The making of a CGT CDMO builder

What I learnt

Steve’s story starts with operations. Not the glossy kind, but the real kind. He grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, started working in an Italian deli and restaurant at 14, and described how that environment shaped his grit, work ethic, and love of running a business. You can hear how that early mix of hands on execution and customer service still drives how he leads today.

One of the strongest takeaways was his belief that patient outcomes have to stay central. Even when you are building capacity, chasing late stage programs, and scaling commercial manufacturing, he kept coming back to why the work matters. He talked about wanting to support early stage programmes too, including parent founded foundations, not just the big late stage commercial work. That mindset is rare and it is important.

I also loved his reminder that you cannot run a business with exit thinking as the focus. He was clear that the focus has to be best in class delivery, people, culture, technical excellence, and doing right by customers. The enterprise value follows when you get those fundamentals right.

And finally, he had one of the most honest lines about this sector. On your best day, things are going to go sideways. The job is not to pretend that will not happen. The job is to be prepared, stay resilient, and earn trust every day through how you handle it.

What I liked

Steve comes across as gritty and hard working, but balanced with genuine customer care. That mix resonates with me. He feels like someone who will get in the weeds, work the problem, and then show up to the customer call with calm clarity.

He also feels like a team player with no ego. He spoke about learning from mentors, surrounding yourself with great people, and being willing to keep absorbing and evolving. That humility is consistent with everything he said about culture, values, and building the right environment for the team.

I also liked the hospitality lens. He made the point that dedication to service is a mentality, regardless of industry, and even had his leadership team read a hospitality book to reinforce that mindset. That is a brilliant example of cross industry learning done properly.

And yes, he is the kind of guy you could happily have a beer with at a pub. The conversation had warmth, humour, and a grounded energy that made it easy to connect with.

Reflection

This episode reinforced something I believe strongly. In pharma services, culture is not a nice to have. It is the product. When the science is complex and the manufacturing is unforgiving, the thing that differentiates partners is how they show up. How they communicate. How they respond when things go sideways. That is where trust is earned.

Steve’s blend of operations, customer care, and patient focus is exactly what this space needs more of. You can scale, you can do deals, you can build capacity, but if you lose sight of patients and people, you lose the plot.

🎧 Hear the full episode here: Apple | Spotify

As always, thank you to our sponsors Bora Pharmaceuticals and Lead Candidate for supporting Molecule to Market