Board of Directors

Etienne Grima – MSc, CHE
Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Grima has over 22 years of experience in basic and clinical research administration, business development and strengthening corporate performance. Recognized for a unique and multidisciplinary approach to overseeing operational performance and fiscal resources, Mr. Grima joined the Board of Directors of CardioComm in December of 2006. In January of 2008 he was requested to serve as the company’s Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary during a period of organizational restructuring. In May of 2010 he accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Grima has also held the position of Chief Operating Officer and Financial Officer for the Canadian Heart Research Centre (CHRC) since its start in 1996 and a similar role in MD Primer Inc. since 2004.

In all his roles, Mr. Grima continues to oversee operational and financial performance, contract and budget negotiations, finance reporting and the evaluation of strategic partnerships and long term growth opportunities.

Prior to the CHRC, Etienne managed the St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH) Health Sciences Research Centre in Toronto. Etienne guided SMH to become the fastest growing University of Toronto affiliated research center between 1994 and1997, acting as the signing officer on 350 externally funded clinical and basic research budgets, and overseeing the design, construction and maintenance of 27,000 square feet of clinical and basic research laboratories. During his tenure, Etienne developed a detailed understanding and methodology of the successful performance of clinical research within a hospital environment and became a member and Accredited Health Science Executive of the Canadian College of Health Service Executives.

Etienne’s educational background was rooted in his persistent interest in biology and he completed his academic career with an emphasis on human physiology, toxicology and zoology graduating from University of Toronto with high distinction in 1984. Etienne completed his graduate studies in 1986 with a Masters degree from the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative and served as a peer reviewer for research publications and grant applications.

Robert E. Caines
Chairman of the Board, CFO

Bob Caines, Managing Partner / Founding Partner at Paley Advisors, is a serial entrepreneur and mergers and acquisitions executive with over thirty years of business startup, growth and management experience.  He founded Paley Advisors in 2014.  From 2002 to 2014, Bob served as one of three Managing Partners at Paley Dixon, Inc., the New York City-based buy-side intermediary and advisory firm, founded in 1979.  There, he and partners Sarah Cooke and Richard Paley grew Paley Dixon into one of the top five buy-side intermediaries and advisory firms of its size in the US and Canada.  Previous to Paley Dixon, Bob held senior-level sales and sales management positions at Hummingbird, BrightStar, NetEra and ADP.  Previous to ADP, Bob and partners founded Cable Channels, Inc., the cable television electronic program guide software firm.  Bob currently serves as President and Founding Partner of a customized B2C/B2B cross-border shipping solutions provider, to be launched in Q2 2016.  He also serves as Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of Kensington House Owner’s Corporation.  Bob previously served as Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the Salmagundi Club, as Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors of the Ali Forney Center and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Peccadillo Theatre Company.  Bob received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the College of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame.

Daniel Grima – MSc
Board Member

Daniel Grima is a founding partner of Cornerstone Research Group, a Health Economics and Market Access research firm that specializes in identifying, demonstrating, and communicating product value for the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. His main specialization is in market access strategies and promoting product value to payers and clinicians using health economic methods, messages, and tools. Daniel’s experience includes 20+ years within the pharmaceutical and health care consulting sectors. He has directed hundreds of health economic analyses, has published in a wide range of journals, and has been involved in the successful reimbursement of numerous medical device and pharmaceutical products.

Cornerstone Research Group was acquired by EVERSANA following which Daniel served as Senior Vice President and General Manager. EVERSANA™ is a leading independent provider of global services to the life sciences industry. The company’s integrated solutions are rooted in the patient experience and span all stages of the product life cycle to deliver long-term, sustainable value for patients, prescribers, channel partners, and payers. The company serves more than 670 organizations, including innovative start-ups and established pharmaceutical companies, to advance life sciences solutions for a healthier world.

Specialties: Market access strategy, comparative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, health economic marketing, value messaging

Dr. Robin C. Black – Ph.D, P.Eng. (ret.), CCE, BA.Sc, FCMBES, FEC, FGC.(Hon.), FCSSE
Board Member

Dr. Robin Black (Robin Black and Associates), has over 20 years’ experience in the development of early stage medical device companies. Robin Black and Associates was founded in 2007 after 35 years working in the medical sector. From 1973 to 1981 he worked at the Ontario Crippled Childrens Centre in Toronto as a rehabilitation engineer. During this time he pioneered the use of infrared thermography in pressure sore clinics, linking imaging systems directly to the design and manufacture of custom seating systems. At the National Research Council (NRC) from 1981 to 1991 he built an orthopaedic research program that supported the development of the first orthopaedic manufacturing company in Canada, Terray Manufacturing. During this time he was co-founder of the NRC Space Life Science program with a special focus on the application of Canada’s expertise in tele-medicine to the design of the health care facility on the International Space Station. From 1991 to 2007 Robin served as an Industrial Technology Advisor with NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program having a mandate to support the development of medical device companies nationally. Throughout his career he has been active in supporting the engineering profession through active participation on the executive of several affiliate organizations of the Engineering Institute of Canada and presently chairs the Vancouver Island Branch of the Canadian Society of Senior Engineers and the Univ. of Victoria Engineering Associates. Robin received a B.Sc. in Biology from McMaster University (1968), a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Queens University (1971) and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering (1984) from the University of Strathclyde.

Branislav Vasilijevic – PhD
Director, Software Engineering

Dr. Vasilijevic has 20 years of experience designing and developing software solutions to address complex system requirements primarily in the field of Intra-Operative Neurophysiological Monitoring (IONM). Prior to joining CardioComm Solutions in August 2014, he held progressively senior positions at Natus Medical Incorporated (formerly Xltek Ltd.) where he demonstrated expertise in multiple programming languages (C++, C#, F#, JavaScript, MATLAB, Lisp, Python) and programming paradigms (imperative, object oriented, functional, data-driven, event-driven,  metaprogramming). He also invented and developed a novel signal processing and noise reduction method that is unparalleled in the IONM field. During Dr. Vasilijevic’s leadership as Principal Engineer for IONM in 2013, Natus achieved record sales of IONM equipment and worldwide market penetration. He is highly respected in the industry for his unique talent and work ethic and has been commended as a “valuable and influential principal engineer within the Natus Neurology engineering team.”

Founder and Director of Safety Field Systems Inc., Dr. Vasilijevic developed a prototype non-contact apnea detection device. He also designed and implemented software for one of the first medical devices using Bluetooth connection and running on an Android tablet.

Dr. Vasilijevic received his Ph.D. in Mathematical Physics from the University of Toronto in 2001 with his thesis in the field of Non-Equilibrium Quantum Dynamical Systems. His research papers are published in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. He also has extensive teaching experience in a wide variety of mathematics courses ranging from first year calculus to graduate abstract algebra. He graduated with distinction from the University of Wisconsin, Madison with a Bachelor of Science, Mathematics and Physics in 1995.

Advisory Board

Steven Benyo – CPA, CA
Advisory Board Member

Mr. Benyo brings over 20 years of experience from the dynamic and complex financial services industry with a focus on finance, planning, forecasting, risk management and governance.

Mr. Benyo spent 16 years with BMO Financial Group, where his last position was VP, Operational Risk Management, with accountability for overseeing the Personal and Commercial businesses in Canada and the US and the Wealth Management business internationally. He previously served as VP and Assistant Chief Auditor, Corporate Areas and prior to that, held progressively senior roles in finance. Mr. Benyo holds a Chartered Professional Accountants, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) designation, an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Parents for Children’s Mental Health.