KWESST Micro Systems Inc (CVE:KWE) (OTCQB:KWEMF) announced Wednesday that international business and trade lawyer Elisabeth Preston has joined the board of directors and will also serve as the company's corporate secretary.
"The entire board extends a very warm welcome to Elisabeth,” said David Luxton, executive chairman, in a statement. “We are all well acquainted with her by reputation, and I have had the pleasure of working with her directly in other high-growth defence industry ventures, where she was a valued colleague and demonstrated an exceptional breadth of knowledge and skills."
The company said that Preston is chief legal counsel for a top-tier international defence company with widespread global operations. As an international business and trade lawyer, with significant transactional experience in many jurisdictions, her experience spans more than 30 years advising companies as an executive in areas relating to governance, cross-border marketing, strategic relationships, major commercial transactions and financings to fund growth.
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Preston also has assisted companies to pursue and secure major contracts and to resolve complex international agreements. She has worked intensively in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, procurement law, anti-corruption compliance, industrial security, export control and controlled goods as well as labour and employment law.
She has also frequently acted as counsel on security-sensitive issues and is one of Canada's top authorities on ITAR regulations and compliance in the defence industry.
KWESST also noted that Preston's practice has also included advising public companies as chief legal officer, general counsel and in private practice. She has taken several client companies public, and has deep knowledge of the investment banking community, investor relations guidance and public company disclosure and best practices in continuous disclosure. She was also previously the managing partner of a major Canadian law firm's busy Ottawa office.
She is past co-chair of the American Bar Association, International Section's Defense and Aerospace Committee, and former vice-chair of its Anti-Corruption Committee, and is continuously in demand as a speaker on topics of interest to in-house counsel of global enterprises.
The company said that Preston was granted 300,000 stock options exercisable at $1.78 per share on or before February 23, 2026.
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