Awakn announces the appointment of Stephen Page and Professor John Papastergiou as independent non-executive directors to the company's Board of Directors. Adding significant pharmaceutical and healthcare sector experience and independent board governance to Awakn.

Stephen Page has worked in executive and Board of Director roles in the UK healthcare industry for over 30 years, most notably leading Priory Healthcare, the largest network of mental healthcare hospitals and clinics in the UK, through a period of rapid expansion and market dominance. He has led and successfully grown organizations in both public and private sectors including Oxleas NHS Trust in London (which focused on mental health), Nestor plc and Acorn Care and Education. 

As founding CEO of Acorn Care and Education, and supported by Phoenix Equity Partners, Steve built the company via acquisition and organic growth to be a leading national provider of special needs education and foster care. He led the sale to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in 2010.

Professor Papastergiou is an experienced pharmacist and clinical research scientist who has served as an advisor to several leading pharmaceutical organizations including Bayer, Pfizer, GSK, and Astra Zeneca. His innovative research in point-of-care diagnostic testing and pharmacogenomics has led to the development and advancement of several tech start-up companies of which he also served as a board director.  

Professor Papastergiou holds Faculty appointments at the schools of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. In 2019, he was named by the International Forum on Advancement of Healthcare as one of the top 100 healthcare leaders globally and was also presented with the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association Award for Excellence in Research and Academia. 

"We are pleased to welcome both Steve and John’s significant experience and independent governance to our Board of Directors at this next stage of Awakn’s evolution," said George Scorsis, Awakn’s Chairman. "Both are highly respected and have extensive experience in up-scaling fast-growing companies in the mental health and biotechnology sectors, respectively. We look forward to their assistance in guiding us towards our objectives to develop and deliver psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to radically change mental health services and deliver significantly better patient outcomes.”