From Family Pharma to Global injectables CDMO

In this episode of Molecule to Market, you’ll go inside the outsourcing space of the global drug development sector with Kimberlee Steele, Chief Commercial Officer at ROIS and Javier López-Belmonte, Vice Chairman of the Board at ROVI and CEO at ROIS.

Your host, Raman Sehgal, discusses the pharmaceutical and biotechnology supply chain with Kimberlee and Javier, covering:

• Kimberlee’s 12 golden years at Catalent, and the lessons she learned during a period of significant CDMO growth
• The family heritage behind ROVI and its journey to becoming a $4bn market cap global pharmaceutical business
• How the pandemic created a quantum leap in the company’s reputation and capabilities in sterile injectables
• The ambition behind ROIS and its goal to become one of the world’s leading sterile CDMO specialists
• The trend towards self administered medicines, and how this is driving demand for prefilled syringes, cartridges and device assembly
• Investing in value added capabilities and significant capacity to ensure reliability of supply for clients

Kimberlee Steele is a seasoned executive with over 25 years CDMO experience, currently serving as Chief Commercial Officer for ROIS. In this role, she is responsible for leading the company’s global commercial strategy, including business development, marketing, and strategic partnerships; supporting ROIS’s growth as a prominent global CDMO specializing in sterile injectables.

Prior to joining ROIS, Steele held several senior leadership roles that reflect her deep industry knowledge and operational experience. She most recently served as Managing Director, North America at SHL Medical, a global autoinjector company. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade at Catalent, advancing to Vice President of Strategic Partners and contributing to growth initiatives across biologics, injectables, and advanced drug delivery technologies.

She also previously served board roles with SCbio, American Injectables and Softgel Healthcare Ltd. and volunteered with DCAT Alliance for Industry Women Committee.

Mr. López-Belmonte is an experienced pharmaceutical executive with a strong financial background and more than two decades of leadership at ROVI. He currently serves as CEO of ROIS, ROVI’s CDMO business, and as First Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of ROVI. In these roles, he has played a key part in the company’s long-term growth, including the expansion of its CDMO capabilities in sterile injectables and complex molecule manufacturing.

He began his career in banking, working as an analyst at Argentaria S.A. in the United Kingdom, before moving into the pharmaceutical sector with Medeva Pharma. He joined ROVI in 2000 and assumed financial leadership just one year later. He went on to spearhead ROVI’s successful IPO in 2007, helping strengthen the company’s relationships with analysts, investors and the wider financial community.

Since 2014, he has led the development of ROVI’s CDMO business, supporting the expansion of its operations, manufacturing sites and strategic positioning. He is also the majority shareholder of Norbel Inversiones, S.L., the controlling company of ROVI.

Mr. López-Belmonte Encina holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from CUNEF in Madrid, with a specialization in finance, and a joint Executive MBA from Brown University and IE Business School. He has also held senior roles within CEIM, the Madrid Region Business Association, and has served on academic bodies linked to the Autonomous University of Madrid.

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