SciMar consultant brings broad range of expertise

In 2018, business development expert Norm Dupas attended a presentation about SciMar. 

At first, the former pharmaceutical sales representative was merely curious. By the end of the presentation, though, he was wide-eyed and blown away. “This is Nobel Prize-worthy science,” Dupas remembers thinking at the time. “This was truly exceptional research being advanced by remarkable people.”

His curiosity and engagement persisted and, in May 2019, Dupas signed on as SciMar’s Product Development Consultant. His role is to help SciMar’s product pipeline take shape with proper licensing and adherence to Health Canada and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations. Aside from his pharma sales background, Dupas comes to the table with hands-on industry expertise as a partner in CinDen Nutritionals, a Winnipeg-based nutraceutical company. 

“Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I realize that with SciMar I am part of something that could represent a transformational leap in the prevention and care of type 2 diabetes,” says Dupas, who used to work at his father’s Ste. Anne (Manitoba) pharmacy. “The disease is a global epidemic with a particularly serious impact on our Indigenous communities. I believe SciMar can make a significant difference.”

As important as it is for Dupas to be part of a successful business enterprise, he is particularly excited about the prospect of being part of a movement to enhance global health and to know that he helped make a difference.

“I am an admirer of (the late businessman and philanthropist) Israel Asper,” explains Dupas. “He used to say—and it’s even in his obituary—at the end of the day, you have to have mattered. You have to ask yourself: ‘did you make the world a better place than it was when you entered it, or did you just take up space?’ Well, I know that I don’t just want to take up space. I want to be part of things that matter. And SciMar matters.” 

Outside of SciMar, Dupas is a business consultant operating as nivå10 (Swedish for “level 10”), offering his services to a broad range of companies, focusing on marketing, sales, operations, and financing. He has an impressive track record as an entrepreneur and business leader himself, having played a key role in the establishment of Thermea Nature Spa by le Nordik, Cottages at Clear Lake, and Labelle Florists. He is also an advisor to renowned business leadership author Jim Britt and a partner with Britt in the Live Life @ Level 10 personal development program. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking creative and healthy meals and entertaining guests with his wife, as well as playing guitar with a repertoire delivered with “three chords and the truth”.

The thread that runs through Dupas’s life is well-being. He is committed to his own health, works diligently to enrich the well-being of the companies he serves, and is thrilled to work with companies like SciMar to improve the health of people everywhere.

“With SciMar, I have found a company that is well-organized, visionary, has developed a sound business plan, and is in business to change lives,” says Dupas. “I feel very fortunate.”