Molecule to Market: Inside the outsourcing space

The Indiana boy driving CGT development

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Sean Werner, Chief Technology Officer at BioLife Solutions,

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Sean, covering:

 

• The value of learning your craft in big pharma, and the steep transition from technical expert to President of a spinout
• Why BioLife moved from board involvement to acquiring Sean’s company outright
• The critical role of cryopreservation, and why it remains an overlooked risk in cell therapy development
• His perspective on the cell and gene therapy space, and why there is still plenty of reason for optimism
• The rise of China’s biotech ecosystem and why its growth is a positive for the global industry
• Why CGT is set to diverge into more specialised areas, unlocking new therapeutic and patient applications

 

Sean Werner is the Chief Technology Officer at BioLife Solutions, a leading provider of bioproduction tools and services to the cell and gene therapy and broader biopharma markets. BioLife acquired Sexton Biotechnologies in 2021 where Sean was President of the company known for providing processing and handling solutions for the CGT industry. Sean received his PhD from Purdue University in Biology followed by post-doctoral positions at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Eli Lilly. Sean has previous experience filling various roles in the scientific, global regulatory, and general management functions supporting medical devices, autologous cell therapy, and single use disposable development programs. In his 23 years working in the life science industry, he has guided regenerative medicine research programs, pre-clinical and clinical testing and submission strategies leading to global commercialization of medical devices and bioprocessing tools and successful initiation of multi-national cell therapy clinical studies.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

DCAT Live - Morgan Stanley CDMO CEO Dinner

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Alessandro Maselli, President and Chief Executive Officer at Catalent and Franco Negron is the Chief Executive Officer at Simtra BioPharma Solutions.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology ecosystem with his esteemed guests during a live fireside chat at the DCAT Morgan Stanley CDMO CEO Dinner.

 

Alessandro Maselli is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Catalent, having assumed the CEO role in July 2022 after serving as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer since February 2019.  He has been with Catalent since 2010 and has played a central role in shaping the company into one of the world’s leading contract development and manufacturing organizations serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and consumer health customers globally.

 

Alessandro joined Catalent as Director of Operations at the company’s pharmaceutical, nutrition, and cosmetics facility in Italy. Over the course of more than a decade, he progressed through a series of increasingly senior leadership roles, including General Manager of the Zydis® operations in Swindon, U.K., Vice President of Operations for Europe within the Drug Delivery Solutions business, and Senior Vice President of Global Operations. In these roles, he oversaw multi-site global manufacturing networks, large-scale capacity expansions, and complex technology platforms across oral solid dose, biologics, and advanced delivery modalities.

 

As Chief Executive Officer, Alessandro led Catalent through the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the company played a critical role in the global response by supporting vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing at unprecedented scale. More recently, he has overseen Catalent’s transition to private ownership following its $16.5 billion acquisition by Novo Holdings, positioning the company for long-term investment and growth as a privately held global CDMO.

 

Prior to joining Catalent, Mr. Maselli held a range of operational and business leadership roles at ABB Group, Alstom, and SGS, gaining extensive experience in industrial automation, engineering, and large-scale manufacturing operations. He began his career as an automation systems engineer in the food industry. In addition to his executive role, Alessandro serves on the Board of Directors of Graphic Packaging Holding Company, to which he was appointed in May 2025. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electronic engineering from the University of Rome and is a native of Italy.

 

Franco Negron is the Chief Executive Officer of Simtra BioPharma Solutions, a leading sterile injectable contract development and manufacturing organization formed following the divestiture of Baxter International’s BioPharma Solutions business. He was appointed CEO in 2023 by Advent International and Warburg Pincus to lead the business as an independent, private-equity-backed CDMO focused on clinical-to-commercial parenteral manufacturing. Franco is an industry veteran with nearly 30 years of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical experience, bringing deep expertise across sterile manufacturing, commercial operations, and global supply chain leadership. Prior to joining Simtra, he served as Chief Executive Officer of ApiJect Systems America, a medical technology company focused on advanced drug-delivery and injection systems. Earlier in his career, he held senior executive roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he served as President of Commercial Operations, and at Patheon Pharmaceuticals, where he was President of Development and Commercial Operations, North America, playing a key role in scaling Patheon’s CDMO platform prior to its $7.2 billion acquisition by Thermo Fisher in 2017.

 

Franco has also held leadership positions at several major pharmaceutical companies, including Vice President of Manufacturing and Supply at Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Global Vice President within Novartis’ Consumer Health division, and Site General Manager at McNeil Consumer Healthcare.

 

Across these roles, he developed a reputation for operational excellence, customer-centric leadership, and the ability to lead complex manufacturing organizations through periods of transformation and growth. As CEO of Simtra, Franco is leading the company through its next phase of expansion, focused on strengthening its sterile fill-finish capabilities, advancing technical differentiation, and investing in capacity to support increasing demand for injectable biologics, vaccines, and complex parenteral products

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

DCAT Live Panel - Stick or Twist with Capacity in Times of Uncertainty

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with:

• Jake Behrman, 3i
• Dirk Lange, Pyramid Pharma
• Hanns-Christian Mahler, ten23
• J.D. Mowery, AST/Engage
• Sarah Stevens, Chrysalis

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology ecosystem with his guests live from DCAT 2026. The event was hosted by Lead Candidate and sponsored by 3i private equity... and Molecule to Market,

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

From consulting stay at home dad to global CRO CEO

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Greg Plunkett, Founder and CEO of Accelagen.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Greg, covering:

• How years at big pharma exposed him to the full journey from concept to commercialisation.
• Why stepping into a smaller organisation gave him the practical tools and confidence to start his own venture.
• How following market signals into regulatory consulting, while being a stay at home dad, became the foundation for Accelagen.
• Why trust, referrals and long term relationships have driven sustainable growth.
• How Australia’s clinical trial ecosystem offers quality, speed and tax advantages that attract global innovators.
• What it takes to guide small to mid sized biotech companies from discovery all the way to market.

Greg Plunkett is the Founder and CEO of Accelagen, a full service regulatory affairs and clinical development CRO headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. His career spans almost 30 years across both big and small pharma and biotech organisations before founding Accelagen in 2010. He has supported local and international companies in developing new technologies from discovery through to commercialisation.

Greg leads a highly experienced team across Australia, New Zealand and the United States, united by a mission to make a meaningful difference to the future of human health.

He holds a Masters of Medical Science from the University of New South Wales and postgraduate business qualifications.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

From big pharma manufacturing lead to CDMO CEO

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Joerg Ahlgrimm, CEO SK pharmteco.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Joerg, covering:

 

• His journey from East Germany to leading global manufacturing organisations.
• How building and integrating acquired CDMO relationships ultimately led him to Lonza, where he helped scale the manufacturing network from fifteen to thirty five sites worldwide.
• What he learned about the “sticky” nature of the CDMO business, and the unforgiving reality of being a CDMO partner when execution does not go to plan.
• The leap from the scale and structure of Lonza in Basel to becoming employee number four at a CDMO start up in Philadelphia.
• Why his vision for a small molecule CDMO is to be easy to work with and present across the key global manufacturing regions.
• Why, despite the rise of blockbuster GLP one therapies, he believes the future lies in small volume, highly targeted, and complex to manufacture personalised medicines.

 

Joerg Ahlgrimm is a global operations and supply chain executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience across the biotech, pharmaceutical, vaccines, and medical device industries. As CEO of SK pharmteco, he leads the company’s strategic growth and operational excellence across its global manufacturing network.

 

Prior to SK pharmteco, Joerg served as Head of Global Operations, Pharma and Biotech at Lonza AG, where he oversaw 37 sites worldwide. Earlier, he led the manufacturing network for Baxter Bioscience/Baxalta, managing a broad global footprint and extensive CMO operations.

 

Driven by a passion for advancing patient care, Joerg is recognized for building high-performing teams and navigating complex global supply chains. He was recently appointed to the inaugural Strategic Advisory Board of BioPhorum, joining senior industry leaders to help shape the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain resilience.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

M2M Pulse: 7 Trends CDMO You Can’t Ignore

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with 20+ CEO and C-suite leaders from the CDMO ecosystem, exploring the overlooked trends for 2026.

 

• Nick Fortin, CEO, Codis
• Ankit Gupta, CEO, InstaPill
• Eric Edwards, MD, PhD, CEO, Phlow USA
• Dirk T. Lange, CEO, Pyramid Pharma Services
• Kaan-Fabian Kekec, Partner, Simon-Kucher Healthcare and Life Sciences
• J.D. Mowery, President, CDMO Division, Bora Pharmaceuticals
• Matthew Bio, CSO, Cambrex and President, Snapdragon Chemistry
• Bill Vincent, Biotech Entrepreneur, CEO and Board Member
• Philip Macnabb, CEO, Curia
• Christiane Bardroff, COO Leader
• Jason Anderson, CEO, Ensera
• Mark B, Anonymous CEO (not to be quoted by name)
• Adam Siebert, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting
• Stephen Dilly, CEO, Sonoma Biotherapeutics
• Elisabeth Stampa, CEO, Medichem
• Jon Alberdi, CEO, Vivebiotech
• Derek Hennecke, Founder, Investor and Board Member
• Bruce Thompson, CTO, Kincell Bio

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating! 

25+ years & 200+ deals - meet the prolific pharma dealmaker

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Banks Bourne, Founder & Chief Executive Officer at Bourne Partners.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Banks, covering:

 

• How making a bet in the right place at the right time sparked an extraordinary journey in pharma investing.
• The founding of Bourne Partners and a twenty five plus year ride through multiple market cycles.
• Lessons from hundreds of deals, and why the best investments are often the most complex and hardest won.
• Why running from ego and listening obsessively to clients is one of the most underrated advantages in private equity.
• Why private equity has become increasingly commoditised, and why Banks believes momentum is building and sentiment is turning positive heading into 2026.

As Founder and CEO, Banks oversees all business operations and direct investment opportunities at Bourne Partners. He and the firm have been party to more than $10 billion of transactions in the pharmaceutical (“pharma”), pharma services, and consumer healthcare sectors. Banks is also the founder of Tanner Pharma Group, a pharma services company dedicated to providing managed access, commercialization, and clinical trials services to patients and partners in more than 100 countries.

 

For almost 20 years, Bourne Partners has transacted with nearly all major pharmaceutical and specialty pharmaceuticals companies around the world, including Banks’ initial investment in King Pharmaceuticals in the late 1990’s. This investment introduced Banks to the pharmaceutical world and jump started his interest in the healthcare sector. Since then, he has invested in more than 200 private companies / assets.

 

While Banks has derived great satisfaction by offering focused advisory services to, and investing in, pharma, healthcare, and consumer-oriented companies that need strategic and operational insights, he is even more gratified knowing that his work has helped companies to improve the health and well-being of patients across the world. Banks is passionate about providing healthcare, and specifically pharmaceuticals, to less fortunate patients, as demonstrated by supporting The Max Foundation, Partners in Health, The Bourne Foundation, The Levine Children’s Hospital, and other non-profit organizations. He received a B.A. degree in Business Management (Magna Cum Laude) from North Carolina State University and an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

The 30-year, overnight success

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Julian Casciano, President & CEO at eMAX Health.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Julian, covering:

 

• How a family tragedy led him into the healthcare and pharmaceutical world.
• Why corporate life was not for him, but the valuable lessons he learned during his time at KPMG.
• The turbulent journey with a venture capital partner that ultimately led to an IPO and a successful first exit.
• How a relentless drive to become truly technology enabled has resulted in sixty percent of company revenue now coming from tech driven solutions.
• What led him to partner with private equity to accelerate investment in a game changing technology platform.
• Why the future of the sector is unfolding at speed right in front of us, and why now is the time to jump on board.

 

As Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Julian leads eMAX Health’s mission to modernize market access and patient services for pharmaceutical and biotech innovators. With a background in technology enabled pharmaceutical services, commercialization strategy, patient services, and entrepreneurship, he has built the organisation into a trusted partner for navigating the complexity of rapidly evolving medical and commercial programs.

 

Most recently, Julian spearheaded the launch of MAVA®, a proprietary digital platform delivering rapid stakeholder insights and pricing guidance powered by real time data and AI. He also architected eMAX Health’s proprietary patient services case management system, HealthPACER®.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

The CDMO CEO Operator Playbook for 2026

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with 20+ CEO and C-suite leaders from the CDMO ecosystem, exploring two simple questions that reveal what’s really happening inside the building:

What’s the biggest internal business challenge for the year ahead?
And what’s the biggest opportunity inside their business in 2026?

Your host, Raman Sehgal, brings together a punchy set of operator insights spanning commercial readiness, capacity decisions, flawless execution, commercial excellence, and the shift toward deeper partnerships and integrated models.

Show features insights from:

• Ankit Gupta, CEO, InstaPill
• Nick Fortin, CEO, Codis
• Eric Edwards, MD, PhD, CEO, Phlow USA
• Jason Anderson, CEO, ensera
• Dirk T. Lange, CEO, Pyramid Pharma Services
• Philip Macnabb, CEO, Curia
• Matthew Bio, CSO, Cambrex and President, Snapdragon Chemistry
• Bruce Thompson, CTO, Kincell Bio
• Bill Vincent, Biotech Entrepreneur, CEO and Board Member
• Derek Hennecke, Founder, Investor and Board Member
• Stephen Dilly, CEO, Sonoma Biotherapeutics
• Elisabeth Stampa, CEO, Medichem
• Christiane Bardroff, COO Leader
• Kaan-Fabian Kekec, Partner, Simon-Kucher Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Ian Tzeng, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting
• Adam Siebert, Managing Director, L.E.K. Consulting
• J.D. Mowery, President, CDMO Division, Bora Pharmaceuticals
• Jon Alberdi, CEO, Vivebiotech
• Peter Belden, President, US, Tjoapack

 

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating! 

The AI CEO changing pharma from the inside

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Pep Gubau, CEO, CTO & Co-Founder at Aizon.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Pep, covering:

 

• How working out what not to do very early on led to two successful growth and exit stories.
• Why surrounding yourself with smarter people is essential to learning, scaling, and long term success.
• How the industry’s underuse of data led to the creation of Aizon, and the challenge of pitching AI back in 2014 when it was anything but fashionable.
• The critical difference between pharma people building technology versus technology companies trying to do pharma.
• How pharma and CDMO manufacturing teams should be thinking about digitisation, AI, and transformative technology in a practical, value driven way.

 

Pep Gubau is the CEO and co-founder of Aizon, and a seasoned tech entrepreneur with four decades of experience and two previously successful companies.

He has a unique background as an economist with a foundation in engineering, and he holds several international patents in encryption, data transmission, storage, and processing for regulated cloud environments.

 

Pep is also a frequent speaker on the impact of Big Data, Machine Learning, and other Artificial Intelligence technologies, sharing insights into how these innovations are transforming regulated industries.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!