Our Team

Jason has over 20 years of financial and transactional expertise in the life science and healthcare industry and is currently the Chief Business Officer of Entos Pharmaceuticals. Before joining Entos, Mr. Ding served as a Partner and Senior Managing Director in Deloitte’s investment banking practice and as the National Life Sciences & Healthcare Transactions Leader. He has worked with start-ups, large public companies, and global consulting companies and has been an investor and a Board member for numerous technology organizations. Jason is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta (FCPA, FCA), a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV), and ICD.D designation with the University of Toronto Rotman program and Institute of Corporate Directors. He received his BSc. and BCom. from the University of Alberta.

Prior to working in the financial industry, Jason worked as a science reporter intern for CBC radio, an Ombudsman for the University of Alberta, and in a variety of research labs.

Jason has served as a Board member of the BioAlberta, Telus World of Science Edmonton, Senator at the University of Alberta, and a Trustee and Vice-Chair on the Edmonton Public Library Board. Jason received Merit Awards from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta in 2010 and 2017. He was also part of the class of Top 40 under 40 Edmonton in 2016.

Entrepreneur, former elite athlete, co-founder of Branch Out Neurological Foundation and Senior Director, Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund at Calgary Economic Development. Crystal has a range of experience that provides unique insight into investing in the health care space for significant human impact and outsized returns on investment.

She has a nationwide network of public, private, governmental, and charitable leaders. Her experience, network and competitive spirit allow her to bring solutions to ventures that accelerate their growth. As the co-founder of Branch Out Neurological Foundation she and her team have raised over $4 million for neurological research in universities across Canada.

Jason is a Certified Management Accountant, a graduate of the Queens Executive Program and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. Jason works with an ownership board, including OMERS and Laboratory Corporation of America (publicly traded.) With a decade of experience at the executive level his background includes roles from CFO to Government Relations. Although his professional background is financial, he is regarded for his transparent and accountable leadership style, as a creator and driver of innovation and strategy. Jason participates in various bio‐tech related industry groups, works with Economic Development and participates on various community committees. Jason serves on the boards of Little Warriors, Bissell Centre, and Viewics, a US health analytics company.

On a personal level, Jason lives in St. Albert with a big family that includes six active children. In between work and kids he is an active outdoorsman with passions from sailing to skiing, motorbikes to mountains and loves to spend time with his family in the back country or behind the boat at their cabin.

Dr. Randy Yatscoff is the former Vice-President of Business Development for TEC Edmonton, a business service provider and incubator. Prior to joining TEC Edmonton, Randy was CEO and President of the drug development company Isotechnika, raising over $200M in equity financing. He has over ten years’ experience as a biotech executive. Randy was the national recipient of the 2016 Startup Canada Adam Chowaniec Lifetime Achievement Award. In an earlier lifetime, Dr. Yatscoff was an accomplished academic, a full professor and researcher at several Canadian universities. In total, he holds more than 20 patents.

Mel Wong is a co-founder and principal of Synergia Associates, a unique consulting organization that is composed of former government assistant deputy ministers and vice presidents from industry.

From August 2015 to December 2019, Mr. Wong served as President and CEO of BioAlberta, bringing a wealth of government management experience and an intimate knowledge of life sciences to the position, as well as an extensive network of international, intergovernmental and industry relationships.

Prior to his tenure at BioAlberta, he was Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) of Advanced Technology Industries within the Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education. His responsibilities included advancing the government’s innovation agenda supporting technology commercialization, technology adoption, and development of technology industries. After a 10-year tenure as ADM, Mr. Wong retired from the Ministry in June 2015. Mr. Wong joined Alberta Treasury in 1979 as an economist. His career path led him to senior advisory and management positions in the Government of Alberta, including responsibilities for developing manufacturing and high technology industries. Throughout his career, Mr. Wong has also taught economics, international marketing, international business and multinational finance at various post-secondary institutions.

Born in Southern Alberta, Mel Wong attended the University of Lethbridge, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a Management Development Certificate. He is also a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Executive Management program. Prior to joining the Government of Alberta, Mr. Wong worked in a family-owned restaurant business, a building-products manufacturing company, the Federal Business Development Bank and the Anti-dumping and Countervail Division of Revenue Canada. Mr. Wong and his wife, Carma, have three daughters and four grandchildren.

Ms. Dianne Balon is an executive with over 35 years of experience in healthcare and healthcare benefits related industries. Ms. Balon is currently the Vice President of Government with Alberta Blue Cross and fills various roles within the company including the past Chair of the Alberta Blue Cross Executive Committee and Co-Executive Lead of the Alberta Blue Cross’ Women’s Initiative. Focused on delivering quality results coupled with strong leadership, not only for her organization but for her community, Ms. Balon has recently finished her last term on the Red Deer College Board of Governors, and is currently serving on the Board of Governors for Compassion House Foundation as the Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance Committee. She is also a member of the Edmonton Glenora Rotary Club, a member of the Lois Hole Hospital Women’s Society since its inception and serving on their Executive Steering Committee, and a past cabinet member of the Alberta Capital Region United Way, just to name a few. Ms. Balon is a mentor including a formal role with the future leaders within Alberta Blue Cross and outside the company. In addition to her formal education, Ms. Balon has completed her Executive Business Management Program from Queen’s University and the Advanced Executive Management Program from the Banff School of Advanced Management. Ms. Balon has also recently completed the Women In Leadership Certificate through Cornell University with a keen interest in understanding today’s changing environment with a global perspective.

In addition to her work, Ms. Balon is very proud of her two grown daughters and their husbands, who are all very successful business people with growing families. She is a also a very proud grandmother of three amazing young grandchildren with another on the way, and enjoys spending time making new memories with her family. She is also a strong believer and supporter of physical and mental wellness.

Retired from the Public Service of Canada after nearly 36 years in July, 2019. I have extensive experience leading in a complex environment and working with senior leaders in government, the private sector and academia. Highlights include:

• As Assistant Deputy Minister, Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), Alberta Region from June, 2014 to July, 2019 I led the federal government’s economic development programming in Alberta working closely with the Government of Alberta, industry, post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders. I also spent a number of months as WD’s Ottawa based ADM for Policy and Strategic Direction.
• Previously, I served 12 years as the Chief Financial Officer in WD’s Edmonton headquarters. I also had responsibility for human resources, information technology and achieved high scores on the federal government’s Management Accountability Framework.
• During this period I took a 9 month assignment as Vice-President Finance and Registrar for the Canada School of Public Service in Ottawa.
• I joined the Executive ranks of the Public Service in 1998 and served as Client Service Director and Programs Director for WD.
• My career began in 1983 with Employment and Immigration Canada where I held various positions in Calgary, High Prairie and Edmonton before joining WD in 1989.

Education & Training

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from Carleton University, 1982.
• Banff School of Advanced Management, 1994.
• Advanced Leadership Program, Canada School of Public Service, 2011

Awards & Recognition

• CMA Award of Excellence for Comptrollership in the Public Sector, 2013
• DM Award of Excellence for the Arctic Gateway Deal, 2019

Personal

• Married with 2 adult children and 2 beautiful grandchildren.
• Active member of the Edmonton Rotary Club.
• Avid old timer hockey player.

Puneeta McBryan is the Executive Director of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, a role she took on in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating impacts on downtowns across the globe. As the lead connector and ‘chief optimist’ for Edmonton’s Downtown, she is working with all orders of government, the private sector, and the arts & culture and non-profit sectors to secure and restore downtown vibrancy and economic prosperity for her community. Her work has led to her recognition as one of Edify Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2021, IABC Edmonton’s 2021 Inspired Leader of the Year, and most recently as the recipient of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Community Impact award. Previously, Puneeta was an industry leader in the field of marketing, branding, and communications, where she built a reputation as a sought-after strategist and consultant working on behalf of pubic and private sector clients across Alberta. Most recently, she was the Director of Client Services at ZGM Modern Marketing Partners. She previously served as Board Chair & President of the Advertising Club of Edmonton and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Alberta 2030 Bid for the Commonwealth Games. Puneeta is also a proud mom and a two-time cancer survivor.