Ins and Outs, High level changes at CDMOs

Rentschler announces a CFO, Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies gets a new site head, and Astraveus appoints a chairman of the board. Welcome to the fortnightly roundup brought to you by BioProcess Insider. 

Astraveus: 

Astraveus, a cell and gene therapy (CGT) contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) has appointed Michel Spagnol as its chairman of the board.  

Michel Spagnol, Chairman of the Board at Astraveus. c/o Astraveus

Spagnol has served as the CEO and chairman of Novasep, a French CDMO, and has over 30 years of international experience in the healthcare industry. During his tenure, he grew its gene therapy franchise leading to its divestment to Thermo Fisher Scientific group in 2021.

Currently, he serves as deputy chairman at Axplora group, and as a board member and chairman at MVG Group. Additionally, he is the president of Mifani-Invest, a venture focused on healthcare and digital transformation investments. 

“Michel’s leadership will be instrumental as we look to accelerate the development and commercialization of our Lakhesys platform. […] Michel’s expertise and track record will help us to successfully bring the benefits of these therapies to patients. We look forward to welcoming and working with him at Astraveus,” said Jérémie Laurent, CEO of Astraveus. 

Fujifilm Diosynth 

Contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies has announced the retirement and replacement of Texas and Massachusetts site head Gerry Farrell. He will be succeeded by Keita Hirabayashi, who will take charge of the sites from April 2023.  

In the meantime, Vincent Romeo, chief financial officer (CFO) has been named as interim head for the sites in 

College Station, Texas

 and Watertown, Massachusetts.

Keita Hirabayashi, Texas and Massachusetts Site Head for FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. c/o FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

Keita Hirabayashi, who is the senior director for the corporate office at the firm, began his career at Fujifilm in 2002 at the Tokyo office as a project planning specialist.  

“I am honored to be appointed as the site head of our College Station and Watertown sites at this exciting time in the company’s evolution as we grow our advanced therapy manufacturing offering,” said Hirabayashi. 

“I am looking forward to working alongside our teams in both locations to strengthen and grow our offerings for antibodies and advanced therapies.” 

He will oversee advanced therapy manufacturing as part of the small-scale business unit. 

Rentschler: 

Rentschler Biopharma has announced the appointment of Gunnar Voss von Dahlen as its CFO.  

Gunnar Voss von Dahlen succeeds Alexander Dettmer and has over 17 years of extensive management experience in finance, controlling, law, IT, and human resource management. Prior to joining Rentschler, he held the position of CFO at several companies, focusing on transformation and enhancing profitability.

Gunnar Voss von Dahlen, CFO of Rentschler Biopharma. c/o Rentschler Biopharma

“I […] warmly welcome Gunnar Voss von Dahlen to Rentschler Biopharma on behalf of the team and am very much looking forward to working with him. With his impressive international experience in strategic business development and effective change management, he is a great asset to our team. I am convinced that he will make a significant contribution to the growth of Rentschler Biopharma, enabling us to continue supporting our clients in their mission to produce medicines for people with serious and rare diseases,” said Benedikt von Braunmühl, CEO of Rentschler Biopharma. 

Dahlen will oversee finances for the CDMO for biopharmaceuticals, including advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), and serve as a member of the management board.