CatSci further strengthens its customer-focused Strategic Advisory Board with three key appointments
Cardiff, UK - CatSci, a scientifically led, commercially minded and award-winning innovation partner, has appointed three key industry thought leaders to its Strategic Advisory Board (SAB), Dr Rob Harris, Kate Smith and Dr Robert Dennehy. Their addition will enable CatSci to explore exciting CRO and CDMO-specific opportunities for its customers
These appointments will significantly contribute to the current knowledge base of the SAB, which counsels on technical innovation opportunities to enable strategic growth. To continue providing optimal support to CatSci’s customers in an evolving pharmaceutical landscape, Rob, Kate and Robert will be responsible for creating a roadmap to realise CatSci’s vision of a fully integrated molecule to medicine company, with cGMP capabilities.
Dr Rob Harris is an established leader in the drug product development space, with a proven track record of building science-led UK businesses. With 15 years of CDMO-specific experience and 35 years in pharmaceutical R&D, he most recently worked as the Director of Science & Technology at Catalent. Rob is leading CatSci’s strategy to evaluate early development activities beyond drug substance.
Kate Smith currently works as the Head of Quality Assurance at Penn Pharma, a PCI company, specialising in high potent drug products. An EU QP with 15 years of wide-ranging experience in delivering quality assurance teams and projects within pharmaceutical development and manufacture, Kate will aid CatSci in its analytical development, including cGMP options.
Dr Robert Dennehy is a consultant in pharmaceutical solid state and crystallisation, with 27 years of industry experience gained at GSK. This experience – the latter of which was at a Senior Director level – covers all stages of development, from pre-phase I solid state selection through to QbD regulatory filing. In addition, Robert has led the technical development of major assets to market and will support CatSci through his expertise in pre-formulation and pharmaceutical development.
Meeting twice a quarter, the SAB advises CatSci on any technical opportunities, enabling it to make well-informed decisions as part of its strategic growth plan. Looking to 2026, CatSci has a long-term goal of adding 500 new, high-value jobs. By utilising the SAB’s breadth of expertise across different aspects of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), resources can be invested wisely to power CatSci’s growth. This will ensure that investment decisions are continually adding value to customers, allowing more projects to be fulfilled and bringing more best-in-class therapeutics to those in need.
Kate Smith, Head of Quality Assurance at Penn Pharma, a PCI Company, said: “It’s a real privilege to be involved with the CatSci SAB. I'm greatly looking forward to using my own experience to contribute towards identifying innovative scientific solutions that both customers and regulators can trust.”
Dr Rob Harris, Director at Beyond Quality, said: “I am a strong believer in the importance of adopting a ‘science-led’ approach as a guiding principle for technical-based service providers, and I have found that such an approach can lead to real success. I am delighted to have been invited to join CatSci’s SAB and help turn these principles into future successes.”
Dr Robert Dennehy, Principle Consultant at API Particle Development Ltd, said: “I am really excited at the prospect of growing the materials sciences capability at CatSci. I believe that good science and sound methodology are key in making the best decisions in developing a drug. The culture at CatSci is dynamic and innovative; together with my industry experience, our partnership will be a winning combination!”
Dr Ross Burn, CEO, said: “It is exciting to see CatSci continue to grow. Adding more members to our SAB ensures that we are constantly adding value to our customer base, as we continue to accomplish our long-term vision of growth for CatSci.”
About CatSci
CatSci Ltd provides tailored process research and development services to emerging, mid-sized and large pharma. We proudly serve customers across the globe with projects, meeting their needs from IND-enabling through product launch. Our services include route scouting and selection for early development, and process design, development and optimisation for later development. As a scientifically led and commercially minded innovation partner with a proven track record, we are dedicated to optimising our customers’ drug substance manufacturing processes to enable them to create small molecule best-in-class therapeutics in a safer, greener and more cost-effective way. Together, we can meet the evolving healthcare needs of the world.
Ensuring open consultation and communication in everything we do, we take the time to understand our customers’ project objectives and then efficiently and effectively resolve the challenges that they face. CatSci is committed to ensuring it is the right investment for the research and development of economically and environmentally sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Recognition includes wins at the prestigious CPhI Pharma Awards 2018 (Excellence in Pharma: Contract Services and Outsourcing) and at the highly esteemed Cardiff Business Awards 2019 (International Business of the Year). We have also recently been shortlisted for the International Expansion Entrepreneur of the Year at the Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2020, and for the 2020 Wales STEM Awards in both the STEM International Business of the Year and STEM Scale-Up of the Year categories.
