Press Room

Press Release / Feb 25, 2022

Jean-Luc Herbeaux to become Hovione CEO

Hovione today announced the appointment of Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux as Hovione’s Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st April 2022

CEO Transition - Guy Villax and Jean-Luc Herbeaux | Hovione

Lisbon, Portugal, 25 February 2022 – Hovione today announced that the Board of Directors and the shareholders have approved the appointment of Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux as Hovione’s Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st April 2022.

 
 

Guy Villax, who has been Hovione’s CEO for the past 25 years will now serve as a Member of the Board and shareholder. During his tenure, Hovione grew tenfold.  The company currently employs 2000 team members, serves the global market from four production sites in 3 regions, and is recognized as a leader in its field.  

 
 

The Board of Directors expresses its thanks to Guy Villax for his dedication and outstanding achievements. During his career at Hovione, Guy Villax was also involved with the EFCG and Rx-360 associations and contributed to legislation being passed on both sides of the Atlantic to fight fake medicines and to level the playing field for GMP manufacturing.

 
 

“It has been a privilege and honor to lead Hovione over the last decades. Hovione is a great company because of its people and its clients. It has been an amazing entrepreneurial and human journey with so many projects and unforgettable success stories. I have seen this company, founded by my parents, growing, evolving and constantly re-inventing itself”, said Guy Villax. “Dr. Herbeaux joined Hovione nearly two years ago as COO and from day 1 brought change and contributed to financial and business successes.  We have worked together both on the strategy which will take Hovione to the next level and on making this transition smooth. I am certain that both the company and our Team-Members will continue to thrive under his leadership”, added Guy Villax.  

 
 

“I am honored to be entrusted with the role of Hovione’s CEO and I am deeply motivated to lead this team of talented professionals. Building on Guy Villax´s legacy of innovation and customer intimacy, we will continue to work to drive long-term growth for both ourselves and our customers maintaining the Hovione values. Hovione puts customers and patients at the center of everything it does and this focus will not change. Our customers can expect us to continue to deliver on what we promise and to offer innovative approaches to their project needs.”, said Jean-Luc Herbeaux.

 
 

Before joining Hovione in May 2020, Dr. Herbeaux held multiple high-level leadership positions at Evonik, where he last headed the Health Care Business Line Dr. Herbeaux holds both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a research focus on Rheology from the University of Houston.

 

 

 

About Hovione: Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland, and Portugal and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs including highly potent compounds and customized product solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of and services, from API, formulation development and devices. Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to became a Certified B Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in the industry standard setting process.

 

 

 

 

 

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ViSync® Technologies, a joint venture between Hovione, a global specialist integrated CDMO and leader in spray drying and particle engineering, and iBET (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica), a not-for-profit R&D institution specializing in Biotechnology and Life Sciences, is proud to announce the appointment of Elsa Abranches as its Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Headquartered in Oeiras, Portugal, ViSync® Technologies was established to address unmet technological needs in the pharmaceutical industry, focusing on developing innovative solutions for the cell and gene therapy space. By leveraging Hovione's expertise in pharmaceutical development, particle engineering, and industrialization, alongside iBET’s pioneering research in biotechnological sciences, ViSync® is uniquely equipped to drive innovation in targeted delivery and stabilization of next-generation therapies.  Dr. Elsa Abranches brings over two decades of experience in cell and gene therapy, with a strong track record of leading diverse teams in dynamic environments. In her new role as ViSync® CSO, she will drive the company’s R&D strategy and scientific vision, positioning ViSync® as a leader in innovation within the dynamic and rapidly advancing field of cell and gene therapy. “We are thrilled to welcome Elsa Abranches as Chief Scientific Officer of ViSync®,” said Dr. Christoph Bruecher, Chairman of the Board of ViSync® and VP Business Transformation at Hovione. “Her expertise and vision in the field of advanced therapeutics will be pivotal in driving ViSync’s mission to create transformative solutions that empower pharmaceutical companies and improve patient treatment outcomes.” Dr. Manuel Carrondo, Director of the Board of ViSync® and Vice President of iBET, added, “Elsa’s appointment underscores our commitment to establishing ViSync® as a leader in cell and gene therapy innovation. Her scientific leadership will be critical as we tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the field of new modalities drug delivery.” Elsa Abranches, new Chief Scientific Officer of ViSync®, said: “Having worked in different countries and industries, I’m thrilled to bring my experience back home to join ViSync®. This new venture represents an incredible opportunity to collaborate with local and international partners to drive innovation in advanced therapeutics and help shape the future of life-changing therapies”.     About Hovione Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations. As a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) it has a fully integrated offering of services for drug substances, drug product intermediates and drug products. The company has four FDA inspected sites in the USA, Portugal, Ireland and China and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA. Hovione provides pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs, including highly potent compounds, and customized product solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and manufacturing, capsule filling and devices. Hovione's culture is based on innovation, quality and dependability. Hovione is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.   About iBET iBET is a private non-profit institution devoted to biotechnology research, with 35 years of experience creating and transferring knowledge to the global biopharma and biotech sectors. iBET’s core expertise lies on the development of bioprocesses and analytical tools for Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (ATMPs), including cell and gene therapies, vaccines, antibodies and other innovative therapeutic products. Leveraged by the emerging areas of Data Science and Translational Immunology, we offer bespoke R&D services from early-stage R&D to GMP manufacturing. iBET’s infrastructure comprises cutting-edge laboratories, a GMP certified Analytical Services Unit, and a Late-Stage R&D and Bioproduction Unit, covering upstream and downstream process development, bioanalytical tools for critical quality attribute monitoring, to scale-up and tech transfer. iBET also hosts satellite laboratories of major pharmaceutical companies and serves as an incubation platform for start-up/spin-off companies. iBET is driven by its innovative and agile culture of continuous improvement and a strong sense of ambition, ownership and commitment in developing and delivering the best solutions to our stakeholders.     

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Pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing company Hovione has officially commissioned an expansion at its manufacturing facility in Ringaskiddy, Cork.  Announcing the development on Monday, the multi-million euro investment almost doubles the capacity of Hovione’s spray drying facilities in Ireland and will create more than 20 new positions. This manufacturing technology is especially important for inhalable therapies and oral medications with low bioavailability, enabling more effective treatments, the company said. Deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Audrey Buckley said: “I am delighted to welcome this very significant investment and the creation of further highly skilled jobs in Cork today.  "It reinforces Hovione’s commitment to the region and the innovative solutions it provides to the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.”  Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner-Designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law said: “This latest investment highlights the success of Hovione’s facility in Ringaskiddy, and underlines the continued resilience of Ireland’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. "I am delighted that Hovione will be shortly welcoming new team members to this expanded facility, and I wish both them and Hovione every success”. This latest investment builds on the momentum of the recently announced spray drying capacity expansion at the Company's East Windsor, New Jersey, site.  Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione´s Chief Executive said: “This newly opened facility further strengthens Hovione´s position as the global CDMO of choice for spray drying development and manufacturing services.  "It also underscores our commitment to bringing first-in-class technology and world-leading manufacturing services to Irish shores. Ireland provides a superior environment for pharmaceutical manufacturing, and we are delighted to be a part of it.” IDA chief executive Michael Lohan said the company has made a significant contribution both locally and nationally, adding: "I am pleased to be here today to mark another step on that journey. We warmly welcome Hovione’s commitment to investing in Cork and we wish them continued success.”   Read the full article on IrishExaminer.com  

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