Center for Breakthrough Medicines Appoints Joerg Ahlgrimm as CEO

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Sept. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) announced today the appointment of Joerg Ahlgrimm to Chief Executive Officer. CBM is creating the world’s largest end-to-end advanced therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO). CBM will provide pre-clinical through commercial manufacturing including process development, plasmid DNA, viral vectors, cell banking, cell processing, and supporting testing capabilities.

Ahlgrimm brings over 20 years of expertise in the areas of operations and supply chain management and has served in multi-billion-dollar companies operating in biotech, vaccines, pharmaceutical and medical device markets. His focus is on superior customer service, strategy development, execution management, productivity improvement, organizational development, team building, and leadership.

Prior to joining CBM, Ahlgrimm was Head of Global Operations Pharma Biotech and Nutrition at Lonza, where he was responsible for 37 sites on four continents and over 8,000 employees. Before Lonza, Ahlgrimm was Head of Global Manufacturing for Baxter Healthcare’s BioScience Division, Baxalta Inc. In this senior leadership role, he led Baxalta’s internal and external manufacturing network and created an impressive track record in customer service, growth and operational efficiency.

“We are thrilled about Joerg’s appointment to CEO. Joerg’s ‘team player’ mentality, ability to roll up his sleeves, and deep industry relationships will be a game changer for CBM and the advanced therapies industry. Joerg has a proven ability to execute on large-scale projects,” said Audrey Greenberg, Co-Founder, Center for Breakthrough Medicines. “Joerg’s extraordinary achievements for the pharma, biotech, and CDMO industries combined with his incredible leadership, makes him the ideal choice to head our executive management team and build CBM into an advanced therapy powerhouse.”

Mr. Ahlgrimm joined CBM in September 2020 as Chief Operating Officer. His invaluable contribution to launching and establishing CBM distinguishes Joerg as the ideal choice for the role of CEO. In this new position, Joerg will increase his responsibilities and focus on driving the growth of CBM.

“I am laser-focused on building a company that will solve the biggest challenge in cell and gene therapy development, which is manufacturing,” said Joerg Ahlgrimm. “Beyond manufacturing, our goals include the creation of high-performing teams and fostering an exciting and inspiring culture with a close connection to the patients and customers we ultimately serve.”

“Situated in the heart of Cellicon Valley, the Center for Breakthrough Medicines is in the global epicenter of the cell and gene therapy industry,” said Brian O’Neill, Founder and Executive Chairman, The Center for Breakthrough Medicines. “Thanks to the efforts of Joerg, and the entire team he has assembled and continues to build, we are better positioned to win. I look forward to working with Joerg as he continues to build CBM into an industry-leading CDMO that benefits patients, employees, customers, and the communities in which we operate.”

The Center for Breakthrough Medicines
The Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) is the most comprehensive advanced therapy CDMO partner in the industry servicing pre-clinical to commercial phase therapies, following a molecule from idea to launch and providing a full spectrum of services all in one location. This horizontal integration enables the utmost quality and accelerates time to market with single-source, end-to-end solutions.

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