Catalent Appoints Heads for China JV

Catalent Pharma Solutions has made two senior appointments to support its recent joint ventures in China for its Softgel Technologies and Clinical Supply Solutions (CSS) businesses. Dr. Weiyan “Jackson” Zhu will serve as country general manager for China, and Yufeng (Paul) Cao will serve as site operations director for Catalent’s (Shanghai) 31,000-sq.-ft. Clinical Trial Supplies Co. facility, which is currently under construction.
 
Dr. Zhu will focus on business development strategy and government agency interaction. He will also work with Catalent’s local teams to assist with the startup of the new operations. He joins the company following a long tenure at Boehringer Ingelheim, where he held roles of increasing responsibility, including a position based in Germany as the regional business manager of Europe. Most recently, he served as vice president and head of Boehringer’s consumer health care division in China.
 
Mr. Cao will have overall day-to-day responsibility for Catalent and ShangPharma’s China JV business and will be in charge of establishing the new Shanghai clinical trial operation. He will lead Catalent’s local China CSS team to complete the site construction and launch operations by late summer 2013. He will be in charge of developing the supply chain for the CSS operation and developing a team focused on customer service.
 
Prior to joining the company, Mr. Cao was general manager for Fisher Clinical Services in Beijing. He is experienced with GMP and FDA certification in China and has an extensive background in secondary packaging and cold chain distribution. Prior to Fisher he worked for Zuellig Pharma in drug distribution.
 
Catalent’s president and chief executive officer, John Chiminski, said, “We are pleased to have obtained the services of two such experienced and talented individuals as we expand into this new market. Jackson’s appointment is key to defining and executing an enterprise approach to driving our growth in China. For our CSS business in China, developing the client base locally, and catering to the trial and logistics needs from international clinical customers will be the most important aspect of Paul’s role. He will work closely with the Catalent CSS network sites and functional staff to drive CSS success in this important market.”