CATALIS announces the appointment of Christine Lennon as President and CEO

Announcement

Montreal, April 7, 2026 – The Board of Directors of CATALIS is pleased to announce the appointment of Christine Lennon as President and Chief Executive Officer of CATALIS. She succeeds Danika Laberge, who, after nearly nine years of dedication to the organization, has decided to step down to pursue personal projects. Christine officially assumes her duties today and will be supported by Danika until the end of April 2026 to ensure a smooth and effective transition.

“The Board of Directors is delighted to welcome Christine Lennon as head of CATALIS. Christine was selected through a highly competitive recruitment process. An accomplished executive, she stands out for her dynamism and her in-depth knowledge of the life sciences sector. We are confident that her leadership will enable CATALIS to continue its evolution.” said Jean Groleau, Chair of the Board of Directors of CATALIS.

“I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Danika, who played a key role in the creation and growth of CATALIS. Through her commitment and vision, Danika helped position Québec as a global hub for clinical research.” added Jean Groleau.

Professional Background of Christine Lennon

In April 2020, Christine became the first General Manager for Incyte Biosciences Canada, where she built a team of approximately 50 employees; brought four new drugs to market in oncology and dermatology; as well as nearly 35 clinical trials across all stages of clinical development.

Previously, Christine was CEO of Epigene Therapeutics and held several senior leadership roles at Novartis in Canada and Europe, notably in public policy, market access and commercial management. Christine has also held leadership positions at Neurochem, Shire (now Takeda), BioChem Pharma, and the National Research Council of Canada.

She has been an advisor to life sciences startups and venture capital funds at the Business Development Bank of Canada and the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. She holds an MBA and a BSc from McGill University, is an Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) graduate, and is actively involved as a judge and mentor at McGill. A recipient of the McGill Scarlet Key Award and was named a Luminary by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in 2022, Christine currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Montréal InVivo, is a Board Member of Research Canada, and has served as a Board member of Innovative Medicines Canada from 2022 to 2025.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to join CATALIS and lead the organization through its next phase of growth and development. Danika, the team and the Board of Directors have done a great job at building CATALIS into a highly regarded and often-cited example of clinical trials done well in an ecosystem that works well together and that makes things happen. I look forward to joining and leading the dedicated CATALIS employees and collaborators to continue to shape and evolve CATALIS’ growth and to continue to attract clinical trials and clinical trial investments to Québec and to bringing leading-edge therapeutic innovations to Québec patients and their caregivers.” said Christine Lennon.

About CATALIS

CATALIS Québec is an independent non-profit organization formally mandated and funded by the Government of Quebec to mobilize and coordinate provincial efforts related to the implementation and optimization of processes, infrastructures, and provincial services supporting clinical research in Quebec. To fulfill this mandate, CATALIS works directly with the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (Ministry of Health and Social Services), the ministère de l’économie, de l’innovation et de l’Énergie (Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy), Santé Québec (Health Quebec), and a broad Network of public and private partners. For more information, visit www.catalisquebec.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media inquiries:

Thomas de Brouwer
Communications Manager
CATALIS Québec
tdebrouwer@catalisquebec.com