Board of Directors

Mr. Mertz has been a director since Alpha Cognition's founding and was named Chairman in 2021. He is also the Chairman of Shannon West Texas Memorial Hospital, a CMS rated 5-star hospital, with currently budgeted gross revenues exceeding $1 billion. He has over 35 years of experience as a co-founder, board member, or investor in various companies including Triumvira Immunologics and Akido Labs. In addition, he serves on the board of the First National Bank of Mertzon and is a co-founder of Mayne & Mertz, Inc. an oil & gas exploration company. He began his career as a certified public accountant and obtained his BBA in Finance with Highest Honors and his Masters in Professional Accounting both from the University of Texas at Austin. Mr. Mertz chairs the audit committee and serves on governance and nominating committee.

Mr. Mertz became a director in 2019. He is also the CEO of Subtle Technology, a neurotechnology company focused on non-invasive brain-machine interface solutions to neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive enhancement. In addition, he has over 15 years of investment experience, and is currently a partner in Mertz Holdings through which he invests in public and private companies. He is also a co-founder of Secure Open Solutions, a cybersecurity and compliance management company. Previously he led business development for CNG Energy and worked as a management consultant with Touchstone Consulting Group. He graduated from Harvard University in 2006 with an A.B. in Economics. Mr. Mertz chairs the Compensation committee.

Mr. Bakshi is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Active Witness Corp., where he leads the development of innovative access control technology to enhance building security.

He is an experienced growth-focused CEO and public company executive, best known as the co-founder of Silent Witness Enterprises Ltd., where he served as CEO and Chairman. The company was publicly listed on the TSX and NASDAQ and grew rapidly prior to its acquisition by Honeywell. He later served as CEO and Chairman of Apivio Systems Inc., also a public company, until its acquisition by a South Korean public company.

Mr. Bakshi has a track record of building companies from early-stage concept through funding, product development, market expansion, and M&A. He brings extensive experience in financial markets, corporate governance, and scaling growth-stage businesses. He has also served as a board member of a pharmacy chain that experienced significant growth. He is a seasoned CEO, investor, and board member of private and public companies. He serves on Audit and Compensation Committees. He is also a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, reflecting his commitment to ongoing governance education.

Mr. Cawkell has been involved for over 25 years in the biotech industry as both a professional advisor, investor and as the founding principal of Alpha Cognition and its predecessor the Neurodyn Group. He is a member of the British Columbia Bar Association and in 1987, he co-founded the law firm Cawkell Brodie LLP. Mr. Cawkell has gained extensive strategic and development experience and has a history of value creation, as a result of his long-term association with numerous public and private companies. He has been involved in several successful exits and currently sits on the Board of TSE listed Well Health Technologies a leading integrated health care provider. He is a past member of the National Research Council of Canada IMB/INH Advisory Board and a number of biotech industry associations.

Mr. McFadden brings more than 30 years of successful leadership experience spanning pre-IND drug discovery through the commercialization and has launched over a dozen therapies in neurology, psychiatry, endocrinology and urology. He has over 16 years’ experience in Neuroscience. Previous leadership roles have included Chief Commercial Officer at MPower Health, Chief Commercial Officer at Urovant Sciences (Nasdaq: UROV), and SVP Sales and Marketing at Avanir Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AVNR). Prior to these roles, Mr. McFadden held leadership roles at Amylin Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AMLN) and Pharmacia. He serves on advisory boards at MPower Health and MindLab.

Bethany Sensenig is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with extensive leadership experience spanning finance, corporate strategy, and operations. She has held senior leadership roles across both commercial-stage and clinical-stage organizations, where she has been instrumental in driving growth, optimizing financial performance, and advancing strategic initiatives.

Most recently, Bethany served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations at Radius Health, where she played a key role in scaling the business and supporting commercial success. She previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer at 9 Meters Biopharma, and as Chief Financial Officer and Head of U.S. Operations at Minovia Therapeutics, leading business strategy and financing efforts. Earlier in her career, she spent over a decade at Biogen, rising to Vice President of Finance and Commercial Operations with global P&L responsibility exceeding $1 billion across multiple regions.

Bethany brings deep expertise in capital markets, transactions, and operational leadership, and currently serves on the boards of Supernus Pharmaceuticals and KalVista Pharmaceuticals. She provides valuable strategic insight to organizations navigating growth, commercialization, and innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Dr Wills serves as Chairman of the Board of Milestone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: MIST),serves on as a board member at Parion Sciences, Inc., and a board member at Oncternal Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ONCT). Dr Wills previously served as the Chairman of the Board of CymaBay Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CBAY) prior to the acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Inc. in March 2024, and served as Executive Chairman of GTx, Inc. from 2015-2019. Prior to that he spent over 25 years at Johnson & Johnson. His roles included Vice President, Alliance Management, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and as Senior Vice President Global Development, where he was responsible for the R&D pipeline and a member of the R&D Board of Directors. Dr. Wills holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and a M.S. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics from the University of Texas.