Abzena, an end-to-end integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and complex biologic molecules, has appointed Matthew Stober as their new CEO.

Stober was most recently CEO of therapeutic companies CastleVax and Istari Oncology. Earlier in his career he held executive positions at Merk, GSK, Novartis, and was instrumental in helping lead the operational turn-around of Hospira, resulting in the eventual sale to Pfizer for $17 billion.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Matt to the Abzena team,” said Geoff Glass, chairman of Abzena. “Matt’s pedigree of technical and operations experience, coupled with his proven leadership of services and therapeutic businesses, make him a unique fit to lead Abzena.

Stober said, “This is an exciting time to join Abzena. The company has deep roots in ADC development capabilities. This is a unique moment to capitalize on the innovation happening across the ADC space and we have built a manufacturing and development engine that can deliver an end-to-end solution for both small startup biotechnology companies and large global pharmaceutical customers. I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”

Abzena Board enhanced to support future growth

In addition to naming its new CEO, the following life sciences executives have joined the Abzena board to help support Stober and guide the company through its next phase of growth:

Lukas Utiger: Spent 20 years at Lonza, including as president of their bioscience business. He was president and CEO of DSM’s pharmaceutical business prior to its merger with Patheon.  Following the merger, Utiger remained in senior leadership roles with Patheon for five years, and with Thermo Fisher Scientific for over two years after Thermo acquired Patheon. Utiger also serves on the board of Sharp Packaging Services.

Peter Bigelow: Heads up leading life sciences consulting company xCell Strategic Consulting.  Prior to founding xCell, he held numerous leadership roles in the CDMO and therapeutics sectors. Bigelow was president of Endo Pharmaceutical’s Qualitest business and prior to that worked at Patheon as president of North America and interim CEO. Earlier in his career he spent 15 years with Wyeth prior to Pfizer’s acquisition, including as senior vice president of manufacturing.

Dennis Fenton: Spent 26 years at Amgen where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including vice president of research, senior vice president of sales and marketing, and senior vice president of operations. He was Amgen’s first executive vice president and retired in 2008.  Fenton has served on numerous public and private Boards including Genzyme, Dendreon, Hospira, Xenoport and Pfenex.