SK pharmteco appoints Joerg Ahlgrimm as CEO

SACRAMENTO, Calif. , Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SK pharmteco, a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) serving the pharmaceutical industry, today announced that Joerg Ahlgrimm will be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer. Ahlgrimm will assume the global leadership of the company and spearhead its next phase of innovation and global growth.

 "On behalf of the entire Board, I am thrilled to welcome Joerg as the CEO at a pivotal moment as SK pharmteco strives to optimize manufacturing expertise and capture the opportunities in the global pharmaceutical industry," said Dong-hyun Jang, Chairman of SK pharmteco's Board of Directors and CEO of SK Inc. "With his solid track record of global operations and manufacturing in addition to his expertise in both small molecule and CGT business, Joerg is uniquely qualified in accomplishing the company's key objectives in becoming the most trusted global partner for pharmaceutical clients," he added.

Ahlgrimm brings more than 25 years of experience in global operations, especially with his expertise in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of the Center of Breakthrough Medicines ("CBM") of the United States, in which SK pharmteco is the second-largest shareholder.

"I am delighted to join forces with the SK pharmteco team to drive further growth of the company," said Ahlgrimm. "With the entrenched capacities in small molecule and a new drive for CGT, SK pharmteco is in an exciting stage of growth with a goal to become one of the world's leading CDMOs. I look forward to the immense opportunities lying ahead with SK pharmteco's continued capabilities and capacity expansion as well as unparalleled customer service."

Dr. Aslam Malik, has served as the CEO of AMPAC Fine Chemicals since 2005. His leadership was retained by SK Inc. when it acquired AMPAC Fine Chemicals in 2018 and established SK pharmteco in 2019. "It has been an honor to serve as CEO of SK pharmteco during this period of growth and I would like to offer my sincere thanks to SK for the support. I strongly believe Joerg will successfully lead SK pharmteco to its next phase of growth," said Dr. Malik.  

Previously, Ahlgrimm served as the Head of Global Operations for Pharma and Biotech at Lonza AG where he was responsible for 35 sites across four continents. Prior to Lonza, he oversaw the manufacturing network of 17 plants at Baxalta Inc., Baxter International's bio-science division, with network of more than 20 CMOs and the largest plasma collection division in the industry.

Headquartered in Sacramento, California, SK pharmteco is a global CDMO and a subsidiary of SK Inc., the strategic investment company for SK Group, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate. SK Group has announced plans to invest billions of dollars in the U.S. across the semiconductor, clean energy and life sciences industries. Under the strategic initiative of SK Inc. to strengthen its CDMO business, SK pharmteco was established in 2019 by consolidating highly complementary CDMO business operations. SK pharmteco has established a well-balanced business portfolio by engaging in small molecule & CGT to capture both the robust and exponential growth of each market. Most recently, SK pharmteco became the second-largest shareholder of CBM through its investment in March 2022. Accordingly, it currently operates eight global manufacturing sites in the United States, Europe, and South Korea along with five R&D centers.

SK pharmteco is the single customer-facing team comprised of SK biotek Ireland, AMPAC Fine Chemicals, SK biotek Korea, Yposkesi and most recently The Center for Breakthrough Medicines. Creating substantial market synergies in the API and Cell and Gene Therapy CDMO space by combining highly complementary assets and expertise, this union enables us to provide the highest-quality services to our customers.

With world-class state-of-the-art facilities and technology, increased capabilities: energetic chemistry, continuous flow process, controlled substances, particle engineering, high potency – with world-class potent handling capability (down to low nanogram per cubic meter levels). We have multiple cGMP manufacturing and development sites, with ~1300m³ of capacity among 8 sites plus analytical services facilities across USA, Korea and Ireland. For more information, visit skpharmteco.com. 

SK Group, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate, is a collection of global industry-leading companies driving innovations in semiconductors, sustainable energy, telecommunications and life sciences. Based in Seoul, SK invests in building sustainable businesses around the world with a shared commitment to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy.

SK companies combined have more than $139 billion in global annual revenue and employ more than 100,000 people worldwide. SK companies are investing billions of dollars in expanding their U.S. presence with business operations or partnerships in hydrogen energy and fuel cells, EV battery manufacturing and technology, energy storage solutions, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and development, semiconductors, and advanced materials. For more information, visit sk.com.

SOURCE SK pharmteco