CordenPharma Announces Revamped Executive Leadership Team

CordenPharma is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Riku Heikki Rautsola as the new Chief Executive Officer & President, CordenPharma, Dr. Walter Kittl as its new Chief Operating Officer and as of May 2018, Heiko Serwe as its new Chief Financial Officer.

Dr. Riku Rautsola has an extensive global executive career spanning over 30 years in life science companies with broad functions and increasing responsibilities along the entire biopharmaceutical value chain. Riku brings deep and proven knowledge, experience and track record to CordenPharma. His prior experience consists of high level executive and supervisory board level positions within large global companies as well as within medium and small-sized innovative corporations. On several occasions Riku has been an interim executive for CordenPharma, initiating significant and valuable progress for the group. Born in Tampere, Finland, Riku Rautsola holds a Ph.D. in Health Economics from Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany. He is a holder of several applicational patents and awards for his internationally recognized achievements.

Dr. Walter Kittl has over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, CMO and fine chemical industries. Walter brings a holistic understanding of pharmaceutical manufacturing operations resulting from a multi-faceted career beginning as a Project Manager in R&D and manufacturing at DSM Fine Chemicals. Walter then held various senior management positions with increasing levels of responsibility at Roche, where he became Site Manager of the Basel Chemical Manufacturing site, and at Siegfried AG, where he was President & General Manager of Siegfried USA before becoming the Head of Global Technical Operations with oversight over all drug substance and drug product sites. Walter is an Austrian citizen and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Leopold-Franzens University of Innsbruck, Austria.

Heiko Serwe will join CordenPharma from the industrial holding company Adcuram Group, where he was Director of Finance and Controlling for a number of portfolio companies. Prior to that Heiko held various positions of increasing responsibility at Gerresheimer, culminating as Head of Finance and Controlling. Heiko is a German citizen with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hannover, DE and a degree in Economics from the University of Hagen, DE.

Dr. Macniell Esua, Chief Compliance Officer, CordenPharma International and Dr. Michael Quirmbach, Chief Business Officer, CordenPharma International, remain part of the CordenPharma Management team since their appointments in 2016 and 2014 respectively.

Managing Directors Dr. Achim Riemann and Patrick Schnitzer of CordenPharma’s parent company International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) are pleased with the appointments of Riku Rautsola, Walter Kittl and Heiko Serwe as CEO, COO and CFO respectively, and are confident the leadership, business acumen and track record of this new executive team will bring vision and growth to realize the full potential of CordenPharma in the years to come.

CordenPharma, the global pharmaceutical service & manufacturing platform of International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), is a full-service partner in the Contract Development & Manufacturing (CDMO) of APIs, Drug Products, and associated Packaging Services. Through a growing network of cGMP facilities across Europe and the US organized under five Technology Platforms – Peptides, Oligonucleotides, Lipids & Carbohydrates; Injectables; Highly Potent & Oncology; Small Molecules; and Antibiotics –CordenPharma experts translate complex processes, ideas and projects at any stage of development into high-value products. For more information visit www.cordenpharma.com.
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