Molecule to Market: Inside the outsourcing space

Think Star Trek, Think Smart Labs

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Henal Shah, Life Sciences Lab Practice Head at Cognizant.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Henal, with a focus on:

• Decoding digital transformation and what it means for pharmaceutical companies across the life sciences supply chain
• Delivering fascinating insights into what a state-of-the-art smart factory and lab of the future look like
• The complexity of collating siloed data and connecting, orchestrating and presenting it into meaningful information that aids improved decision-making
• The four key trends Henal is seeing driving the pharmaceutical laboratories sector right now

Henal is Head of the European Lab Centre of Excellence (CoE) Practice within the Life Sciences Manufacturing Group at Cognizant. Holding a management degree in marketing, she has more than 20 years of experience in multiple sectors, primarily in life sciences pharma.

Henal has led the Life Sciences Quality Engineering and Assurance practice for more than a decade within Cognizant across the UK and Ireland. Her experience spans through lab systems implementation, lab digital transformation, lab automation, mergers and acquisitions, GxP validation, and testing and compliance across the life sciences value chain including discovery, research and development, manufacturing pharmacovigilance, and sales & marketing to product launch.

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

Founding and selling three bio CDMOs - Part 2

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Mark Bamforth, Entrepreneur, Mentor and Investor in life sciences.

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

• How an unsolicited offer led to the unplanned sale of Arranta Bio to global CDMO Recipharm
• Mark’s ability to spot trends of where the sector is going, and sometimes going against conventional wisdom
• How Mark thinks about investment in early stage and later stage companies, as an investor
• His take on the tougher, tighter funding environment and what it means for the market
• Leadership lesson from 20+ years at Genzyme and three founder-to-exit successes

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

Founding and selling three bio CDMOs - Part 1

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Mark Bamforth, Entrepreneur, Mentor and Investor in life sciences.

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

• Mark’s backstory from oil barrels to brewing, to a small biotech called... Genzyme
• A baptism of fire of having to raise money for a self-funded CDMO carve-out after 22 years in the corporate world
• How a merger strategy led to the sale of Gallus BioPharmaceuticals to Patheon
• Entering the viral vector space, and the story of Brammer Bio from start-up to a $1.7bn exit to Thermo

Mark founded, built, and sold three CDMOs over a period of 12 years. Gallus Biopharmaceuticals was focused on monoclonal antibodies, Brammer Bio produced viral vectors for gene therapy and Arranta Bio produced microbiome, plasmid and mRNA vaccines. In total, over 1,200 jobs were created and over 100 client clinical trial projects were enabled.

Prior to this, Mark previously spent 22 years at Genzyme, latterly running the 12-site global manufacturing operation and a pharmaceutical CMO business. He began his career as a petroleum engineer with Britoil, then as a chemical engineer with Whitbread.

He serves on the boards of Continuus Pharma, Pneumagen, Enterobiotix, Inceptor Bio, and Entrepreneurial Scotland. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Strathclyde University and an MBA from Henley Management College.

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

Network like a pro

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Raman Sehgal, covering his top tips for networking ahead of this year’s events season after two decades of learning the do's and dont's, and making the mistakes for you.

This episode covers;

• The importance of networking and how vital human interaction is to keep business going
• Being your own brand and understanding your network is your net worth
• Judging a book by its cover, and how that very thinking could cost you your next big deal
• Adding value without pushing for the hard sell
• How nurturing contacts and connections can reap rewards years down the line

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

 

Diversity in life sciences

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Raman Sehgal for a special lookback episode on the topic of diversity in the life sciences space.

This week’s episode features excerpts from conversations with;

• Barbara Morgan (Lubrizol at time of recording), now Global Vice President, Pharma and Biotechnology at Kerry discussing; gender diversity and the network of women supporting each other in their roles.
• Tia Lyles-Williams, founder & CEO at LucasPye Bio discussing; the recent political climate and how that has affected steps forward in diversity and inclusion.
• Jeff Dill, CEO at Vynamic discussing; the importance of diversity at his organization, and what they have put in place to ensure EDI goals are being achieved.
• Andrew Moore, General Manager at Pfizer Center One discussing; his experience as a person of color in the sector, and how the conversation has changed in his time.

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

The CDMO CEO on the frontline of a Covid mission

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Tom Ross, President and CEO at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM).

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

• How a passive investment in a small growing business led to running one of the most reputable CDMOs in the US
• Insights of how to pivot from lumpy clinical supply to sustainable commercial revenues
• The ups and downs, opportunities and challenges of growing a business at over 700pc+ as one of Inc Magazine’s fastest growing companies in the US
• Being on the inside of Operation Warp Speed (OWS) and what it took to gear up for global Covid vaccine supply
• Dealing with the Covid comedown and transitioning a 100% capacity utilization with new projects including the monkeypox vaccine

During his career, Tom has held senior executive roles at a large, publicly held pharmaceutical company and at leading, smaller entrepreneurial organizations. He spent eight years at Perrigo Company, a multi-billion-dollar generic and OTC pharmaceutical company, where he served on the executive committee and led the financial team. Tom left Perrigo to help set up the processes, systems and infrastructure for two smaller, high-growth companies. He also served as managing director at DWH, LLC, a consulting company focused on helping emerging businesses maximize value.

Tom, who joined GRAM in 2013, received his Bachelors in Accounting from Michigan State University and completed coursework for an MBA at the University of Miami. As President and Chief Executive Officer at GRAM, Tom Ross uses his extensive managerial and technical expertise to create a culture where employees can maximize their performance. A skilled communicator, Tom helps develop teams to create compliant processes and systems that deliver results to clients.

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

Industry insights you cannot afford to miss

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Ian Tzeng, Managing Director at L.E.K. Consulting.

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

• Insights, trends and advice for CROs, CDMOs and pharma services firms from one of the most prominent life science consultants.
• What he gained from his time studying at Harvard and the importance of genuine curiosity and a multi-disciplinary way of thinking.
• The complexity of modality and technology fragmentation, and the challenge of picking the right ones from a CDMO perspective.
• Why focusing on ‘conserved areas’ and ‘platform technologies’ could be a smart move when thinking about diversification and long term investments.
• The shift we are seeing from volume-based blockbuster drugs that deliver billions of pills to the masses, to targeted speciality drugs, to even more advanced therapies for micro-patient populations.

Based in the Boston, Ian has 20+ years of consulting experience in growth strategy, regulated markets, innovation, pricing, and mergers and acquisitions. He directs projects across the healthcare spectrum with particular emphasis on Biopharmaceuticals & Life Sciences and MedTech practices.

As a focus area, he leads L.E.K.’s pharmaceutical contract services practice. Additionally, Ian has extensive consulting and board experience with non-profit organizations in education, arts, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and public service. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in Chemistry from Harvard College and is a George F. Baker Scholar, Master of Business Administration with high distinction from Harvard Business School.

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

 

The Puzzle-Solving Lifelong Science Geek

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Claire Aldridge, Chief Strategy Officer at Form Bio.

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

• How a family ritual of solving puzzles played a role in developing an entrepreneurial spirit of problem solving
• Learn about how and why Northern Texas is becoming a destination for biotech and life sciences
• Going viral for being viral... and why covid was the time for immunologists to shine
• The opportunities and challenges of introducing innovative, disruptive technology into the biopharma space

Claire Aldridge, Ph.D. is Chief Strategy Officer for Form Bio, the first spinout from the de-extinction and biodiversity company, Colossal Biosciences. Prior to this role, she was Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff and Corporate Strategy at Taysha Gene Therapies, a Dallas based company focusing on eradicating monogenic CNS disease. She previously served as Associate Vice President for Commercialization and Business Development at UT Southwestern Medical Center and VP, Venture Development with Remeditex Ventures, a local biotech venture fund.

Dr. Aldridge brings more than 20 years’ experience facilitating the translation of scientific discoveries into patient and commercial benefits. Dr. Aldridge is also on the Scientific Advisory Board for Colossal Biosciences, the Board of Directors for MedCognetics and 4E Therapeutics and is the chair for the Industry Advisory Council for the UT Dallas Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Aldridge received her Ph.D. from Duke University in the Department of Immunology and Program in Genetics, and her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science is from Texas A&M 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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

The CDMO with a capital D

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

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

• How a regulatory change led a small consultancy down the path of becoming one of Europe’s most respected mid-sized CDMOs
• The easy-theory of an M&A buy-and-build strategy, versus the challenging practical realities after acquiring and integrating five businesses
• Key considerations and questions you should ask before selecting a private equity partner
• The role of nano-technology in producing nanomedicines for effective targeting of disease…but also the challenges of dealing with this enabling platform
• Why there is cause for optimization for CDMOs when looking at the robust R&D funding environment and forecasted outsourcing growth

Harry has significant leadership experience with 20+ years in the pharma and biotech industry. He successfully transformed Pharmavize, a regulatory consultancy company into a leading CDMO, establishing a GMP team and infrastructure from scratch. Since 2015, he led the acquisitions and integration of five companies providing highly complementary services. He successfully integrated the service offering of the acquired companies onto one platform, creating the Ardena brand.

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.

100 episodes of Molecule to Market: looking back, lessons & laying the land for 101

In this special episode of Molecule to Market, we are marking our 100th episode! Join us as we look back, review our learnings and lay the land for episode 101…

For those that have been here since the beginning, we are incredibly grateful for your constant support and feedback. To our new listeners, thank you for joining the journey, seeing us through to 30,000 downloads and beyond. 

To our guests - thank you for being a part of this experience with us and taking the time to share your story. The podcast wouldn’t be what it is without the incredible guests we have come and grace the M2M microphone. With even more amazing thought leaders on the horizon and a special celebration coming to DCAT Week, stay tuned for a jam-packed 2023...

Your host, Raman Sehgal, switches seats with journalist Dan Stanton as host for a celebration of 100 episodes of the podcast. They discuss;

• The Molecule to Market journey and how the podcast has evolved
• Raman’s experience with securing a private equity deal for sponsor of the podcast, ramarketing, the business he started in 2009 
• Valuable lessons learnt throughout the process including; how to get the best out of a guest, what didn’t work so well as the podcast evolved and breaking the podcast formula 
• What’s to come for the podcast and Raman in 2023 and beyond…

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 sponsored and funded by ramarketing. An international content, design and digital agency that helps companies in life sciences, get noticed.