Takara Bio USA President and CEO Carol Lou to Retire, Succeeded by Andrew Farmer

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Takara Bio USA, a subsidiary of Takara Bio, announced the retirement of President and Chief Executive Officer Carol Lou. She retires effective July 10, to be succeeded starting July 13 by Andrew Farmer, DPhil.

Farmer will assume the same President and CEO titles previously held by Lou. Since 2017, Farmer has served as Takara Bio USA’s Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development.

Takara Evolved Under Steady Leadership

Lou’s tenure as President and CEO of Takara Bio USA dates back to 2005. In that time, strategic acquisitions helping to expand the company included WaferGen Bio-systems, Rubicon Genomics, and Curio Bioscience.

However, Takara Bio USA—formerly Clontech Laboratories—benefited from Lou’s leadership since the 1990s, when the company experienced rapid growth.

Similarly, Farmer has been with Takara/Clontech since 1998, meaning he brings nearly three decades of company experience. He has overseen product lines including two-hybrid, viral delivery and inducible expression, and In-Fusion Cloning systems.

Most recently, Farmer led development of the company’s NGS product line, including a suite of ultra-low-input RNA-seq products.

Incoming, Outgoing CEOs Speak

“Carol has been an exceptional leader and mentor, so it is a tremendous honor to follow her example,” Farmer said. “As I step into this role, my priority is to build on that foundation while ensuring we continue to evolve.”

“It has been an honor to be part of the Takara Bio team,” Lou said. “I’m proud of what we have built together and the role Takara Bio USA plays in helping advance good science.”

Lou will remain onboard in an advisory role during Farmer’s transition to President and CEO.