Ins & Outs: Executive changes in CDMOs

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Quotient Sciences has appointed Andrew Lewis as chief scientific officer, Kieron Hall as chief marketing officer, and Eric Bironneau as chief business officer.

Playing a critical role in growth and strategic direction, Lewis will be heading the company’s scientific and technological innovation. He will lead a team of drug development consultants and scientific research fellows. While Hall, who has been in the firm for 16+ years, will supervise the marketing unit.

Bironneau will be responsible for the commercialization of drug products as well as strategic partnerships.

“I am excited to work with Andrew, Kieron, and Eric in their new roles, along with the rest of our leadership team, to continue to grow Quotient Sciences as a global leader in drug development,” said Thierry Van Nieuwenhove, CEO of Quotient Sciences.

Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies

Fujifilm has appointed Richard McAvoy as the chief financial officer (CFO), his appointment will come into effect April 1, 2024. McAvoy will succeed Michael Lyons, who has been appointed senior vice president, deputy head of the small-scale business unit at the CDMO.

McAvoy, currently site head and VP of Holly Springs in North Carolina, will oversee the firm’s financial management.

“I’m thrilled to congratulate Richard on his new role. We look forward to Richard’s contributions as we execute our growth strategy,” said Lars Petersen, CEO of Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies.

“His proven leadership is driving a people first and partners for life mindset with our major clients and solid track record of leading in a landscape of highly complex stakeholders, will contribute to the continued success and growth of our company.”

He will be replaced by Jordan Ulrich, vice president of project delivery.

Oxford Biomedica

Oxford Biomedica, a cell and gene therapy (CGT) CDMO has added Peter Soelkner as the non-executive member of the board.

Soelkner, with more than 30 years’ experience, is currently managing director of Vetter Pharma. Prior to his tenure, he held key positions at Sartorius, including VP for the Americas region, where he played a pivotal role in expanding the company's global reach.

“[...] We are delighted to welcome Peter Soelkner given his impressive track record in significantly growing Vetter, a leading global CDMO from $200 million to more than $1 billion in revenues,” said Roch Doliveux, non-executive chairman of Oxford Biomedica.

Additionally, existing member Catherine Moukheibir and Michael Hayden have notified the Board of their decision not to seek re-election at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting scheduled for June 2024. However, Hayden will maintain an advisory role within the science and technology advisory committee.

VGXI Inc

Following the retirement of Dorothy Peterson, VGXI has appointed Michael Stewart as its chief operating officer (COO).

With over 20 years of experience in the viral vector therapy and vaccine production industry, Stewart has served as COO at Matica Biotechnology. He has held several leadership roles at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies, Boehringer-Ingelheim Biomanufacturing, Meridian Life Science, and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

“We are thrilled to welcome Michael Stewart to VGXI as our new COO,” said Young Park, CEO of VGXI. “His wealth of CDMO experience and proven track record will be pivotal in our commitment to providing top-tier DNA plasmid manufacturing services to the global biopharmaceutical community. [...] We also deeply appreciate all the years of service that Dorothy Peterson dedicated to VGXI and wish her all the best in her retirement.”

VGZI veteran, Peterson dedicated 16 years of service to the firm, where he served as director of quality, vice president of operations and finally COO.

Pyramid Labs

Pyramid Labs, a CDMO specializing in proteins, oligos and peptides, has appointed Dirk Lange as its CEO. He has succeeded Medhat Gorgy, who will now head the firm in his role as the chairman.

Most recently, Lange led MilliporeSigma’s life science services business. He has previously led KBI Biopharma and Selexis as its CEO. He has taken over from Medhat Gorgy, who will now lead the company as chairman.

“We are very pleased to welcome Dirk to the Pyramid team as we continue in our transformative growth phase,” said Gorgy, chairman of Pyramid Labs.

Gorgy established Pyramid in 1988 and has been at the helm of the company throughout its 36-year history.