Catalent Appoints Dr. Behzad Mahdavi as Vice President of Open Innovation, Biologics, Cell and Gene Therapy
SOMERSET, N.J. – November 19, 2020 — Catalent, the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products, today announced the appointment of Behzad Mahdavi, Ph.D., MBA, as Vice President of Open Innovation, Biologics, Cell and Gene Therapy. In this new role, reporting to Julien Meissonnier, Catalent’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Mahdavi will join a team of experts in Catalent’s Science and Technology Group that works with customers and external innovators in both small and large molecules, to accelerate the adoption of new development and drug delivery technologies, and scalable manufacturing processes and techniques.
With over 20 years’ experience in developing and implementing impactful growth strategies in the biopharmaceutical industries, Dr. Mahdavi joins Catalent after a 13-year career at Lonza, where he held the role of Vice President Strategic Innovation & Alliances, and various board-level positions at other innovative companies. Prior to joining Lonza, he was Chief Executive Officer of SAM Electron Technologies, a venture capital-backed company in the life sciences field. He holds a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, and also has a master’s in business administration from the University of Quebec in Montreal.
“As a company, Catalent continues to invest in the rapidly evolving and growing areas of cell and gene therapies and next-generation biopharmaceuticals, which are redefining the landscape of treating diseases,” commented Mr. Meissonnier. “I am delighted to welcome Behzad to Catalent, as he brings significant experience in leveraging accelerated innovation with strategic external sourcing, to further strengthen our strategy of delivering the therapies of tomorrow to patients faster, and more efficiently.”
ABOUT CATALENT
Catalent is the leading global provider of advanced delivery technologies, development, and manufacturing solutions for drugs, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and consumer health products. With over 85 years serving the industry, Catalent has proven expertise in bringing more customer products to market faster, enhancing product performance and ensuring reliable global clinical and commercial product supply. Catalent employs approximately 14,000 people including around 2,400 scientists and technicians, at more than 45 facilities, and in fiscal year 2020 generated over $3 billion in annual revenue. Catalent is headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.catalent.com