DCAT Summit
DCAT Summit at Lugano > Speakers
DCAT Summit at Lugano 2025 Expedition Pharma Keynote
Kamil Hamied
Cipla Limited
Former Chief Strategy Officer and current Non-Executive Promoter Director
Dr. Yusuf Hamied
Yusuf Hamied is Chairman (retired), Cipla, a leading pharmaceutical company established in India in 1935. He graduated with honours from Cambridge University in 1957 and continued to a PhD in 1960 under the tutelage of the Nobel Laureate, Alexander Todd.
Over the past 6 decades, he has been instrumental in the growth, development, implementation and adaption of science in the indigenous pharma industry in India. He has commercially synthesized many essential drugs by developing patent non-infringing processes in diverse areas, steroids, antibiotics, HIV/AIDS, respiratory and oncology drugs. In the late 1990’s, a major achievement was the novel syntheses of 3 anti-retroviral drugs and combining them into a single dose therapy, making treatment efficacious and affordable. This resulted in saving millions of lives in Africa alone.
For his humanitarian approach in providing access to affordable healthcare, he has received several lifetime achievement awards and honours in India and Internationally. In 2004, Honorary Fellowship, Christ’s College, Cambridge; 2005, Padma Bhushan, 3rd highest civilian award, Government of India; 2012, Honorary Fellowship, Royal Society of Chemistry; 2013, Honoured by NDTV as one of India’s 25 greatest living legends; 2014, Honorary Doctorate, Cambridge University; 2016, First Alumni medal, Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University; 2017, Public Health Hero award from Columbia University, USA; 2017, Honorary Doctorate of Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.
Kamil Hamied
Mr. Kamil Hamied is an alumnus of United World College and New York University.
Kamil is a seasoned entrepreneur with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry and wider healthcare sectors. He has successfully navigated business across Asia, Europe, and the US. During his entrepreneurial journey, Kamil also ventured into the investment realm, establishing an investment platform focused on the broader life sciences, biotechnology, genomics, AI drug development, diagnostics, etc.
In his previous stint at Cipla, Kamil was the Chief Strategy Officer and a member of the management team. He was involved in leading company transformation, M&A strategy, implementing a leadership structure and more.
Dr. Mohamed Aburawi
Dr. Mohamed Aburawi, a Libya-born surgeon and tech entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Atarona Ventures, where he leads the creation and scaling of transformational, high-impact ventures across global health, education, financial inclusion, and energy access. Passionate about bold ideas that accelerate social progress, Mohamed’s work is dedicated to minimizing suffering and fostering inclusive prosperity for the next billion people in some of the world’s most impoverished regions.
Recognized as an Aspen and Echoing Green Fellow and WEF Yong Global Leader, Mohamed’s ventures, including Speetar, an AI-powered digital health platform, have revolutionized healthcare delivery in conflict-affected and low-resource settings, serving millions and connecting medical providers from all over the world. His innovative work has garnered international acclaim, with features on TED, Forbes, BBC, and Aljazeera, as well as accolades from the Gates Foundation, MIT Solve, and Ashoka. In addition to his background as a physician and Harvard researcher, Mohamed holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management. When not building, he enjoys flying a Cessna-150 and balancing life as a father of two.
Benjamin Hall
Benjamin Hall is veteran war reporter and Fox News Correspondent based in London and the author of Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home. This evocative, harrowing, and deeply moving work is a powerful memoir of family and friends, of life and healing, and of how to respond when you are tested in unimaginable ways. Perhaps more importantly, it is also a tribute to the many heroes who risked their lives to save his.
As a journalist for Fox News, Hall had worked in dangerous war zones like Syria and Afghanistan, but with three young daughters at home, life on the edge was supposed to be a thing of the past. Yet, when Russia viciously attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Hall was quickly dispatched; despite the risks, he knew that Americans needed to understand this world-altering conflict.
On March 14, 2022, while on assignment covering the war in Ukraine, Hall and his crew were hit by a multi-sequential Russian drone strike. Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski and Ukrainian journalist Oleksandra “Sasha” Kuvshinova, who were working alongside him, were killed. With Hall himself gravely injured and stuck in Kyiv, it was unclear if he would make it out alive.
Saved is the story of how he survived – a story that continues to this day. For the first time, Hall shares his experience in full, from his ground-level view of the war in Ukraine to the heroic actions that led to his dramatic rescue and through his arduous, and ongoing, recovery.
He shares stories about his time at the front lines of the world’s most dangerous conflicts and reveals how he struggled to step away from war reporting, going inside the events that have permanently transformed him. Hall recalls his time at the front lines of our world’s conflicts, exploring how his struggle to step back from war reporting led him into the fray one perilous last time, and explaining how his years of experience kept him safe, leading him to cover one more story that ultimately turned into a mission of perseverance.
Through it all, Hall’s spirit has remained undaunted, buoyed by that remarkable corps of people from around the world – whose collective determination ensured his survival – the former and current military personnel who rescued him, the medical staff who saved him, his coworkers who fought for his safe return, and his family who supported him at every turn. Ultimately, this trauma, the greatest of his life, serves as a pivotal reminder to us all of the fundamental goodness in the world, illuminating how the horrors of war can bring about the best in humanity, and how everything can change in an instant.
Hall, a graduate of Duke University, Richmond American University in London, and University of the Arts London, is a citizen of both the United States and the United Kingdom. He lives in London with his wife and three daughters.
DCAT Summit at Lugano 2025 Expedition Pharma Speakers
Stefano Rizzi
DFE at Swiss Canton of Ticino
Director of Economy Division of the Canton of Ticino
Jordan Ulrich
Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies Holly Springs
Vice President of Project Delivery
Stacey Vaughan
West Pharmaceutical Services
Vice President, Marketing and Portfolio Management
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.
Dr. Giorgio Bertolini
Dr. Giorgio Bertolini studied chemistry at University of Milan in the Labs of Prof. Cesare Gennari. Then he moved to Polytechnic of Milan for a Master in Organic Synthetic Chemistry. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral research with Professor Barry M Trost at Stanford University.
In 1987, Giorgio joined the research laboratories of Zambon where he started his industrial carrier as a Medicinal Chemist in lead generation, hit identification and optimization. After 12 years in Med Chem, he moved to Process Chemistry Director of the Italian sites of Clariant Life Science Molecules Business Unit. After more than 20 years of experience in Process Chemistry, Quality, Regulatory and Operations in different Companies he is currently General Manager Italy of Flamma Group.
Giorgio is currently vice-chair of the Innovation Committee of the European Fine Chemical Groups (EFCG) and member of the Board of the Organic Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society.
Jesús Castanon
Jesús has over 25 years of experience working in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors. He is currently Senior Director of Small Molecule Discovery at Eli Lilly and Company, where he collaborates with cross-functional colleagues to invent and deliver high value medicines to make life better for people around the world. As part of this role, Jesús is accountable to ensure optimal execution and progress of medicinal chemistry programs to accelerate the delivery of molecules to the clinic.
Prior to this role Jesús has been responsible for the design and implementation of multiple technology and high-throughput experimentation platforms to streamline and accelerate the drug discovery process, holding leadership positions in Europe and the US, and partnering with an extensive network of life science technology providers and Contract Research Organizations.
Jesús holds an MS in Chemistry from University of Oviedo and an MBA from EAE Business School in Madrid.
Dr. Anthony Cheung
Dr. Anthony Cheung is the founder and Chief Scientific Officer of enGene, a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biotechnology company mainstreaming genetic medicines through the delivery of therapeutics to mucosal tissues, with the goal of creating new ways to address diseases with high clinical needs. He is a co-inventor of enGene’s proprietary non-viral polymeric gene delivery platform for mucosal tissues. During his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer from 2012 to 2018, he raised significant financing to grow the company through venture-backed equity financing and government funding. He also successfully completed two partnership transactions with large pharma companies. Under his leadership, enGene was awarded by BIOTECanada as the Biotech Company of the Year. Dr. Cheung received his doctorate degree in Physiology from the Tulane University School of Medicine (New Orleans, USA). He has co-authored numerous book chapters, review articles and peer-reviewed journals and he is named inventor on numerous patents in the areas of gene delivery and polymer chemistry.
Christopher Conway
Chris is a seasoned business executive with a 25-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 two decades Chris has exceeded growth goals in various roles at Curia, AMRI, Johnson & Johnson, and Dynabil Industries. This experience enables Chris’s deep understanding of all aspects of business.
Currently, Chris serves as Chief Executive Director of Bio X Cell, a Windjammer Capital owned company. Bio X Cell is an industry leading provider of in vivo monoclonal antibodies serving academia, research institutions, pharmaceutical/biotech and CRO’s/CDMO’s across the globe. Bio X Cell headquarters are in the US with locations and distribution centers throughout Europe and Asia. Prior to Bio X Cell, Chris served as President and R&D Business Unit Head at Curia, a global top ten organization in contract research, development and manufacturing services, serving the pharmaceutical/biotech industry. Chris led the global Research and Development business (R&D) which includes all functions and twenty sites across the globe in both small and large molecule Drug Discovery, Chemical Development, Formulation Development, Clinical & Commercial Manufacturing, Laboratory Services, and Fine Chemicals. Chris has delivered profitable growth through diverse organizational contexts. During his tenure with Curia, the company changed from founder led to public company to private equity backed with Chris being the only executive who served through all three periods. Chris also served as a Director on the board of Viyash Life Sciences Private Limited, a Carlyle owned company.
Chris joined AMRI in 2008 and quickly assumed various commercial leadership roles culminating in his role as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Sales and Marketing. AMRI sales grew 58% during his tenure in this role.
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 board of Siena College, Albany College of Pharmacy, held previous board seats with Coaches vs. Cancer and the Alzheimer’s Association and is active in coaching youth sports including lacrosse and basketball.
Jim Fries
Jim Fries is a healthcare thought leader and subject matter expert in the areas of pharmaceutical therapeutics, medical devices, and diagnostics. His expertise is focused on supply chain integrity and patient safety. Jim has been involved in driving thought leaders panels, and committees within the areas of vascular intervention, cardiometabolics, diabetes, orthopedics, and pharmaceutical quality, that have resulted in numerous guidelines and consensus papers. Jim became CEO of Rx-360 in February of 2018, as a way of fulfilling his personal lifelong commitment to patient safety.
Michele Foletti
Michele Foletti was born in Lugano on April 21, 1966, and is an independent business consultant.
After completing a federal commercial apprenticeship, he began working in journalism before moving into event organization, marketing, and corporate management. He has worked with weekly newspapers, the regional tourism organization, and the Casinò of Lugano.
He has served as a member of the Lugano City Council since 2013 and was elected Mayor in October 2021, following the passing of Marco Borradori. He is in charge of the Department of Institutions, which includes the Municipal Chancellery, Finance, Human resources, Communication and Institutional relations, Economic development, the City Districts Office, and the Conciliation Office.
Foletti began his political career in 1992, when he was elected to the Lugano City Council for the Lega dei Ticinesi. In 1995, he was elected for the first time to the Cantonal Parliament. He has chaired the Management and Finance Committee twice and was a member of the Tax Committee from 2010 to 2019, where he served as rapporteur for the last two major tax reforms (for individuals and legal entities). In 2012, he was elected President of the Cantonal Parliament and was re-elected for the 2019–2023 legislative term.
In his institutional role, he oversees relations with the Cantonal government and with other Municipalities. He represents the City of Lugano in working groups on Cantonal-Municipal institutional reform.
Michele Foletti serves on several boards of directors and foundation boards for organizations active in the region.
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.
Syed T. Husain
Syed T. Husain leads Made Scientific as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, bringing deep expertise across the CDMO spectrum, from development to commercialization of both established and emerging therapeutic modalities. His strategic vision blends operational excellence with bold innovation to advance breakthrough cell therapies.
Throughout his distinguished career, Syed has guided organizations through transformative growth and market disruption. Prior to Made Scientific, as Chief Commercial Officer at Resilience, he built a world-class commercial organization spanning cell and gene therapies, biologics, vaccines, and nucleic acids, establishing a multi-billion-dollar opportunity pipeline through strategic partnerships. His leadership roles at Emergent BioSolutions, Alcami Corporation, and Lonza sharpened his expertise in commercial strategy and operations. Syed began his career in manufacturing compliance at Wyeth before advancing through validation, product development, and manufacturing leadership positions at Pfizer.
Syed holds a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science 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. His industry leadership includes chairing the Education Committee and serving on the Advisory Council for the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association, alongside active involvement in the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Society of Biological Engineers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and American Chemical Society. Syed’s leadership is driven by bold innovation and challenging industry norms to create a CDMO model that accelerates scalability, enhances flexibility, and ensures manufacturing readiness for groundbreaking therapies.
Christian Jones
Christian Jones is the Chief Commercial Officer for Nanoform and leads the business activities for the company. In his role he works with Pharma and Biotech partners to bring their drug molecules back to life by rapidly improving their solubility and bioavailability through the application of Nanoform’s proprietary solution to nanoparticle technology.
He has a strong track record commercially in Drug Substance (DS) and Drug Product (DP) Development and Manufacturing services, Technology Development and Commercialisation, Sales and Marketing and Strategy Development and Implementation.
Christian has a strong knowledge of the healthcare market with global experience and an ability to quickly understand how best to strategically leverage an organization’s strength to maximise success. He has experience of working across the pharma value chain from Drug Discovery through to Commercial Manufacturing in a range of organizations including Tripos Discovery Research Ltd, Prosonix Ltd, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, Johnson Matthey Plc and now Nanoform Finland Ltd.
Christian is a Chemist by training and graduated from the University of Leeds in 2003 with a Masters of Chemistry Degree. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and is passionate about new technologies and scientific innovation and he has a deep technical understanding of Crystallisation Science, Particle Engineering and Respiratory Drug Delivery.
Athanasia Kanli
Athanasia Kanli works as Senior Director, Marketing & Business Development Manager at dsm-firmenich, a global leader in health and nutrition with over 100 years of history and a track record in innovation. In this role, Athanasia leads dsm-firmenich’s pharma active ingredients strategy, marketing, and sales globally, including the cannabinoids portfolio and innovation.
A seasoned business strategist and public affairs leader, Athanasia joined dsm-firmenich in June 2022 after 14 years leading environment shaping and market development for multinational companies active in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and FMCG industries. Among others, Athanasia has worked for the oncology departments of both Eli Lilly & company and Bristol-Myers Squibb, holding multiple roles spanning business transformation, government relations, and crisis management across multiple geographies.
Athanasia holds an Executive MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management (Netherlands), a Master’s in EU International Relations & Diplomacy from the College of Europe (Belgium), and a Bachelor’s in Law from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece).
Paolo Magrì
Paolo Magrì is CEO of the Bioseutica Group, active in the production of pharma grade natural proteins and enzymes. The Group is headquartered in The Netherlands, with offices in Switzerland and production sites in British Columbia (CA). Mr. Magrì has over 30 years of experience in the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) industry. Prior to joining Bioseutica, he served as senior VP at Advitech Advisory and Technologies. Previous to that role, he served as Vice President of corporate business development at Infa Group, and as marketing and sales Director at Sicor and in Teva’s API division, after the acquisition of Sicor by Teva in 2004.
Mr. Magrì previously served on DCAT’s Board of Directors from 2016-2022. His strong track record in the industry also includes previous roles at Archimica/Pro.Bio.Sint. and Fordras. Mr. Magrì earned his Master’s degree in chemistry and pharmaceutical technology from the University of Milan, Italy.
Suraj Mathew
As a member of the Life Science Strategic Operations team at Kearney, Suraj helps his clients drive excellence in operations. He has over 20 years experience in industry and consulting.
Over the years Suraj has been supporting his clients in achieving realizable value through Supply Chain & Manufacturing operations transformation and operational aspects of buy and sell-side transactions.
Pierfrancesco Morosini
Pierfrancesco Morosini has been working in the pharmaceutical sector for 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 a couple of contract development and manufacturing organisations 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.
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.
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.
Pierfrancesco covers the role of member of the Executive Board of ASCHIMFARMA, the Italian association which gathers the manufacturers of pharmaceutical active ingredients.
Paula Bellostas Muguerza
Paula Bellostas Muguerza is a partner and global lead for Kearney’s healthcare and life sciences practice. She works with leading global biopharmaceutical companies on commercial strategy and transformation and has a passion for exploring the opportunity to improve patient outcomes at the intersection of medicine and technology.
She came to consulting after several years as an industrial engineer, which set her on the path to a career in problem-solving. Despite a background in a field driven by numbers, her approach to her consulting work is centered on people. “Bringing empathy, compassion, and humanity to this job is not only necessary to make our teams and clients succeed; it’s what makes this often-misunderstood profession special and so rewarding.”
With her life motto of “Work hard, be kind, and good things will happen,” combined with the DNA from a family of serial entrepreneurs, Paula is always looking for new ways of making an impactwithin and outside the firm. Recently, together with a passionate village of women and allies, she founded and leads [w]Health, a global platform of more than 100 companies with the mission of advancing women’s health worldwide.
Outside of work, Paula spends her time running after her very active young daughter and trying whatever the next big thing is on the “quantified self” with the aim of living a long, healthy, happy life.
Kay Olmstead
Kay Olmstead is a co-founder and CEO of Nano PharmaSolutions. Dr. Olmstead has over 31 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in both API (drug substance) and finished dosage form development.
Prior to founding Nano PharmaSolutions, Dr. Olmstead served numerous small to medium pharmaceutical companies worldwide as a CMC subject matter expert, especially in poorly soluble drug development. During past 20 years, Dr. Olmstead played a lead role in the development and the FDA approval of five commercial drugs for San Diego based companies, including Santarus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNTR | acquired by Salix in 2013 for $2.6 billion) and Intercept Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: ICPT).
Dr. Olmstead has published more than 12 manuscripts and has 11 issued patents and 3 pending patent applications. Dr. Olmstead received Ph.D. degree in Organic Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University followed by a NIH post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University.
Arul Ramadurai
Arul Ramadurai currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer at Axplora, a global leader in the development and manufacturing of complex active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). For over 25 years, Arul has been transforming businesses in Biopharma companies such as Novartis, Baxalta, ExcellGene and Shire. Since joining Axplora in July 2022, Arul has been instrumental in advancing the company’s mission to deliver life-changing therapies to patients. He has overseen Axplora’s re-positioning in the industry as a reliable partner delivering life-changing treatments without delay, through expansions in capacity, capabilities, and company offering. These expansions span Axplora’s various services across Small Molecules, Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs), Fine Chemicals, and Purification. All of these expansions are strategically directed at improving the lives of patients by accelerating the availability of innovative therapies, addressing critical health challenges, and ensuring reliable delivery of high quality medicines worldwide.
Arul is a Chartered Chemical Engineer from the UK with an MBA from INSEAD
Stefano Rizzi
Stefano Rizzi is the Director of the Economics Division at the Department of Finance and Economics. He graduated in Business Economics at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, specializing in small and medium enterprises. After his studies he started working in the private sector as an auditor for Ernst & Young and as a social security consultant for SwissLife. Since July 2005 he has worked for the Public Administration of the Swiss Canton of Ticino. He began his career as a consultant for the Department of Economic Development and subsequently worked as a member of the executive team of the Department of Finance and Economics. Since 1 January 2012 he has been head of the Economics Division.
Justin Schroeder
Justin Schroeder is the Global Vice President of Technical Sales and is celebrating 25 years with PCI this year. In that time Justin has supported roles in engineering, design and development, program management, marketing and business development, execute strategy and various global leadership positions within the company. In his current role, Justin is responsible for supporting clients in the earliest stages of program development and consideration, advising on aspects of combination drug-device and packaging development, supply chain planning, and program management to navigate clinical and commercial stages. Justin holds an Bachelor’s degree in Packaging Science from Michigan State University and Masters degree in Business Administration from Northern Illinois University. Justin is a Certified Packaging Professional from the Institute of Packaging Professionals and has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Healthcare Compliance Packaging Council.
Residing in the greater Chicago area, Justin is a husband and father of three teens, is an avid runner and passionately loves to simply be outside in nature at every opportunity. He is delighted to be back in Switzerland!
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.
David Smith
David Smith is the Vice President of Development at Made Scientific, bringing over 15 years of specialized experience in regenerative medicine and engineering. David has demonstrated a solid track record in advancing cell therapy manufacturing through his expertise in areas such as design of experiments, quality-by-design, and cross-functional leadership. In his role, David oversees Manufacturing Science & Technology (MS&T), Process Development, and Analytical Method Development, ensuring Made Scientific’s capabilities align with industry needs and maintain rigorous quality standards. Before joining Made, David was Vice President of Technical Operations at Ori Biotech, where he spearheaded the technical strategy for Ori’s first cell therapy manufacturing technology, aligning it with industry demands and supporting its adoption through a multi-faceted approach. His previous roles include Director of Research and Development at Minaris Regenerative Medicine, where he contributed to pioneering advancements in cell therapy. David holds a Ph.D. in Regenerative Medicine from Loughborough University and has served on multiple influential committees, including as Co-chair of ARM’s Cell Therapy Advisory Committee and roles within ISCT, ISO, ASME, and PDA. His extensive involvement with these organizations highlights his commitment to advancing cell therapy standards and innovation across the industry.
Dana Tilley
Dana has 30 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry. During his 26 years with Jacobs, he has held many roles including Director, Business Development for Life Sciences, Manager of Engineering and Project Manager.
His current role of Senior Vice President & GM, LSNA he is responsible for the Life Science operations in North America, including projects, resources and client relationships. He helps maintain, grow and develop existing and new clients to achieve our Advanced Facilities LOB business goals; promote Jacobs Core Values, including our Beyond Zero Safety Program, to external and internal organizations; and identifies, recruits and mentors high potential talent to ensure Jacobs remains an industry leader in our Life Science Line of Business.
Atanas Todorov
Atanas is the Chief Medical Officer at Arcondis, bringing over a decade of expertise in clinical practice, academia, and strategic business consulting. A dynamic leader, he specializes in building and guiding high-performance teams to achieve ambitious objectives while fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
As a physician-scientist, Atanas has made significant contributions to pioneering fields such as stem cell research, patient-reported outcome measures, and digital health interventions. His thought leadership is reflected in more than 30 peer-reviewed publications in renowned medical journals.
With a career that spans from bench to bedside, Atanas has played a key role in helping leading healthcare, pharmaceutical, and MedTech organizations conceptualize, develop, and bring cutting-edge digital health solutions to market. He remains at the forefront of clinical research, continuously exploring innovative applications of machine learning to drive deeper insights and advancements in medicine.
Jordan Ulrich
Jordan Ulrich serves Vice President of Project Delivery for FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies in Holly Springs, North Carolina. In this capacity Jordan oversees the organization’s $2B greenfield project, and the recently announced $1.2B expansion. By 2025, this facility will have two industry-leading Drug Substance Manufacturing (DSM) facilities, totaling 80,000 L Drug Substance Manufacturing capacity. By 2028, the facility will encompass an additional two Drug Substance Manufacturing (DSM) facilities, doubling the capacity to 160,000 L.
As Vice President of Project Delivery, Jordan leads a cross-functional team of 300+ that oversees the design, development, and delivery of the facility’s eight buildings, including the Drug Substance Manufacturing buildings, one Fill/Finish building, Central Utilities, Laboratory, and Warehouse. The modularized design, developed and executed by Jordan’s team, is integral to FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ ability to build new capacity and move into operations at an unprecedented pace. Before becoming the site’s Vice President of Project Delivery, Jordan served as the site’s Head of Drug Substance Manufacturing.
Prior to joining FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Jordan’s career centered around the execution of greenfield EPCM projects, most recently as Senior Project Manager at Novo Nordisk where he drove numerous critical tasks across the construction of the company’s greenfield API facility. For championing a focus on behaviors that drive tangible results, he earned the prestigious Novo Nordisk Ambassador Award. Earlier, Jordan served as a project manager at an EPCM firm, KBR Inc., where he completed various domestic and international projects across the Pharma, Healthcare and Oil & Gas sectors ranging from $70 M to $14 B.
Jordan earned his MBA at Elon University’s Love School of Business in Elon, NC, and he holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Stacey Vaughan
Stacey Vaughan, Vice President, Marketing and Portfolio Management, West Pharmaceutical Services has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry spanning the entire healthcare value chain and culminating from roles in Quality, R&D, Technical Operations, Business Development, Alliance Management, Supply Chain & Commercial Operations. Stacey has a proven track record from big pharma to start-up organizations across all dose forms and medical devices. Stacey has held management roles at West Pharmaceutical Services, Cardinal Health, Catalent, Putney and Mylan Pharmaceuticals. She earned a BA in Chemistry from Hiram College.
Tara Wojcik
Tara Wojcik is the Business Integration Manager and Global Pharma Account Manager for the Healthcare division of Winpak. She also represents the Pharma Division of WIICARE on a global scale, as part of the collaborative Winpak/Wipak Healthcare team. With over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical market, Tara has led strategic growth initiatives in specialized applications, including hard-to-hold formulations, blow/fill/seal technologies, and sustainable solutions for flexible healthcare packaging. Her diverse background spans roles in Quality Management, Procurement, Business Development, and Commercial Management across the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and home and personal care sectors.
Tara holds a B.A. in Corporate Communications & Business from Bellarmine University and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. She has been a guest speaker at Nosco MasterMinds events in the U.S. and has been an active member of DCAT for over 15 years, through her tenures at Alcan, Amcor, and now Winpak. Tara is honored to serve on the DCAT Summit Task Force for its second annual event and looks forward to connecting with attendees in Lugano.
When not traveling for work, Tara enjoys cooking and entertaining with her husband, Ross, in Austin, Texas (USA). She is an avid reader—finding no better way to pass the time on a plane—, a novice Words With Friends player, and a passionate Formula 1 fan.
Antonio Zanotti
Antonio Zanotti Gerosa studied Chemistry in Milano and was an academic researcher in London, Bonn, Lausanne and Nagoya. He started his industrial career in 1997 working on homogeneous catalysis. He joined Johnson Matthey (Cambridge, UK) in 2003. Since then, he has been leading projects and research groups in the field of industrial catalysis with particular focus on applications in the synthesis and manufacturing of pharmaceutical and agrochemical intermediates.
