People Spotlight — September 2023

GXO Logistics, Inc., a contract logistics provider, has hired Willem Veekens as managing director for its operations in Belgium and the Netherlands. At GXO, he will lead the team with a focus on customer satisfaction across existing and new operations in nations. Prior to joining GXO, Veekens served as managing director – Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg for CEVA Logistics, where he had also held several senior director roles.

ACG, a supplier of fully integrated manufacturing solutions to the pharma industry, has appointed Borja Guerra as VP of international sales. In his new role, he will be responsible for leading sales and business development in all international markets outside India. Guerra will head up the commercial and customer service teams. He has more than 20 years of experience working across the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic sectors worldwide.

Borja Guerra. Image Credit: ACG

MasterControl, a digital platform that enables life sciences and regulated companies to develop, manufacture, and commercialize products, announced that Kiran Dhanuka will be joining the team in the newly created executive role of chief customer officer (CCO). She is the first leader to hold this position, and in this role, will oversee customer strategy and operations, customer success, professional services, customer education, and support. Dhanuka brings more than 20 years of experience leading teams in these functions, most recently serving as a corporate VP at BlueYonder, a large-scale software-as-a-service (SaaS) company offering supply chain solutions across industries.

Martin Van Trieste, former chief quality officer at Amgen, CEO of Civica Rx, and founder of Rx-360, will succeed Gerry Pond as chair of SmartSkin Technologies’ board of directors. With more than 40 years of experience in global quality operations roles, Martin has helped drive quality culture change and addressed drug shortage and pricing issues. Pond will continue serving as an advisor and member of the company’s board of directors.

Resilinc, a supply chain mapping, disruption sensing, and resiliency analytics company, has appointed Eric Goldwater as CFO and Mark Vo as CTO. Goldwater brings over 20 years of experience in senior-level finance and operating positions within multiple companies, including Microsoft, Applied Predictive Technologies (acquired by MasterCard), and EY. Meanwhile, Vo has had a 25-year career in the tech space, with his software experience extending across various technology fields, including healthcare solutions, application performance monitoring, product design and prototyping software, front & back-office business systems, and test & measurement.

LSPedia, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specializing in product traceability solutions for the pharma industry, has named Rose Campasano its VP of services. Her career spans 25+ years in IT leadership across various industries, including as VP of professional services at RFXCEL and leadership roles at Astellas. In her new capacity, Campasano will collaborate closely with LSPedia CEO Riya Cao. Her background spans supply chain distribution, pharmaceuticals, and media publishing, where she played pivotal roles, including guiding organizations through compliance landscapes in both the US and EU.

Julie Abrams has joined Healthcare Ready, an organization related to supply chain resilience, healthcare security, and equity, as associate director of programs and response. She will provide management and leadership, while also participating in the coordination of onsite emergency responses; Abrams will also oversee the nonprofit’s emergency operations center (EOC) support staff.

Ipsen, a biopharmaceutical company, announced the co-optation of Pascal Touchon to its board as an independent director, effective Oct. 4, following the decision of Paul Sekhri to step down from his director role on this date due to other professional commitments. As the CEO of Atara Biotherapeutics, Touchon is an experienced biotech exec and pharma leader. He has previously held leadership positions at Novartis and Servier, and has served on the board of directors of several biotechs. He brings with him a successful track record in US biotech and global pharma, with 30-plus years of experience.