Changing Faces: Digital and supplier hires, November and December 2025

Digital
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In November and December, we saw a number of interesting hires in the wider life sciences sphere, spanning digital health innovations, research and manufacturing organisations, and more.

These appointments underscore the continued evolution of the industry's infrastructure and the techbio world.

Shake up at Recursion for the new year. AI drug discovery techbio Recursion's co-founder and long-serving chief executive, Chris Gibson, has switched to the role of company chair, and will be succeeded in the CEO role by R&D and commercial head Najat Khan. As we reported at the time, Recursion said the shuffling of top personnel will bring "continuity," with Khan stepping in for "the next phase of Recursion’s journey evolving the OS platform, advancing its pipeline, and bringing transformational medicines to patients."

CGT platform company strengthens leadership team. Broken String Biosciences, a Cambridge, UK genomics company working on new platforms for the development of cell and gene therapies, appointed Terrie Pizzie as CEO. He previously served as CEO of Horizon Discovery and Astrea Bioseparations, where he guided both companies through successful growth and exits. Former CEO Felix Dobbs moves into the role of chief operations officer. The company also brought in Gabe Longoria as chief commercial officer, who brings a significant track record of commercial leadership in cell & gene therapy tools.

Three tech CEO appointments. Three medtech and digital health companies welcomed new chief executives in October and November.

  • Adalyon, a Finnish tech-bio company transforming natural human speech into next-generation digital biomarkers to optimise clinical trial design and execution, appointed Ulrik Zeuthen as CEO. He previously held director level positions at Novo Nordisk, working in Denmark and Japan, and served as a data strategist at Deloitte.
  • Amber Implants, a Netherlands medtech developing next-generation implants for spinal injuries, named Vincent Gardès as CEO. Gardès brings over 30 years of experience in growth strategy and market expansion, having previously led Vexim from early-stage through IPO and acquisition by Stryker.
  • BrainScope, a commercial-stage medical neurotechnology company focused on applying artificial intelligence to develop non-invasive, objective diagnostic tools for brain health, appointed Matt Adams as CEO. Adams brings over two decades of experience leading MedTech companies through dynamic phases of innovation and scale with multiple successful exits.

Freeze-drying specialist expands technical leadership. OFD Life Sciences, a division of Oregon Freeze Dry, one of the largest and most technologically advanced freeze-dryers in North America, made two key appointments. Ian Yates joined as director of formulation and product development, bringing 20 years of experience in drug development, discovery, and formulation. The company also appointed Steven Brown as VP quality assurance and regulatory affairs, who boasts more than 30 years of experience in quality systems, regulatory compliance, and operations.

Belgian CDMO/CRO strengthens operational capabilities. Ardena, a Belgium-based specialist pharmaceutical CDMO and bioanalytical CRO, appointed Peter Rose as chief information officer. Most recently, he was the global head of IT infrastructure and security at Diversey, a global chemical manufacturer. The company also named Dipesh Patel as chief quality officer. Most recently, Patel served as senior vice president, quality, at Accord Healthcare, and prior to that held leadership roles at Catalent as vice president of quality and site general manager.

Clinical trial technology firms add commercial and research leadership

Accumulus Technologies, a cloud technology provider reimagining how life sciences organisations and national regulatory authorities work together to accelerate the drug development lifecycle, appointed Mervyn Hall as chief commercial officer. Prior to joining Accumulus, Hall served as the senior vice president of commercial at Aetion, which was acquired by Datavant in July 2025.

Target RWE, a subsidiary of Highlander Health that generates real-world evidence (RWE), which informs strategic decisions across the drug development lifecycle, named M. Alan Brookhart as president, NoviSci. A world-renowned expert in the development and application of epidemiological and statistical methods for learning in real-world healthcare data, Brookhart co-founded NoviSci and helped to lead the organisation until its acquisition by Target RWE in January of 2021 and was now returning to lead the group.

Contract research and manufacturing organisations expand leadership. BioDuro, a Shanghai contract research, development, and manufacturing organisation, has appointed Yaohui Ji as global president, CMC. Ji brings nearly two decades of leadership experience across leading global pharmaceutical companies and CDMOs, including Roche US, Novartis CN, and WuXi STA. Meanwhile, Champions Oncology, a New Jersey-based global preclinical and clinical research services provider that offers oncology R&D tools for biopharma organisations, named Tammer Farid as general manager of data business. Farid joins from Illumina, where he directed the company-wide portfolio strategy and led a growing business focused on translational services for precision medicine development and implementation.

Digital health company adds clinical expertise. Linus Health, a Boston-based digital health company focused on transforming brain health for people around the world, appointed Dr Julie Wood as senior medical director, clinician engagement. A practising family physician for nearly 20 years, Wood has held roles spanning research, science, clinical strategy, and population health.

Cancer research institute creates new leadership role. The Parker Institute of Cancer Immunotherapy, a non-profit focused on the development of breakthrough immune therapies, has appointed Mark Veich as chief organisational advancement officer. Veich previously led Deerfield Management's non-profit initiatives, served as CEO of Advancium Health Network, and co-founded CobiCure Therapeutics.

Cleanroom technology provider strengthens HR function. AES Cleanroom Technology, a Pennsylvania-based provider of modular cleanroom facilities, appointed Kristie Matevish as VP of human resources. Matevish comes with more than 20 years of HR expertise with a focus on strategy, culture, and talent development.

That’s a wrap on digital and supplier hires for 2025, but stay tuned for our other hires roundups and remember, you can send your own hires to editorial@pharmaphorum.com for inclusion in this column.