Catalent announced the appointment of Manja Boerman, Ph.D., to the role of President, Cell & Gene Therapy, effective June 1, 2020. In this new role, Dr. Boerman will lead all of Catalent’s cell & gene therapy businesses worldwide. Dr. Boerman will continue to report to Karen Flynn, Catalent’s President of Biologics and Chief Commercial Officer.
Pete Buzy, who has led the Catalent Gene Therapy business since the company’s acquisition of Paragon Bioservices in May 2019, will be retiring but will remain with the company as Chairman of Catalent Gene Therapy in an advisory capacity for the next 12 months to support Dr. Boerman as she transitions into her new role. Dr. Boerman has already been leading Catalent’s cell therapy business since the acquisition of MaSTherCell in February 2020.
Succeeding Dr. Boerman, Catalent also announced the appointment of Mario Gargiulo as Region President, Biologics – Europe, as well as his appointment to the company’s Executive Leadership Team.
“Working in concert and under Manja’s strong leadership, our cell and gene therapy businesses will continue their substantial growth and maturation over the past 12 months and further extend our leadership position in the biotech industry,” said Flynn. “We are excited to have high-performing talent in place to drive our cell and gene therapy businesses to the next stage in their natural evolution and development as we continue to expand and enhance our innovative solutions for our customers and fulfil our mission in helping people live better, healthier lives.”
“I would like to thank Pete Buzy, under whose guidance our gene therapy business has seen significant growth and continuous investment to meet strong and growing demand for adeno-associated virus vectors, next-generation vaccines, and oncolytic viruses. I am glad that Pete will continue to provide his invaluable experience and insights for the next 12 months for the benefit of our customers and their patients, particularly while we are in the midst of significant growth initiatives,” Alessandro Maselli, Catalent’s President & Chief Operating Officer, said.
Dr. Boerman joined Catalent in December 2019 with more than 20 years’ experience in biotech and pharmaceutical services, and significant experience as a senior executive in start-up environments and global late-stage clinical development for cell therapy products. She most recently served as president of Aesica Pharmaceuticals, a UK-based CDMO, and before that as CEO for a Netherlands-based biotech and as Executive Director for Charles Rivers Laboratories where she helped open a new biologics facility in Boston. In addition, she served as president of Patheon Biologics where she significantly grew the customer base and growth path for biologics through organic activities and acquisitions. Dr. Boerman holds a doctorate in Biochemistry from the State University of New York - Buffalo.
Since he joined Catalent in 2017, Gargiulo has held a number of leadership roles, most recently as vice president of operations, Biologics. He joined the company from Merck & Co.’s External Manufacturing organization, having previously spent most of his career at Bristol Myers Squibb in various operations leadership roles including vice president of global pharmaceutical manufacturing. In addition to his new role, he will continue to oversee operations for all Catalent Biologics sites globally. Gargiulo holds a degree in Chemistry from the University of Naples, Italy.