Molecule to Market: Inside the outsourcing space

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Erik Haeffler, CEO at APL.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Erik, covering:

Two decades at AstraZeneca, including being at the forefront of global sourcing and increasingly sophisticated supply chain management in pharma

Managing a highly complex network of more than 100 CDMOs during his time at Meda

Lessons from six years at Recipharm, where he led 4,000 people across 14 manufacturing sites

The unique story behind APL, what attracted him to the CEO role, and how his assumptions about a state owned business were challenged

Implementing a clear strategy for APL’s CDMO business, leading to stronger differentiation and significant growth

The decision to acquire a penicillin facility, and the growth engine now driving APL forward

 

Erik leads APL, a Swedish pharma manufacturing company of 600 people across 5 sites. Being a state owned enterprise with a public policy assignment, APL is a bit of an odd bird on the pharma market. The state assignment comprises pharmacy compounding for the Swedish market, where APL has approx. 80% market share, and also a formal preparedness mission for supply in times of crisis and war. APL is also a fully commercial CDMO with a wide range of capabilities, focusing on a segment that fits into the company's origin in compounding. Erik has more than 30 years in the pharma industry with senior roles in AstraZeneca, Meda and Recipharm. He is also a Board member at Nanologica. 

Connect with him on LinkedIn. 

 

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with:

 

Oksana Vodovska, Business Development of Sopharma

Stefan Bouckaert, Quality & Operations Leader, Enabling Business Growth

Nick Wark, Sr. Director / Head of Global External Manufacturing Network, CDMO & Strategic Partnerships, Ferring Pharmaceuticals

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the state of contract manufacturing with his guests live from CDMO Live Europe 2026. The event was hosted by PharmaSource and Molecule to Market.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Denis Johnson, Chief Executive Officer at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Denis, covering:

What his time in the military and the CDMO industry have in common

Why he is passionate about operations, and why operational excellence is the real product CDMOs deliver

His decision to leave a successful leadership role at Catalent and move to the customer side of the industry

Realising his ambition of becoming a CDMO CEO, and why sterile fill finish remains such an attractive area of the market

The case for staying focused in small molecules rather than trying to become a “Swiss Army knife” provider

Why sterile manufacturing continues to be one of the biggest pain points in pharma launches and commercial supply

 

Denis Johnson brings extensive life sciences leadership and manufacturing experience to his role as CEO, including significant prior sterile fill-finish experience. He has led operations and commercial senior leadership roles in the biologics, pharmaceutical, and combination devices for over 25 years. Before being appointed CEO at Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing, his prior roles include Head of Global Manufacturing and Technical Operations at Biogen as well as leadership roles at Catalent, Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson. He started his career in the U.S. Army managing logistics and operations.

 

Denis earned a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin Madison and an MBA from the University of South Carolina.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Kimberlee Steele, Chief Commercial Officer at ROIS and Javier López-Belmonte, Vice Chairman of the Board at ROVI and CEO at ROIS.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Kimberlee and Javier, covering:

 

Kimberlee’s 12 golden years at Catalent, and the lessons she learned during a period of significant CDMO growth

The family heritage behind ROVI and its journey to becoming a $4bn market cap global pharmaceutical business

How the pandemic created a quantum leap in the company’s reputation and capabilities in sterile injectables

The ambition behind ROIS and its goal to become one of the world’s leading sterile CDMO specialists

The trend towards self administered medicines, and how this is driving demand for prefilled syringes, cartridges and device assembly

Investing in value added capabilities and significant capacity to ensure reliability of supply for clients

 

Kimberlee Steele is a seasoned executive with over 25 years CDMO experience, currently serving as Chief Commercial Officer for ROIS. In this role, she is responsible for leading the company’s global commercial strategy, including business development, marketing, and strategic partnerships; supporting ROIS’s growth as a prominent global CDMO specializing in sterile injectables.

 

Prior to joining ROIS, Steele held several senior leadership roles that reflect her deep industry knowledge and operational experience. She most recently served as Managing Director, North America at SHL Medical, a global autoinjector company. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade at Catalent, advancing to Vice President of Strategic Partners and contributing to growth initiatives across biologics, injectables, and advanced drug delivery technologies.

 

She also previously served board roles with SCbio, American Injectables and Softgel Healthcare Ltd. and volunteered with DCAT Alliance for Industry Women Committee.

 

Mr. López-Belmonte is an experienced pharmaceutical executive with a strong financial background and more than two decades of leadership at ROVI. He currently serves as CEO of ROIS, ROVI’s CDMO business, and as First Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of ROVI. In these roles, he has played a key part in the company’s long-term growth, including the expansion of its CDMO capabilities in sterile injectables and complex molecule manufacturing.

 

He began his career in banking, working as an analyst at Argentaria S.A. in the United Kingdom, before moving into the pharmaceutical sector with Medeva Pharma. He joined ROVI in 2000 and assumed financial leadership just one year later. He went on to spearhead ROVI’s successful IPO in 2007, helping strengthen the company’s relationships with analysts, investors and the wider financial community.

 

Since 2014, he has led the development of ROVI’s CDMO business, supporting the expansion of its operations, manufacturing sites and strategic positioning. He is also the majority shareholder of Norbel Inversiones, S.L., the controlling company of ROVI.

 

Mr. López-Belmonte Encina holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from CUNEF in Madrid, with a specialization in finance, and a joint Executive MBA from Brown University and IE Business School. He has also held senior roles within CEIM, the Madrid Region Business Association, and has served on academic bodies linked to the Autonomous University of Madrid.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Evren Ozkaya is the Founder & CEO of Supply Chain Wizard and SCW.AI.

 

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Evren, covering:

 

The job offer that pulled him away from the McKinsey fast track and into the pharma industry

Getting hands on experience at Sandoz, delivering real impact before spotting the opportunity to found his own business

The moment that triggered the shift from consulting to technology, and the rapid build out of a software platform

The decision to spin out the Digital Factory into a standalone company and raise $10m in Series A funding

The importance of simplicity and creating a single source of truth on the factory floor

Why the industry must move towards interconnected, systems thinking rather than isolated point to point solutions

Why strong networks remain a hidden but powerful advantage in the life sciences sector

 

Evren Ozkaya, Ph.D. is the Founder & CEO of Supply Chain Wizard (a management consulting firm) and SCW.AI (a technology platform company), helping Pharma manufacturers establish and execute cost-effective and scalable digital transformation programs across manufacturing and supply chain domains by leveraging the state-of-the-art technology.

 

As a former management consultant at McKinsey & Company and a supply chain executive at Sandoz/Novartis, Dr. Ozkaya led various business transformation programs in over 100 companies in industries such as pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial, logistics and private equity.

 

Evren Ozkaya received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology with his award-winning thesis on Demand Management in Global Supply Chains. Dr. Ozkaya currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board at the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, besides his other advisory board roles at Rutgers Business School and Seton Hall University.

 

Molecule to Market is also sponsored by Bora Pharmaceuticals, and supported by Lead Candidate. Please subscribe, tell your industry colleagues and join us in celebrating and promoting the value and importance of the global life science outsourcing space. We’d also appreciate a positive rating!