Molecule to Market: Inside the outsourcing space

The COO leveraging the ‘power of we’

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Christiane Bardroff, COO of Rentschler Biopharma SE.

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

• The importance of "knowing what you're talking about" to build confidence
• Being asked to build and commission an automated €800m bioprocessing plant at Teva
• The draw of a family-owned CDMO business servicing 170 clients worldwide, and what she loves about this ownership model
• The 'power of we' is doing things together as a team for the greater good of the business
• The power of listening to people and empowering teams that led to producing 50% more at the same site
• Why Rentschler Biopharma decided to exit the CGT capabilities and double down on its biologics business

Christiane oversees operations across the company’s sites in Germany and the US. A results-driven executive with a strong foundation in biotechnology and chemical engineering, she brings deep expertise across biomanufacturing, automation, digitalization, and leadership.

Her career includes nearly a decade at Roche, where she implemented the company’s first paperless manufacturing process. At Teva Biotech, she led the development of a €800M large-scale facility and was part of the global management team, earning Teva’s Mission and Values Award in 2021.

Since joining Rentschler in 2022, Christiane has advanced rapidly through senior leadership roles and now leads all operational areas, including manufacturing, quality, engineering, regulatory, and supply chain.

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Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

The pharma CEO focused on US commercial growth

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Adriana Herrera, CEO at Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals (USA).

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

• Why Big Pharma is such a great training ground for future pharma leaders, and how a period living and working in Mexico defined her leadership style
• The reality of being purchased by a big pharma like Gilead, and retaining independence as the acquired company, Kite Pharma
• The opening of a market opportunity that led Adriana to her first CEO role, and how the role is pushing her outside of her comfort zone
• Why she is optimistic about the future of manufacturing and commercialising cell therapies - innovation will find a way, but it takes time
• How the current geopolitical environment is adding more risk and uncertainty to an industry plagued with risk... and how that may impact investments and supply chains

Adriana leads the expansion of Pierre Fabre’s US presence in precision oncology, cell therapy and rare diseases with an immediate focus on the commercialization of a groundbreaking allogenic cell therapy.

Most recently, Adriana served as U.S. General Manager at Kite Pharma where she successfully commercialized the autologous CART-cell therapy portfolio and led the US commercial functions. Prior to that, her experience included a tenure at Eisai as Senior Vice President and commercial head for U.S. Oncology and high-impact leadership roles at Novartis Oncology including Vice President and Global Diseases Lead for Lung and Genitourinary cancers. Adriana commenced her career at Bristol Myers-Squibb.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

The Spanish solid state specialist

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Victor Diaz, Co-Founder of Solitek.

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

• Falling in love with medicinal chemistry and ending up experiencing the culture shock of North East England!
• Why Victor fell in love with working on a variety of projects at CROs/CDMOs
• The benefits of solid state chemistry and its value in pre-clinical formulation development
• The starting story of Solitek and the decision not to take the easier path to becoming consultants
• His views on the market outlook and how the application of AI will impact the development pathway

Victor obtained his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Seville in 1998 before moving to the UK, where he built most of his professional career.

Originally trained as a synthetic and medicinal chemist, he began his career at High Force Research and Medivir. He later transitioned from drug discovery to early development, marking the start of his journey in solid-state science at Pharmorphix. There, he progressed to Projects Director and later Site Manager, playing a key role in the company’s acquisition by Johnson Matthey from Sigma-Aldrich.

Victor then spent five years as Head of Physical Sciences at Almac, leading one of the largest solid-state teams in Europe and providing pharmaceutical companies with expert support in crystallisation, polymorphism, and material characterisation.

After more than 20 years in the UK, Victor returned to Spain to co-found Solitek, continuing his mission to deliver solid-state and preclinical development services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. He currently serves as Operations Director, driving the company’s growth and innovation in the field.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

 

The bullish CDMO CEO making bold moves

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Jeremie Trochu, CEO at Ardena.

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

• The value of hitting the road and getting in front of clients, helping build several career-critical skills
• The big decision to leave med-tech giant GE and move to an ambitious, growing CDMO called...Catalent
• How the stars aligned to move back to Europe and join Ardena as CEO...and the secret sauce behind its suite of integrated development capabilities
• A transformational acquisition of Catalent's Somerset, NJ facility to help take Ardena to the next level as a global CDMO
• The importance of remembering that we are part of a cyclical industry and must ride out the lows, but we must remain adaptive and bullish about the market's growth
• Why VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) is inevitable

Jeremie joined Ardena as Chief Executive Officer in June 2024. He brings an extensive knowledge of the life sciences and CDMO industry and a proven track record of success in the biopharma sector. He has 20 years of experience building and growing businesses globally, expanding into new markets, and leading large-scale transformations in publicly traded and privately held companies. 

Jeremie was previously part of the team that helped transform Catalent from a private equity spinoff into a publicly traded global CDMO. During his tenure there, he led multiple companies' successful acquisitions and integrations. He holds a master's degree in Business Administration from EMLyon, France.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

Geordie lad done good in pharma

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Rob Wood, pharma portfolio investor and Founder.

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

• Identifying a niche in the pharma services space that led to working with top 50 Big Pharma
• Growing STEM into an international powerhouse before eventually selling to UDG Healthcare
• Life as a pharma portfolio advisor and investor of seven pharma services companies
• Creating an academy that will introduce entrepreneurship to hundreds of thousands of kids
• How AI will impact the commercialization of new and existing drugs

Rob Wood is an experienced entrepreneur in the pharma services industry. He founded, scaled, and sold STEM for €120 million, expanding into 51 countries and working with all of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies. STEM grew to over 1,000 staff globally and received the Queen's Award for International Trade.

After selling STEM, Rob joined UDG plc as CEO & President of Advisory and Head of Group Business Development, leading multiple healthcare consultancies and re-modelling business development across 28 companies.

Today, Rob serves as Chairman or Non-Executive Director for several healthcare service companies, focusing on growth, leadership, and investment opportunities. He holds an MBA from Newcastle University.

He recently founded the Rob Wood Enterprising Futures Academy in conjunction with Newcastle University.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

The CEO driven by lentiviral vector success

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Jon Alberdi, CEO at VIVEbiotech.

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

• Falling in love with the world of management and its role in influencing people and society
• Why, after 12 years in the B2B automotive sector, did he decide to jump into the life science space?
• His first impressions of the sector and the viral vector space, and why he saw nothing but potential to industrialize
• The before and after of a PE deal with Ampersand - speed, challenge, and intensity
• Riding the growth of CAR-T products, and which therapy areas are driving demand

Graduating in Economics from the University of the Basque Country - Sarriko, Bilbao, he received complementary education in management and leadership. His professional career is closely tied to the Financial Function of several companies operating in diverse sectors, including investment banking, sports service management, and the automotive and aftermarket industries. In 2008, he joined the global industrial public company GKN, where he held several financial controlling roles, including the R&D department at the worldwide product development centre.

He later moved to Germany to take on the responsibility of Financial Direction for a global business unit of GKN, where he stayed for five years until he joined VIVEbiotech, gaining a solid background in management within an international environment.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

 

The CRDMO CEO making his luck

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Philip Lee, CEO at GeneFab.

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

• The role of luck in the development of his entrepreneurial journey of multiple biopharma start-ups
• Bootstrapping a biological tech company and then selling to Millipore, along with lessons learnt from a more prominent global organization
• Building a new company from the back of a napkin to an IPO on the NASDAQ
• Creating a technology platform and operational capability with real therapeutic application that led to the spin-out of Genefab
• Bridging the gap for early-stage cell therapy companies with aligned incentives and a non-transactional model

Philip Lee is a bioengineer, biotechnology entrepreneur, and executive who has spent the last 20 years building companies and commercializing products, including cell and gene therapies, synthetic biology platforms, scientific instrumentation, cell culture systems, and advanced manufacturing services.

He has been the “first employee” at multiple ventures with leadership experience across diverse growth trajectories, including bootstrapping, VC and PE funding rounds, IPO, acquisition, and internal innovation within a large enterprise.

Philip holds degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the UC Berkeley/UCSF Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering. Philip is currently the founding CEO of GeneFab, a contract research, development, and manufacturing organization focused on supporting its clients in bringing innovative genetic medicines to needy patients. 

Before GeneFab, Philip was the Co-Founder and CTO of Senti Biosciences, a cell and gene therapy company applying gene circuit technology to improve the efficacy and safety of cancer cell therapies. Philip was also the co-founder and CEO of Cellasic Corp, a microfluidics instrumentation company that MilliporeSigma had acquired.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

The biotech CEO focused on curing paediatric deafness

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Jodi Cook PhD, President and CEO at Skylark Bio.

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

• How a curiosity for unanswered questions led her to a PhD and a career in biotech… and, ultimately, the magical, rare experience of getting a product to market
• The full-circle moment that took Jodi from being an audiologist to becoming the preclinical biotech CEO of a gene therapy company focused on curing pediatric deafness
• The reality of running a biotech company in the most challenging climate in a long time - and why she treats every dollar in the business as if it were her own
• Dress to impress - no-nonsense advice on crafting the impression you want to leave on your audience
• Why does she allow herself to dream of what Skylark can achieve as a business and the profound impact of gene therapies on patients?

Jodi is an operationally focused business leader with experience across public and private biotechnology and medical device organizations. She brings a unique combination of scientific, clinical development, operational, and commercialization expertise to Skylark.

Before leading Skylark, Dr. Cook was Senior Vice President of Gene Therapy Strategy at PTC Therapeutics. Before that, she served as the founding Chief Operating Officer of Agilis Biotherapeutics, overseeing its $1 billion acquisition.

She earned her Ph.D. from Arizona State University, a Master’s in Audiology from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Maryland. She completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a Board Member of Fennec Pharmaceuticals and was previously Board Chair of STRM.BIO.

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

 

Inside the mind of the CDMO customer

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Julien Laizé, Director External Manufacturing CTM at Valneva.

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

• Comparative views of being externally outsourced in large pharma's R&D vs a more action-oriented, small-med pharma company
• Taking us behind the scenes into in-housing vs outsourcing manufacturing decisions and CDMO identification...
• Why the selection process is becoming more and more challenging for buyers
• The importance of reputation and track record for CDMOs, and the value of being known as a specialist
• How do geopolitical issues and macro uncertainty play into the planning of external manufacturing?

 

Julien Laizé is a French/Italian executive with extensive and international experience in the vaccines and biologics industry. A Doctor of Pharmacy, Julien spent time at Siemens Healthineers, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly before joining Valneva, a specialty vaccine company focused on developing and commercializing prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical needs.

 

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.

The master-builder now on a cell therapy crusade

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Jason C. Foster, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Ori Biotech.

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

• How being frustrated by big company life led to the development of a business unit within Reckitt Benckiser that went on to be valued at $1bn
• The story of how a spin-out went on to list on the LSE with a cool $3.5bn market cap
• Taking his skills and experience before making 18+ healthcare start-up investments,... determined to add value beyond the cash
• Being wowed by the potential of CGTs and building the business he always wanted to work for in Ori

The mission is to build enabling technology for power cell therapy companies and cut down the manufacturing costs by at least 50% to improve accessibility and affordability.

Jason has held leading roles in consulting, healthcare and technology companies for over 20 years in the US, UK and Europe. He is CEO and Executive Director for Ori Biotech, a cell and gene therapy manufacturing technology start-up with offices in London and New Jersey.

He raised a $100M Series B funding round in December 2022. Jason also serves as a Non-Executive Director of London-based health tech start-ups gripAble and Credentially and Auxita Pty, an Australian healthcare data platform. As the Managing Director of Health Equity Consulting, he has advised PE/VC funds, family offices, accelerators and healthTech start-ups.

 

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!

Molecule to Market is also sponsored and funded by ramarketing, an international marketing, design, digital and content agency helping companies differentiate, get noticed and grow in life sciences.