Stelis Biopharma appoints Mark W. Womack as the new CEO

Stelis Biopharma appoints Mark W. Womack as the new CEO

Mark assumes the role of CEO with immediate effect and

will be stationed at Stelis HQ in Bengaluru, India  

Bengaluru, India, August 06, 2021: Stelis Biopharma Limited (Stelis or Company), a vertically integrated biopharma and vaccines Company and the biotech arm of Strides Pharma Science Limited (Strides, BSE: 532531 NSE: STAR), today announced the appointment of Mark W. Womack (Mark) as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mark is also the Managing Director (MD) designate and shall be inducted to the Board later subject to necessary statutory clearances and processes.  As the Company's CEO and MD, Mark will provide strong leadership to drive an aggressive growth and profitability strategy for Stelis in its business streams that include global Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) services and the development of the Company's biosimilars pipeline, and integrated vaccines play. He will be responsible for the Company's overall strategy and provide the necessary direction and dynamic leadership to R&D, manufacturing, business development, and commercial operations.

Commenting on the development, Arun Kumar, Founder, Strides Group, said, "We are delighted to onboard Mark as the new CEO of Stelis. Stelis stands on the cusp of a transition to become a globally recognized biopharmaceutical company while targeting significant growth in the coming years. Mark's strong background in commercial leadership, rich management consulting experience, and network within the biotech CDMO space make him exceptionally well suited to drive this transition for Stelis.  We are confident that together Mark and his leadership team will take Stelis through the next level of growth, profitability and industry-leading reputation."

Mark is an organization builder with a track record of delivering unprecedented performance and growth in his previous roles. Before joining Stelis, Mark was the Chief Business Officer (CBO) for AGC Biologics (AGC), one of the world's leading global biopharmaceutical CDMOs. In his role at AGC, Mark led the organization to nearly a 3x increase in new sales in just two years and drove the acquisition of most of the world's top large pharma companies into their portfolio. Before that, leveraging his management consulting background, Mark led the global integration of three former CDMOs that were merged to create AGC Biologics.

Mark has served over 25 years as a management consulting industry leader and C-level client advisor, leading large-scale business transformations and guiding many of the world's renowned companies to achieve record highs in revenue and profit. During this time, he served as the Chief Operating Officer for two international management consulting companies.

Before joining the management consulting industry, Mark led a succession of US Navy units to unprecedented results, including serving as a combat centre leader on a destroyer class ship. Mark is a US citizen, and he will be based at the Company's corporate headquarter in Bengaluru, India.

About Stelis

Stelis Biopharma Limited (Formerly Stelis Biopharma Private Limited) is a vertically integrated biopharma and vaccines company that can develop and manufacture different sets of complex biologics, biosimilars, and vaccines. Stelis started as the biotech division of Strides, the flagship company of the group. Later, Stelis transitioned into an independent business with its leadership and capabilities. The Company operates three business divisions viz. the Product division for biosimilars, Global CDMO Services and Vaccines. Stelis has 3 World-class facilities in Bengaluru, India, with ~600,000 Square feet of R&D and manufacturing space with capabilities in microbial, mammalian products, and vaccines. All its facilities cater to global development and conform to international standards of quality and regulatory processes. Stelis is now well-positioned to pursue growth initiatives and scale its model to build a sustainable business in the coming years. Additional details are available at www.stelis.com. For queries related to Stelis, feel free to write to ankit@stelis.com

About Strides

Strides, listed on the BSE (532531) and National Stock Exchange of India Limited (STAR), is a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The Company mainly operates in the regulated markets and has an "in Africa for Africa" strategy and an institutional business to service donor-funded markets. The Company's global manufacturing sites are located in India (Chennai, Puducherry and two locations in Bengaluru), Singapore, Italy (Milan), Kenya (Nairobi) and the United States (Florida). The Company focuses on "difficult to manufacture" products that are sold in over 100 countries. Additional information is available at the Company's website at www.strides.com. For investor queries related to Strides, please reach out to Sandeep.baid@strides.com