Our Team

Martin spent over 20 years in international diplomacy with the British Government with appointments across the Middle East, South Asia, Europe and North America spanning counterterrorism, conflict resolution, trade and inward investment. Following a posting as Consul-General to Western Canada, Martin settled in British Columbia and joined the private sector, serving as CEO and Director of several private and public companies in the public safety and defence sectors, including Patriot One Technologies, now named Xtract One Technologies [XTRA.TO], a McMaster University start-up that he listed on the TSX-V before up-listing to the TSX.

Martin has also served as Honorary Colonel of a Canadian Army Reserve Regiment and Regional Director of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council. He joined Syniad Innovations in 2021.

Ceri began her career as a Life Science / Healthcare analyst at Beeson Gregory (a London investment bank), before founding and leading the Life Sciences team at Peel Hunt and most recently Numis Securities. Both teams achieved #1 rankings by corporates and fund managers during her tenure, whilst she has been ranked #1 individually since 2009. Ceri has been extensively involved in both primary and secondary fund raisings for the UK healthcare and life science sectors and is passionate about supporting the commercialization of UK assets and their role in securing the UK as the globally leading centre for innovation. After leaving investment banking she served as Head of Late-Stage Investments at Oxford Science Enterprises (AUM of $1.4B). She is currently a director of AiM listed AOTI [AOTI.L] and a partner at Dalloway, a boutique scaling advisory firm.

Ceri has an MB ChB from University of Birmingham Medical School, and post-graduation specialized in cardiology and trauma medicine.

John has over two decades of experience in the field of university research strategy and research commercialization. He holds a BA in law from Oxford, a MA from McGill and is a qualified chartered accountant. He was the Financial Director of IndexIT, a successful London-based technology advisory boutique and then went on to become a founding director, CFO and COO of IP Group plc [LSE: IPO], a pioneer in partnering with British universities to help commercialize their research assets. He subsequently joined the founding team of Scientific Research Capital, a business that invested in deep science origination and commercialization, primarily in Northern Europe. In 2010 John moved to Vancouver, BC. He served as an adviser to UBC for a short period before co-founding Syniad Innovations in 2016.

Iain is responsible for leading Syniad’s investment strategy, overseeing the investment process, and managing all of Syniad’s investment activity across its frontier science domains. He co-founded Syniad Innovations with John Davies with more than 20 years of experience building, investing in, and scaling deep science and technology ventures. He leads portfolio company Anodyne Chemistries as its Chief Executive, developing a new generation of chemicals through the integration of synthetic biology and electrochemistry.

Prior to founding Syniad Innovations and launching Anodyne Chemistries, Iain served as Chief Technology Officer at Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s technology investment strategy. He helped establish the innovation portfolio, supporting companies and applied R&D initiatives focused on applications in precision health, manufacturing, and natural resources.

Previously, Iain was Advisor to the President of the University of British Columbia (UBC), where he focused on innovation strategy and strategic partnerships. Earlier in his career, he held investment and technology commercialization roles with Yaletown Venture Partners and TPV Ltd. and worked with the United Nations Environment Programme.

Iain holds a PhD & M.Phil from the University of Cambridge, and B.Sc. (Hons) from the University of Edinburgh.

Samuel is the Chief Financial Officer of Syniad Innovations. Sam, who holds a B.Sc. in Economics and Econometrics, is a chartered management accountant. His professional expertise combines exceptional business analytical and business strategy skills. He began his career in the UK retail sector on the finance graduate program at Sainsbury’s (a national supermarket chain) and held several positions across their finance team culminating in finance business partner to the trading team. After relocating to Canada, he worked as a risk management consultant for HSBC before moving to Constellation Brands (a Fortune 500 company).

Hannah joined Syniad Innovations in late 2018. Prior to joining Syniad Innovations, she held positions at two of the top national public health agencies (UK Health Security Agency and Public Health Wales) in the United Kingdom for six years and completed a two-year fellowship program in field epidemiology (UK FETP). With a demonstrated history of working in epidemiology, Hannah specialized in the analysis and reporting of various disease surveillance systems, (co-)published several scientific papers, and served as a guest speaker at multiple national and international conferences. Earlier in her career, she also worked as a Research Assistant at Queen Mary University of London. Hannah holds a Master of Science in Public Health Research from Edinburgh University, and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology from Durham University.

Caitlin Embury has 10+ years of experience in high-level administrative positions, most recently working for Boards of Directors of public and private companies.

Caitlin facilitates the smooth operation of Syniad and its Board of Directors by maintaining robust, professional corporate governance structures and practices. She has experience in project management, policy development, and maintaining proper board and committee effectiveness. She prides herself on cultivating long-lasting relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Caitlin is a Business Administration graduate and has completed programs in Project Management for Administrative Professionals, and Leadership Excellence for Administrative Professionals through the UBC Sauder School of Business.

Cyrus is a highly accomplished materials engineer with a strong business background. He graduated with distinction from the University of British Columbia with a degree in applied science and a minor in commerce.

Cyrus has been with Syniad since 2021, coming into the company as an intern to help build the investment thesis with Syniad and Patronus Technologies and then taking on broader discovery roles across multiple physical science domains. Since 2026, he carries primary responsibility for milestone tracking, KPI reporting and best-practice sharing across the portfolio.