Noted scientist David Gill joins Cannasouth

Cannasouth has appointed David Gill as Product Development Manager, who will take responsibility for bringing the company’s first medicinal cannabis products to the market.

Gill comes to Cannasouth after more than a decade with animal health multi-national Argenta, where he was the Chief Scientific Officer for the past seven years as head of Argenta’s innovation division. Previously he was Argenta’s Research and Development Manager, leading a team of 37 scientists.

Gill started his career in the Pharmacognosy Department of the University of London, where his lifelong passion began for medicinal products derived from natural sources. He then moved into mainstream pharmaceutical science, successfully developing products for both human and animal health.

“I have worked with a wide range of companies from start-ups to multi-nationals,” he explains. “One of the most enjoyable and rewarding roles in my career was developing novel pharmaceutical treatments for neurological disorders using specific components extracted from Omega-3 oils.

“The position at Cannasouth is an opportunity to work in this extremely exciting, challenging and rewarding area of natural product chemistry again.

“I am excited to be part of the pioneering journey in the emerging medicinal cannabis industry with Cannasouth. I’m also grateful for the opportunity to be involved in establishing New Zealand’s reputation as a world leader in this innovative area of healthcare.”

In making the announcement, Cannasouth Chief Executive Mark Lucas says the company has been fortunate to have found someone of Gill’s calibre to join its leadership team.

“David is a key hire for Cannasouth and brings with him a wealth of experience in both human and animal pharmaceutical product developments.

“He has been with Argenta as it transitioned from a small company to a large multinational with a multi-million-dollar turnover. He played an important role in Argenta’s success and we look forward to tapping into his expertise as we work to develop next-generation cannabinoid medicines.”

Following confirmation of funding this week from Callaghan Innovation, (see NZX announcement 3 July 2019), Cannasouth and its research partners are in the process of applying to the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the necessary licenses to conduct proposed research and development projects in which Gill will be involved.

In his new role, Gill will lead the research, development and formulation of cannabinoid products. He will have operational management of research projects as part of Cannasouth’s drive towards new product commercialisation. He will also be involved in leading research into delivery methods of cannabinoid medicines such as oral, sublingual, buccal, nasal, pulmonary, topical and transdermal.

Gill will be relocating from Auckland to Hamilton to take up this role with Cannasouth, which he officially starts in October 2019.

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