JSR Appoints Veteran Biotech and CDMO Leader Mark W. Womack to Lead KBI Biopharma and Selexis SA

SUNNYVALE, California, May 2, 2022 – JSR Life Sciences, LLC (JSR) today announced that Mark W. Womack will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of two of its affiliate companies: KBI Biopharma, a leading global CDMO specializing in drug development and biologics manufacturing, and Selexis SA, an industry-leading cell line development provider. Womack will be responsible for the strategic vision, continued growth, and organizational culture of both organizations, which currently includes eight facilities in Europe and the US. Womack’s appointment is effective May 2, 2022. He will report to JSR Life Sciences President Tim Lowery. 

“Mark’s impressive track record includes extensive CDMO and biologics experience, as well as the ability to deliver overall growth, revenue generation, and organizational alignment,” said Tim Lowery, President, JSR Life Sciences. “His innate commitment to quality and innovation is a natural fit for the JSR family and a significant win for Selexis and KBI partners and employees. I look forward to working with Mark and his teams as we continue to provide best-in-class capabilities for outsourced drug development and manufacturing services.” 

Womack brings a consistent track record of successful leadership and life sciences experience to KBI and Selexis. He most recently served as the CEO and Managing Director of Stelis Biopharma, where he oversaw the development and implementation of the infrastructure for a pure-play CDMO, including an end-to-end biologics offering, across multiple facilities. In 2021, he led the company’s efforts to build and qualify a state-of-the-art vaccine facility capable of clinical and commercial-scale manufacturing in record time. 

Prior to Stelis, Womack served as the Chief Business Officer at AGC Biologics, in which his extensive experience driving organizational performance improvements led to a nearly 300% increase in new sales in just two years. His career began with more than ten years of distinguished service in the U.S. Navy, where he was recognized with many of their highest honors for exceptional leadership.

“KBI and Selexis are helping create a world where everyone has access to vital treatments that improve or extend their lives,” said Womack.  “I’m honored to join JSR and these two great organizations in their mission to help our clients solve their greatest scientific challenges – in turn, providing life-saving therapeutics to patients across the globe.  I look forward to supporting the KBI and Selexis teams’ continued growth trajectory and building on their long commitment to quality and innovation.”

Womack joins KBI and Selexis amid a period of profound expansion for both companies. In April, KBI cut the ribbon on its new state-of-the-art $150 million, 150,000 square-foot commercial manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. This will soon be followed by significant European expansion through the opening of a newly scaled, state-of-the-art GMP facility that will co-locate both KBI Biopharma and Selexis SA in Geneva, Switzerland. 

A business unit of JSR Corporation, JSR Life Science LLC is changing human health as a strategic partner and pathfinder for the life sciences industry. Rooted in a history of materials innovation, JSR LS provides specialized products, materials, and services to biopharmaceutical companies and academic researchers. Together with its world-class affiliates, JSR LS offers best-in-class integrated services that de-risk molecule selection, accelerate biologic development timelines, increase clinical success rates, and develop novel in vitro diagnostics. JSR LS’s global network of affiliates includes Crown Bioscience, KBI Biopharma, Inc., Selexis SA, and MEDICAL & BIOLOGICAL LABORATORIES CO., LTD. The company operates R&D and applications labs, manufacturing facilities, and sales offices worldwide. For more information, visit JSRLifeSciences.com

KBI Biopharma, a JSR Life Sciences company, is a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing fully integrated, accelerated drug development and biologics manufacturing services and expertise to life science companies. With each of its 500+ client partners, KBI works closely to personalize and rapidly accelerate drug development programs. Built upon a foundation of world-class analytics capabilities and extensive scientific and technical expertise, KBI delivers robust process development and clinical and commercial cGMP manufacturing services for mammalian, microbial, and cell therapy programs. Recognized for quality manufacturing, KBI helps partners advance drug candidates into the clinic and beyond. KBI serves its global partners with multiple locations in Europe and the USA. www.kbibiopharma.com. 

Selexis SA, a JSR Life Sciences company, is the global leader in cell line development with best-in-class modular technology and highly specialized solutions that enable the life sciences industry to rapidly discover, develop and commercialize innovative medicines and vaccines. Our global partners are utilizing Selexis technologies to advance more than 157 drug candidates in preclinical and clinical development and the manufacture of ten commercial products. As part of a comprehensive drug development process, the Company’s technologies shorten development timelines and reduce manufacturing risks. More information is available at www.selexis.com.