Board of Directors
Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Kelsey Achenbach
Kelsey Achenbach has been serving the pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries for more than 20 years, and has a strong passion for improving the lives of patients through partnerships and innovation. Ms. Achenbach has experience in operations management, business development, commercial management, and strategic business transformation. Currently, Ms. Achenbach leads the Global Pharmaceutical and Global Medical Nutrition businesses at dsm-firmenich; leading innovation and development of critical ingredients in parenteral and enteral nutrition while focusing on improving patient access to critical medications. Before joining dsm-firmenich, Ms. Achenbach had extensive experience in supplying and partnering with the pharmaceutical industry; holding strategic leadership roles at Roquette, Celanese, and FMC.
Prior to joining the DCAT Board of Directors, Ms. Achenbach was an active volunteer and advocate for the DCAT organization; holding positions on the Advisory Board and several committees over the past 7 years. Most recently, Ms. Achenbach chaired the Membership Advantage Committee.
In addition to her continued education and certifications in business leadership, Ms. Achenbach holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and MBAs from Columbia Business School and London Business School.
VICE PRESIDENT
Ken Seufert
Ken Seufert is an accomplished senior executive with over twenty years of experience in strategic leadership positions in the pharmaceutical, nutritional and healthcare industries. Mr. Seufert is currently Chief Executive Officer of JRS Pharma LP and maintains responsibility for all business and manufacturing operations North America. Prior to this role, Mr. Seufert held senior positions in other excipients companies and owned his own businesses. With a focus in oral solid dosage formulation, he has extensive experience in drug formulation and commercializing new products on a global level. He has authored numerous articles on economics, sustainability, and supply chain challenges in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries.
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Michael Semo
Michael Semo has been serving in the life sciences industry for over 25 years focused on transforming molecules into life changing medicines for patients. Michael is currently accountable for Global External R&D Strategy of Synthetic CMC at Eli Lilly and Company as an Associate Vice President. Mr. Semo has experience in business transformation, supply chain excellence, alliance management, and technical operations.
Over the past 15 years, Michael has been responsible for the design and management of an integrated outsourcing strategy for CMC covering R&D to manufacturing of clinical material supply. Before joining Lilly, he was a chemist at DowElanco. He has been an active member of DCAT since 2012. In addition to his professional achievements, Michael is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of sourcing professionals.
Mr. Semo has a BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and a Executive Certificate from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
Sucheth Davuluri
Sucheth is an accomplished senior executive with over two decades of experience in the Pharmaceutical sector, combining strategic vision with practical management skills. His multifaceted background spans Business Development, Sales, Marketing, Quality and Operations Management.
Currently serving as the Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Neuland labs, Sucheth – part of the company’s founding family has been instrumental in shaping a business culture focused on quality and progress towards a healthier world.
Under his leadership as CEO, Neuland Labs has experienced significant growth. Over the 22-year period, he has been with the company, the company’s market cap not only grew from $ 4 Mn to over $ 2 Bn but also earned top ESG ratings and recognition for sustainability. Notably, he has been driving Business Transformation enabling the company to grow revenues at 24% CAGR over the last six years.
Previously, Sucheth served as Production Group Leader at Cummins Inc USA, where he enhanced production efficiency and quality by streamlining processes, reducing waste, and advancing standards from 3-sigma to 6-sigma. He also spearheaded ISO audits, workforce expansion, and profit-sharing plan development.
Since March 2025, Sucheth has held the position of Non-Executive Director on the board of Pattancheru Envirotech Limited (PETL), a company specialising in comprehensive waste management and environmental protection services. He brings extensive hands-on expertise in business transformation—notably implementing holacracy at Neuland, alongside strengths in operations management, process alignment, quality compliance, and marketing strategy formulation.
Sucheth holds an MBA in Operations & Corporate Finance from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He began his academic journey with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from CBIT and is an alumnus of Hyderabad Public School. His professional credentials include a Six Sigma Black Belt certification APICS certification and qualification in Theory of Constraints Project Management, reflecting his commitment to operational excellence.
As an active member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization), Sucheth engages in peer learning and leadership development within a global network of over 35,000 chief executives representing organizations with collective annual revenues of USD 9 trillion. During his four-year tenure on the YPO Board, he also served as Chapter Chair for the 2019–2020 term.
DIRECTOR
Christopher Conway
Chris is a seasoned business executive with a 28-year consistent track record of exceeding goals, developing talent, and change transformation across a variety of industry verticals: aerospace, pharmaceutical/biotech and contract research, development, and manufacturing.
Chris is highly experienced in P&L leadership, sales, and marketing having worked in large and small, public and private equity backed companies. Over the last three decades Chris has exceeded growth goals in various roles at Bio X Cell, Curia, AMRI, Johnson & Johnson, and Dynabil Industries. This experience enables Chris’s deep understanding of all aspects of business.
Currently, Chris serves as CEO of Bio X Cell (BXC). Founded in 1997, BXC is the world’s leading functional antibody solutions provider specializing in large-scale RUO antibody manufacturing and services. With a growing portfolio of 600+ functional grade antibodies as well as industry leading production capacity to scale antibodies from mg’s to grams, BXC serves thousands of customers in over 50 countries – across academia, government and industry – engaged in preclinical drug development research in areas including oncology, immunology, neuroscience and infectious disease.
Prior to BXC, he served as President and R&D Business Unit Head at Curia, a global organization in small molecule and Biologics contract research, development and manufacturing services, serving the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. Chris led the global R&D business, which included all functions and twenty sites with small molecule and Biologics Drug Discovery, Chemical Development, Formulation Development, Clinical and Commercial API and Aseptic Fill/Finish GMP manufacturing capabilities, to combined organic and inorganic revenue growth of six times and EBITDA growth of ten times. Chris has delivered profitable growth through diverse organizational contexts. During his tenure, the company changed from founder led to public company to private equity backed with Chris being the only remaining executive from all three periods.
Chris also served as a Director on the board of Viyash Life Sciences Private Limited, a Carlyle owned company, as well as currently serves as a Director on the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association, Inc. (DCAT) and BioDuro, an Advent and Bridgewest Group owned company.
Prior to joining AMRI Chris had a successful career at Johnson & Johnson where he served in several commercial roles across J&J’s portfolio of companies. Chris led in numerous internal and external commercial capacities including sales, marketing, and sales operations. During his tenure with J&J Chris exceeded goals each year, received numerous awards including J&J’s Global Standards of Leadership award in 2008, and completed J&J’s leadership development program.
Prior to joining J&J, Chris was with Dynabil Industries, Inc. (now part of Ducommun, Inc.) an Aerospace manufacturing organization, from 1997-2001.
Chris received his B.S. in Marketing & Management from Siena College and his Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. He resides in Saratoga, NY with his wife Christine and three children, Jack, Finn, and Grayson. He currently sits on the President’s Advisory Council at Albany College of Pharmacy, held previous board seats with Siena College’s Board of Advisors, Coaches vs. Cancer and the Alzheimer’s Association and is active in coaching youth sports including lacrosse and basketball.
DIRECTOR
Pierfrancesco Morosini
Pierfrancesco Morosini has been working in the pharmaceutical sector for over 30 years, both in national as well as international settings: half of his career was spent in the R&D function of a pharmaceutical company and the second half in contract research and contract development and manufacturing organisations (CRO and CDMO) covering various management roles, from commercial to general management.
Pierfrancesco’s domain expertise is in the pharmaceutical business developments for small molecules as drugs, both for the generic and the branded markets, combined with wide skills in commercial strategy, investments, operations within contract manufacturing organizations.
Since 2015, he is the President and Chief Executive Officer of ICROM srl, an Italian contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), specialized in active pharmaceutical ingredients for human use, covering the full spectrum of company responsibilities with a focus on financials, capital investments and commercial strategy, while being in charge also for all health, safety & environmental responsibilities. Since July 2024 he is also President of Holodiag sas, a french CRO in the field of solid state services for small molecules.
Previous to that, he has worked for another Italian active ingredients CDMO, now called Archimica, with main responsibilities as a business development manager.
At the beginning of his career, Morosini has covered different roles with increasing responsibilities, from lab bench up to the management levels, in the R&D Unit of Bracco SpA, an Italian pharmaceutical company with a global leadership in the field of diagnostic agents, where he served for 13 years. In 1994, during the period at Bracco, he spent 1 year at the University of Texas at Austin within the frame of a research exchange program and in 2000 he has worked for half-a-year at the R&D facility of Bracco Diagnostics in Princeton (NJ, USA) in the field of peptide combinatorial chemistry for pharmaceutical applications.
Since May 2024, Pierfrancesco covers the role of President of ASCHIMFARMA, the Italian association which gathers the manufacturers of pharmaceutical active ingredients where he previously served as member of the Executive Board.
Pierfrancesco has a Master’s degree in Chemistry with full marks from Pavia University (Italy). He is co-inventor of 8 international patents and co-author in 10 scientific publications in the chemical and pharmaceutical fields.
DIRECTOR
Allison Vavala
Allison Vavala has close to 20 years’ experience in the contract manufacturing/pharmaceutical industry space. She is currently the Senior Director of Business Development in North America for the Flamma Group, which she joined in March 2023. Flamma is a fully integrated CDMO with Headquarters near Milan, Italy and sites in China and the USA.
Prior to Flamma, Allison worked as the Director of CMC Portfolio Management at Anji Pharma, a start-up biotech in Boston, as well as multiple positions representing Helsinn’s CMO business (now HAS Healthcare Advanced Synthesis), headquartered in Switzerland, for close to 13 years with the most recent title of Director, Commercial Development. Her experience has been focused on Business Development, Account Management, Project Management and Marketing. She obtained her BA in Biology and MBA from SUNY Binghamton where she was also a D1 lacrosse athlete.
Allison has been a DCAT volunteer for the past 10 years working on the Pharma Industry Outlook task force, the Education Committee as a member, co-chair and Chair for the past three years. She has also been on the Program Management Council, Leadership Development Council and Fiscal Year 2024 Audit Committee.
DIRECTOR
Louis Weber
Louis is a seasoned operational executive with a 20-year consistent track record of exceeding operational targets, specifically in the excipients industry and contract research, development, and manufacturing organizations.
Louis is experienced in development, operational, and business development roles, having worked in large and small companies in the Life Science industry. Over the last two decades, Louis has exceeded business goals in various roles at Mikart, Halo Pharmaceutical, DFE Pharma, Catalent Pharma Solutions, and Emerson Resources (now Pace® Life Sciences). This experience gives Louis a solid foundation in the pharmaceutical industry from early phase development through to commercialization.
Currently, Louis serves as Vice President Business Development at Mikart, LLC. a Nautic Partners owned company. Mikart is a 50-year-old CDMO with experience in oral solid and nonsterile oral liquid dosage forms which makes them the ideal contract development and manufacturing organization partner with a long history in regulated markets.
Louis received his B.S. in Pharmaceutical Science from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science PCPS (now St. Joseph’s University) and resides in New Jersey.
DIRECTOR
Athelney Woolnough
Athelney has spent her entire career in the life sciences, starting as an academic research associate in an immunology laboratory, gradually moving over to the business side of the pharmaceutical industry where she has held roles in increasing responsibility over the past twenty-five years in the contract research, development and manufacturing sector. In her current position as Senior Director, Business Development and Key Account Management, Athelney manages a global client base and contributes to marketing, business and sales strategy for the BioXcellence division at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.
Athelney has been affiliated with the DCAT organization since 2014, as a volunteer on the Education Committee followed by a co-leadership position on the nascent Biotechnology task force. Athelney took the reins as Chair of the Education Committee in 2018 and oversaw new initiatives including the first Nobel Laureate Scientific Keynote program. She believes that DCAT is an excellent organization representing a broad global membership, whose mission is more and more relevant as its member companies navigate future growth. She looks forward to further supporting the organization and contributing meaningfully towards its goals as a board member.
Athelney graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree, specializing in cell and molecular biology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, earned a Master of Science degree in Regulatory Affairs and Health Policy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and an MBA from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
In addition to her role at Boehringer, Athelney volunteers at Rosie’s place, a multi-service community center and emergency shelter for women, and teaches English as a second language to adults recently settled in the area.
Athelney lives in the Boston suburbs and enjoys spending time in the great outdoors playing tennis, downhill skiing and hiking with her family and dog Daisy.
FIRST IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Donna Gruol
Donna J. Gruol has been an active champion of the generic pharmaceutical industry throughout her professional career spanning thirty years. Ms. Gruol’s passion for the pharmaceutical industry is rooted in cultivating highly collaborative relationships that have significantly improved patient outcomes via access to affordable, lifesaving and life-enhancing medicines. She steadfastly believes in the power of an industry network of professionals from all disciplines that outlives one’s current business card or affiliations – and paying it forward.
Ms. Gruol is President and Founder of Lone Fox Endeavors, LLC, a boutique pharmaceutical consulting firm that collaborates with organizations that require expertise in establishing solid strategic business platforms, making essential connections with targeted partners, staff and leadership development, and identifying and utilizing the tools needed to implement, execute and measure performance aligning to the strategic plan. Ms. Gruol’s work history includes senior and executive leadership positions as Vice President, Business Development for XGen Pharmaceuticals DJB, Inc., Director of Business Development for Xellia Pharmaceuticals APS, and progressive positions over a thirteen-year period gained while at Teva Pharmaceuticals /Teva Parenteral Medicines. Ms. Gruol brings significant enthusiasm to the industry, backed by a broad range of experience to include leading complex projects and alliances from introduction through commercialization, licensing and business development on a global scale, as well as leadership development initiatives, strategic management and organizational framework, and expansion of critical resource integration via improved supply chain management. She enjoys the challenge of taking on complex business challenges and breaking it down into four key tenants – clearly defined and manageable processes, purposeful and prompt communication, cultivating talent and freely sharing experience, best practices and relationships within a vast network.
Ms. Gruol is a graduate of the Graziadio School of Business at Pepperdine, University, earning her Masters of Business Administration in Global Organizational Leadership, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech, Language Pathology from Marquette University, among other academic pursuits. Previously, she served on DCAT’s Leadership Development Committee, Advisory Council, Alliance for Industry Women Committee, and former Committee Chair of the Membership Advantage Committee.
SECOND IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Charles Davies
Mr. Davies is a pharmaceuticals procurement and operations executive with over 25 years of experience in organizational design, strategy development and implementation across direct and indirect categories. Charles is the CEO of Global Pharma, BNL Global (a Caldic Company). He previously worked as the Associate Vice President, Global Sourcing and Procurement for Merck, where he led the development and execution of procurement strategies supporting Merck’s small molecule business. Prior to joining Merck, he was Vice president, Global Procurement at Teva Pharmaceuticals where he designed, recruited and staffed Global Procurement for Third Party Operations and the Americas region. From 2004-2014 he held various positions at Pfizer and Wyeth (prior to its acquisition by Pfizer), leading global strategic sourcing and API planning teams across EMEA, Americas, and APAC.
Mr. Davies recently served as First Vice President and on DCAT’s Leadership Development Committee; previously, he served on the DCAT Advisory Council and was a board member of the Philadelphia Drug Exchange, Pharmaceutical Trade Organization. He holds a B.S. in business logistics from Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Carol Lee
Ms. Lee joined DCAT in January 2022 and served as its Managing Director. In that role, she was responsible for overseeing the organization’s finances, technology, staff, and vendors. During that time, Ms. Lee was also instrumental in shaping new processes and policies to better serve the DCAT membership community.
Ms. Lee was an Assistant Vice President at Merrill Lynch & Co. for several years. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from multiple accounting and program management roles with increasing responsibilities across financial services, healthcare, and accounting industries. She earned her BS degree from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, New Jersey.
