Catalent has appointed Behzad Mahdavi, Ph.D., MBA, as Vice President of Open Innovation, Biologics, Cell and Gene Therapy. In this new role, 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. He reports to Julien Meissonnier, Catalent’s Chief Scientific Officer.

Dr. Mahdavi  has more than 20 years of experience in developing and implementing 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.

“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.”