Board of Directors
Board of Directors
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.
FIRST 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.
SECOND 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 Executive Vice Chair 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.
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
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
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
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.
DIRECTOR
Matthew Chapas
Matthew is a seasoned pharmaceutical and biotechnology professional with more than 20 years of leadership experience across drug development, manufacturing, supply chain, commercialization, program management, and organizational leadership. His expertise spans small molecules, biologics, sterile injectables, oral dosage forms, topical products, nasal sprays, and medical devices.
Matthew has extensive outsourcing experience leading manufacturing and supply chain organizations. He has direct experience developing and implementing network strategies with >20 CDMO's for drug substance, drug product, and packaging activities. He has held leadership roles at a variety of small, mid-scale, and large pharmaceutical companies including Amgen (formerly ChemoCentryx), Eli Lilly (formerly Dermira), Merck (formerly Schering-Plough), and Gilead Sciences where he was responsible for developing and commercializing late phase programs.
Most recently, Matthew has held various leadership roles at Lonza including Head of Supply Chain and Program Management, Small Molecules Drug Product (Bend, OR), Head of Program Management, Small Molecules Drug Substance (Visp, Switzerland), Sr. Director, Customer Portfolio Management (Visp, Switzerland), and is currently Head of Program Management, Integrated Biologics (Stücki and Stein, Switzerland). Based on his previous roles, Matthew brings a comprehensive understanding of being on both the customer side and the CDMO side of the business.
Matthew received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Villanova University and has pursued further education opportunities with APICS (Supply Chain) and Stanford University (Program Management). He has also been active with DCAT for the past 10 years not only attending DCAT, but supporting various Webinars and serving on the Education Committee. Matthew is a passionate leader who enjoys making connections and unlocking the potential of people and organizations.
DIRECTOR
Stacey Vaughan
Stacey Vaughan is Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Portfolio Management at West Pharmaceutical Services, where she translates global market insights and customer needs into strategic programs that drive scientific and market leadership.
She is a biopharma executive with more than 30 years of experience across the healthcare value chain, including Quality, R&D, Technical Operations, Business Development, Alliance Management, Supply Chain, and Commercial Operations. Her career includes leadership roles at Cardinal Health, Catalent, Putney, and Mylan, with experience spanning a broad range of pharmaceutical dosage forms, drug delivery technologies, and medical devices.
Prior to joining the DCAT Board of Directors, Stacey served as co-chair for the DCAT Global Summit Committee.
Stacey earned a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Communications from Hiram College.
DIRECTOR
Syed T. Husain
Syed T. Husain has served the life sciences industry for more than 25 years, with expertise spanning the CDMO landscape from development through commercialization of established and emerging therapeutic modalities. He is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Made Scientific, a US based cell therapy CDMO specializing in the development, manufacturing, and release of autologous and allogeneic products.
Previously, Mr. Husain was Chief Commercial Officer at Resilience, where he built a commercial organization spanning cell and gene therapies, biologics, vaccines, and nucleic acids. He also held leadership roles at Emergent BioSolutions, Alcami Corporation, and Lonza, and began his career at Wyeth and Pfizer in manufacturing compliance, validation, and product development.
A DCAT volunteer and advocate for two decades, Mr. Husain currently serves on the Global Conference Committee, which guides the strategy and program of the DCAT Summit. He previously chaired the Education Committee, served on the Advisory Council, and was part of the Task Force that delivered the 2025 DCAT Summit in Lugano, where he moderated “Patient-First Innovation: Advancing Modalities with Purpose.”
Mr. Husain holds an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he serves on the Industrial Advisory Board for the Otto H. York Department of Chemical Engineering.
DIRECTOR
Vince Ricevuto
Vince Ricevuto is Vice President of Research & Development, Facilities, Capital, and Logistics Procurement at GSK, where he leads a global team of more than 120 procurement professionals and serves as the procurement business partner to GSK's R&D and Supply Chain leadership teams. His team leads category management and builds strategic supplier partnerships across the R&D and Supply Chain value chain, from research, clinical operations, and CMC supply to engineering, construction, manufacturing equipment, and logistics. He brings 30 years of procurement and supply chain experience across the pharmaceutical, biotech, vaccines, industrial products, and management consulting industries.
Mr. Ricevuto joined GSK in 2018 as Vice President of Directs and Manufacturing Procurement and subsequently took on leadership of R&D Procurement, which is now part of his current role. Before GSK, he was Vice President, Head of Tech Ops Procurement at Shire. Earlier, he spent 15 years at Wyeth and Pfizer, where he held leadership roles spanning biopharmaceutical and vaccine contract manufacturing procurement, direct materials procurement, and rare disease product supply.
Mr. Ricevuto has served on DCAT's Research & Benchmarking Committee for more than six years and has chaired it since 2024. Under his leadership, the committee has published two industry reports: "What Makes a Customer of Choice" (2025) and "Creating Value Beyond Product and Price" (2026). He holds an MBA from Saint Joseph's University and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Delaware, and he is a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) through the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
Outside of work, Mr. Ricevuto volunteers with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, promoting recreational boating safety, and enjoys the beach, boating, and fishing. He lives with his family in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
IMMEDIATE PAST 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.
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.
