Ajinomoto Bio Pharma Services, a global provider of biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing services, appointed Bert Barbosa, president and chief operating officer, U.S.

The company also named Brian Blagg executive vice president, operations, and Satoshi Katayama vice president, business transformation. Erik Riley was appointed senior vice president, corporate planning.

Barbosa joined the Aji Bio-Pharma leadership team in 2018 as vice president of drug product, bringing with him over 35 years of biopharmaceutical production, quality assurance, and compliance leadership and management experience. He then moved into the role of senior vice president of corporate strategy in 2021, followed by the executive vice president of operations position in 2022.

Barbosa is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the CDMO business at the U.S. site.

Blagg joins Aji Bio-Pharma with 34 years of experience providing cross functional operations leadership in regulated industries including 23 years in the biopharmaceutical field. He has served in a variety of senior leadership roles at Revance Therapeutics, PDL Biopharma, and XOMA Corporation in addition to serving as a well-respected industry consultant.

Blagg is responsible for the drug product, drug substance, label/packaging, and facilities/engineering operations.

Katayama began his career with Ajinomoto as a process chemist for the CDMO business in 1994. He then moved into a senior researcher role until 2015, when he became general manager of the Bio-Fine Laboratories Process Chemistry group. In 2017, Katayama moved to Ajinomoto Group headquarters in Tokyo and started working in the Bio-Pharma services department as the general manager of the planning (strategy) group.

As vice president, business transformation, Katayama supports the business strategy and cohesion of global Aji Bio-Pharma.

Riley joined Aji Bio-Pharma in 2017 as director of financial planning and analysis with over 25 years of experience including both business unit and corporate management experience, in global, local and start-up settings. In 2022, Riley became vice president of corporate strategy and, in 2023, senior vice president, corporate planning.

In his new role, Riley is responsible for developing strategic goals for the organization while overseeing human resources, finance, and supply chain/procurement.