KBI expansion strategy in question following CEO’s swift exit

Just six months after accepting the role, Mark Womack is no longer serving as the CEO of KBI Biopharma and Selexis.

The firm released a statement detailing that Tim Lowery, president of JSR Life Sciences, has been appointed as interim CEO as the company searches to identify someone for a permanent position.

The reasons behind his departure have not been disclosed despite BioProcess Insider reaching out to Womack directly for additional information. However, a spokesperson for KBI told us that “while we are not able to discuss the reasons for Mark’s departure, we are confident in our strategy and the future of the business. Tim knows the business well and is perfectly placed to lead it through this transition.”

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The shock news comes just weeks after Womack discussed his three-year strategy for the contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO) with us at CPHI, Frankfurt.

His plan was for the CDMO to enter the fill/finish space and thus become a company that can offer its customers end-to-end services. Womack said that a few years ago he did not think fill/finish was a service that a CDMO needed to offer its clients but contended he is now confident that fill/finish is a necessary service to keep up with its competitors.

Womack did not specify where KBI and Selexis was planning to operate its fill/finish services from and said that it is unclear whether it would look to acquire a facility or construct a site itself.

It remains unknown whether KBI and Selexis will follow this three-year strategy following Womack’s departure.