About Us : the Board of Directors
A team of experienced professionals serving CELYSTRA Pharma’s governance
Our Board of Directors brings together experienced individuals, including Paul Lévesque, our President, as well as members from our investment partners.
Board Members
Louis-Étienne Fortier
Managing director, Investments – Life Sciences, Investissement Québec
Louis-Étienne Fortier serves on the Board of Directors of Celystra Pharma and is Managing Director, Investments, Life Sciences at Investissement Québec, the province’s leading economic development and investment agency. With nearly 20 years of experience in finance, including more than a decade in private equity and growth investing, he oversees a portfolio spanning biotechnology, medical technology, specialty pharmaceuticals, and life sciences services.
Throughout his career, Mr. Fortier has held leadership positions in investment management, corporate finance, and financial advisory. He also serves on multiple boards and advisory committees, providing strategic guidance, governance oversight, and support for long-term value creation.
Mr. Fortier holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the Université de Sherbrooke and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
Sean Karamchandani
Principal, Credit Mutuel Equity
Sean Karamchandani is Investment Principal in the Canadian venture capital arm of Crédit Mutuel Equity, a private equity subsidiary of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, one of France’s largest banking organizations.
With 10 years of experience in healthcare investment in both venture and growth-equity Sean began his career as a management consultant to large healthcare institutions. He was then a partner with Persistence Capital Partners, a Canadian healthcare focused private-equity fund. Sean has dedicated his career to accelerating healthcare service, device, product, and pharmaceutical companies.
Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York.
Paul Lévesque
President, Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder
Paul brings more than 40 years of experience in the research-based pharmaceutical industry. Before co-founding Celystra Paul served as President and CEO of Theratechnologies Inc. from 2020 to 2025.
Marc-Olivier Sirard
Director, Private Equity and Impact Investing – Life Sciences, Fonds de solidarité FTQ
Working in the Venture Capital for more than 10 years, Marc-Olivier is involved in many life science companies, from preclinical to commercial stage, as well as in venture capital funds.
Marc-Olivier holds a CPA, CA designation from the Ordre des Comptables Professionnels Agréés du Québec.
Partnerships
Accelerating access to patients.
We bring the know-how to effectively navigate partnered medicines through regulatory approval and Canada’s complex market access environment with a focus on commercial availability.