is an Interventional Radiologist and the Associate Professor of Radiology at UBC. He holds appointments at VGH, UBC Hospital, and the BC Cancer Agency. He is active in clinical research in novel embolic platforms, and cancer related thromboembolic disease.

Michael Fish

Michael is a seasoned and accomplished professional in the medical device space, starting in the early 1990’s with sales of neurosurgical instruments. He is the CEO at Pacific Surgical. Upon taking on the ownership of PS 10 years ago, he has grown the company which now holds 6 subsidiaries that cover a wide range of surgical devices and services. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the Canadian healthcare market and beyond to guide NZTech’s commercial expansion effort.

Scientific Advisors

Dr. David Liu

Dr. Liu is an Interventional Radiologist and the Associate Professor of Radiology at UBC. He holds appointments at VGH, UBC Hospital, and the BC Cancer Agency. He is active in clinical research in novel embolic platforms, and cancer related thromboembolic disease.

Dr. Robert Beasley

Dr. Robert E. Beasley is a board-certified vascular and interventional radiologist. He obtained his medical degree from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowships at the University of Miami. He specializes in amputation prevention, carotid artery stenting, and vascular treatments. Dr. Beasley has participated in numerous clinical trials and is a member and Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiologists and Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions.

Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira

Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira is a renowned neurosurgeon specializing in minimally invasive procedures for brain and spine conditions. He trained in Brazil and France before working in Switzerland and later Toronto. He focuses on complex neurovascular diseases, pioneering treatments for conditions like arteriovenous malformations and aneurysms. Dr. Pereira is a leader in clinical research and runs the RADIS lab, exploring innovative technologies in neurosurgery. He's also deeply involved in education and has contributed over 260 publications to his field. His recent appointment as the Director of Endovascular Research and Innovation at St. Michael's Hospital showcases his commitment to advancing patient care.

Dr. John Chung

Dr. Chung is an Interventional Radiologist and Clinical Instructor of Radiology at UBC. He is the director of the UBC Interventional Radiology Fellowship Program. He holds clinical appointments at VGH and UBC Hospital.

Prof. Peter Lawrence

Prof. Peter Lawrence is a Professor Emeritus in the UBC ECE Department with long-standing research interests and publications in human interface devices and their evaluation. He has relevant experience in image processing, eye/gaze tracker design, mobile machine hand-control design, machine motion simulators, and human coordinated control.
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NZ Technologies

Leading the advancement in touchless interaction with custom technological solutions. Our deep understanding of user behavior drives us to design intuitive and practical products for diverse medical and industrial sectors.

Contact info:

#202 – 1401 W Broadway,
Vancouver, BC Canada
V6H 1H6
+1 604-336-9464
info@nztech.ca