Targeting a range of diverse markets; such as electronics, semiconductors, displays and packaging applications.
Smartkem Officers
Ian Jenks
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Ian Jenks has served as Smartkem’s Chief Executive Officer and President since December 2017 and as Chairman of Smartkem’s board of directors since February 2021. Mr. Jenks has more than 30 years of board-level experience in the industrial technology industry and has served as chief executive officer of companies operating in the United States and Europe. Mr. Jenks’s past directorships include Techstep ASA, a provider of managed mobile services in the Nordics, Paysafe plc., an international provider of payment processing services, and Brady plc, a provider of commodity trading software. Mr. Jenks has also served and continues to serve as a director of a number of private companies. Mr. Jenks received a B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering from Bristol University.
Barbra Keck
Chief Financial Officer
Barbra Keck has served as Smartkem’s Chief Financial Officer since December 2022 and served as a member of Smartkem’s Board from February 2021 to November 2023. From February 2021 to December 2022, Ms. Keck served as the chief financial officer of Deverra Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of cell therapies. From January 2009 until May 2020, she held positions of increasing responsibility at Delcath Systems, Inc., an interventional oncology company, starting as controller and ultimately becoming a senior vice president in March 2015 and chief financial officer in February 2017. Ms. Keck received an M.B.A. in Accountancy from Baruch College and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Dayton.
Jonathan Watkins
Chief Operating Officer
Jonathan Watkins has served as Smartkem’s Chief Operating Officer since March 2025. From July 2024 until his appointment as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Watkins served as a consultant to Smartkem. Since September 2024, Mr. Watkins has served as the Executive Chairman of HFQ Technology Associates, a materials technology company. He also has served as the founder and chairman of DITEVEN Limited, a technology consulting services company (“DITEVEN”) since November 2015. From August 2016 through June 2024, Mr. Watkins served as the chief executive officer of Impression Technologies Limited (“ITL”), where he led the development, licensing and scaling of a novel aluminum light-weighting technology for automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics markets, as well as securing manufacturing partners in Europe, China and North America. ITL entered voluntary liquidation in June 2024. Prior thereto, Mr. Watkins served as an advisor to government agencies on cleantech business models, including commercializing novel technologies. From 2008 to 2015, Mr. Watkins held roles as chief operating officer and commercial director of Ceres Power plc, a leading developer of fuel cell technology having responsibilities for manufacturing, supply chain management and business development. Mr. Watkins has a Postgraduate Certificate in Design Manufacture, and Management Masters in Manufacturing, Design & Management from University of Cambridge and a BEng degree in Materials Science & Technology from University of Birmingham. He is also a Chartered Engineer and holds a Certified Diploma in Accounting and Finance. Since January 2026, Mr. Watkins has served as non-executive chairman of Plasma2X Limited, a plasma technology company (for nitrogen fixation) based in the UK.
Smartkem Board of Directors
Ian Jenks
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Ian Jenks has served as Smartkem’s Chief Executive Officer and President since December 2017 and as Chairman of Smartkem’s board of directors since February 2021. Mr. Jenks has more than 30 years of board-level experience in the industrial technology industry and has served as chief executive officer of companies operating in the United States and Europe. Mr. Jenks’s past directorships include Techstep ASA, a provider of managed mobile services in the Nordics, Paysafe plc., an international provider of payment processing services, and Brady plc, a provider of commodity trading software. Mr. Jenks has also served and continues to serve as a director of a number of private companies. Mr. Jenks received a B.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering from Bristol University.
Melisa A. Denis
Director
Melisa A. Denis has served as a member of Smartkem’s board of directors since November 2023. She currently chairs the audit committee of Hydrofarm Holdings Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HYFM). Ms. Denis previously served as a partner at KPMG from 1998 to October 2020, including as National Tax Leader for Consumer Goods and as the leader of the Consumer and Industrial Market for Dallas. Ms. Denis serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Regents at the University of North Texas System. She was previously an advisory board member of Women Corporate Directors since 2011, and a board member of Enactus, a global non-profit, since 2019. Ms. Denis is a Certified Public Accountant and received her degree in accounting and her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from the University of North Texas. We believe that Ms. Denis’s accounting and public company experience qualify her to serve on our Board.
Klaas de Boer
Director
Klaas de Boer has served as a member of Smartkem’s board of directors since 2017. From January 2008 until June 2021, Mr. de Boer served as the managing partner of Entrepreneurs Fund Management LLP, a venture capital firm. Mr. de Boer served as a director of Lifeline Scientific Inc., Heliocentris Energy Solutions AG and serves as chair of AIM listed Xeros Technology Group plc, and as senior independent director of CelLBxHealth plc, also listed on AIM. Mr. de Boer also serves as the Chair of General Fusion, Inc., a Canadian private company. Mr. de Boer has been a venture capitalist for more than 25 years. Mr. de Boer received his M.Sc. degree in Applied Physics from Delft University of Technology and his M.B.A. from INSEAD.
Steven Denbaars
Director
Steven DenBaars has served as a member of Smartkem’s board of directors since June 2022. Professor DenBaars is a Distinguished Professor of Materials and Co-Director of the Solid-State Lighting and Energy Electronics Center at University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor DenBaars joined UCSB in February 1991 and currently holds the Mitsubishi Chemical Chair in Solid State Lighting and Displays. He has been a member of the board of directors of Aeluma, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALMU), a company engaged in the manufacture high performance sensors for mobile devices and vehicles since June 2021, and Palomino Laboratories Inc., a company engaged in optical interconnects since 2025. Professor DenBaars served on the board of directors of Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKTS), a developer and manufacturer of radio frequency filters for mobile devices from May 2015 to November 2024. Professor DenBaars was formerly a co-founder and board member of privately held technology start-up companies, Soraa Inc. and Soraa Laser Diode Inc. Professor DenBaars has a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Material Science and Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Professor DenBaars is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of IEEE and National Academy of Inventors. We believe that Dr. DenBaars’s years of experience in the electronics industry and his extensive research involving semiconductors qualify him to serve on our Board.
Sri Peruvemba
Director
Sri Peruvemba has served as a member of Smartkem’s board of directors since July 2023. Since July 2014, he has served as the chief executive officer of Marketer International Inc., a consulting services firm specializing in the global high-tech industry. Prior to that, from December 2009 to April 2013, Mr. Peruvemba was the chief marketing officer for E Ink Holdings, a company specializing in electronic paper displays. Since June 2020, Mr. Peruvemba has served on the board of directors of Datavault AI Inc. (previously WiSA Technologies, Inc.), (NASDAQ: DVLT), a data technology company. He has also served as a board member of Visionect d.o.o, an electronics company in Slovenia since September 2017. Mr. Peruvemba has also served as chairman of the board of Omniply, a Montreal-based electronics and display company since May 2020. Mr. Peruvemba has a B.S. from R. V. College of Engineering, Bangalore, an M.B.A. from Barton School of Business, WSU and a post-graduate diploma in management from Indira Gandhi National University.