Abzena hires Matthew Stober to lead the company through the next phase of global growth

San Diego, CA, 4^th January 2023 – Abzena, the leading end-to-end integrated CDMO for Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) and complex biologic molecules, announced today that Matthew Stober has joined as their new Chief Executive Officer. 

Matthew Stober was most recently CEO of therapeutic companies CastleVax and Istari Oncology.  Earlier in his career Matt held executive positions at Merk, GSK, Novartis, and was instrumental in helping lead the operational turn-around of Hospira, resulting in the eventual sale to Pfizer for $17billion.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Matt to the Abzena team.  Matt’s pedigree of technical and operations experience, coupled with his proven leadership of services and therapeutic businesses, make him a unique fit to lead Abzena,” said Geoff Glass, Chairman of Abzena.

Matt Stober, Abzena’s new CEO, said, “This is an exciting time to join Abzena.  The company has deep roots in Antibody Drug Conjugate development capabilities.  This is a unique moment to capitalize on the innovation happening across the ADC space and we have built a manufacturing and development engine that can deliver an end-to-end solution for both small startup biotechnology companies and large global pharmaceutical customers.  I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”

Abzena Board enhanced to support future growth

The following leading life sciences executives have joined the Abzena Board to help support Matt Stober and guide the company through its next phase of growth:

Lukas Utiger: Lukas spent 20 years at Lonza, including as President of their Bioscience business.  He was President and CEO of DSM’s Pharmaceutical business prior to its merger with Patheon.  Following the merger, Lukas remained in senior leadership roles with Patheon for five years, and with Thermo Fisher Scientific for over two years after Thermo acquired Patheon.  Lukas also serves on the Board of Sharp Packaging Services.

Peter Bigelow: Peter heads up leading life sciences consulting company xCell Strategic Consulting.  Prior to founding xCell, he held numerous leadership roles in the CDMO and therapeutics sectors.  Peter was President of Endo Pharmaceutical’s Qualitest business and prior to that worked at Patheon as President of North America and interim CEO.  Earlier in his career Peter spent 15 years with Wyeth prior to Pfizer’s acquisition, including as Senior Vice President of Manufacturing.

Dennis Fenton:  Dennis spent 26 years at Amgen where he held positions of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Research, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and Senior Vice President of Operations. He was Amgen’s first Executive Vice President and retired in 2008.  Dennis has served on numerous public and private Boards including Genzyme, Dendreon, Hospira, Xenoport and Pfenex. 

“The combination of these fantastic board members, with Matt’s leadership, position Abzena for continued success in delivering on our promise of translating the complex science of Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) into industrialized platforms that reliably deliver product to patients in need.” said Geoff Glass, Chairman of Abzena.

About Abzena Abzena provides the most complete set of solutions in integrated early discovery to mid-phase biotherapeutic and bioconjugation drug development and manufacturing in the biopharmaceutical industry. The company maintains resources around the world, with facilities in the US and UK. Abzena is owned by Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, one of the world’s leading private equity investors and Biospring Partners. For more information, please see www.abzena.com

About Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe WCAS is a leading U.S. private equity firm focused on two target industries: healthcare and technology. Since its founding in 1979, the firm’s strategy has been to partner with outstanding management teams and build value for its investors through a combination of operational improvements, growth initiatives and strategic acquisitions. WCAS has deep experience in acquiring founder-led businesses and corporate carve-outs. The firm has raised and managed funds totaling over $30 billion of committed capital. For more information, please visit www.wcas.com.

About Biospring Partners Biospring Partners invests in growth stage life sciences technology companies. Founded in 2020 by Michelle Dipp, MD Ph.D., and Jennifer Lum, Biospring leverages its deep experience in the life sciences and technology industries to support B2B services, tools, and enterprise software companies that are driving innovation across the life sciences industry and beyond. For more information, please see www.biospring.com.