Management Team

The management team at GKA Technologies Ltd has a wealth of experience in manufacturing, Research & Development, technology transfer and licensing as well as marketing and sales in the Chemical/Pharma industries.

Gerry Kenny (Managing Director)

Gerry Kenny is the Managing Director of GKA Technologies, and has been founder and CEO of Labscan Ltd and GK Analytical Sciences for the past 28 years. His philosophy throughout this period has always been to continually invest in Research & Development, and to bring new technologies into the manufacturing arena in real time. This ethos has served our companies very well during this period, and has led to a number of key developments/patents in distillation technology.

Gerry has successfully led negotiations on technology licensing in numerous countries, as well as setting up a sales distribution network in over 65 countries worldwide. Gerry was also responsible for identifying and negotiating Joint Ventures with companies in Poland and Thailand, each highly successful in their own right.

Colm Lynch (Technical Director)

Colm Lynch is the Technical Director in GKA Technologies. Colm has a proven track record in both technology development and implementation in industry, having led engineering, quality, logistics and manufacturing teams in the design and implementation of refinement plants in Poland and Thailand.

Colm has spent a great deal of time working in the area of process intensification and maximising production efficiencies in chemical manufacturing. Allied to the strong focus on efficiency has been the drive for higher levels of quality and consistency in the production of fine chemicals, which has been a key business enabler in technology transfer and attracting license revenues.

The new areas of innovation being led by Colm focus on the displacement of thermal technologies in chemical and solvent refinement, and a comprehensive knowledge of existing technologies enables migration of processes based on both market requirements and manufacturing cost centres.

Dr. John Monahan, PhD.

Dr. Monahan is an experienced CEO in the management of complex high tech, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical companies. He has built and directed a number of highly successful teams of over 200 people (at Avigen, Cell Genesys, Brelex and Hoffmann La Roche). John identified and championed the cause of numerous other scientific and commercial concepts, bringing them from proof of concept to commercial production. He is on the boards of a number of these companies.

Most recently, John founded and built Avigen Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGN), a company which has become a leader in its sector for the development of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of serious human diseases. Over a 12 year period as CEO of Avigen, John managed several private and public financing's including IPO's. In total, in both the public and private marketplace, John has raised over $235M. He previously directed numerous complex high-tech, biotech and pharmaceutical research programs. He also has an extensive knowledge of the basic sciences, electronics and digital logic.

Mr. Gerard Higgins

Gerard Higgins is an experienced accountant specializing in the field of taxation. Having spent many years working with the State Revenue Commissioner in Ireland, he founded a private consultancy firm, working with businesses to ensure compliance as well as availing of the tax benefits available in Ireland and internationally.

With a wealth of experience on tax regulations, and the statutory requirements for both national and international business, Gerard will help guide GKA Technologies to ensuring our obligations are met, and that the company can benefit from the benign and supportive tax regime which continues to grow in Ireland for Research & Development companies.

Mr. Ray Treanor (Chairman)

Ray Treanor is an experienced professional whose area of expertise is General Management and whose key strengths are Organisation and Management. Qualified from The College of Commerce Dublin and the Irish Management Institute, Ray has Dilpomas in Work Study and Personnel Management.

Ray was Operations Director of Allegro limited for many years, a Company which represented many major multinational companies in the FMCG and Industrial Chemical markets. He joined Labscan Limited in 1997, where he was Director/General Manager and was involved with Gerry Kenny in negotiating Joint Venture Agreements in Thailand and Poland and was responsible, following the sale of the Company, for the successful transfer of the business to Poland in 2007.