Robert Gadwood to Retire as Kalexsyn CEO

Board elects Brian Eklov as Successor

KALAMAZOO, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Kalexsyn Inc. (Kalexsyn), a world-class CRO and CDMO providing chemistry services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, announced today that its Board of Directors appointed Brian Eklov to succeed Robert Gadwood, who is retiring, as Chief Executive Officer and Board member.

The CEO appointment will be effective today, May 18^th, 2021. Brian Eklov will focus on Kalexsyn’s sustainable growth, leveraging competencies and operational efficiency within the Dipharma Group, which acquired Kalexsyn in 2018 through its American subsidiary Dipharma, Inc.

In 2003, Robert Gadwood and David Zimmerman founded Kalexsyn and over the years the Company has become a world-class Contract Research Organization (CRO), providing innovative chemistry services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. After the acquisition of the Company by the Dipharma Group, Robert Gadwood has continued to lead the Company under the new ownership.

“First of all, on behalf of the entire Kalexsyn board, I would like to thank Robert for his wise leadership and his valuable contribution ensuring a smooth transition, accelerating the integration of Kalamazoo facilities and capabilities into Dipharma’s global business development network. Nowadays, besides its CRO offering, Kalexsyn provides outstanding CDMO GMP services and manages projects for clinical Phase 1 and early Phase 2 studies,” said Jorge Nogueira, Chairman of Kalexsyn’s Board of Directors and CEO of Dipharma Francis. “In addition to building a reliable service portfolio, Robert has developed a strong and skilled team strengthening the synergies within the Dipharma Group.

“We are delighted to have Brian as Kalexsyn’s next CEO,” continued Jorge Nogueira. “He has deep knowledge of the industry dynamics and has been an outstanding R&D director at Kalexsyn since 2016. With his commitment and determination, we will continue optimizing Dipharma’s value proposition to reinforce our presence in the U.S. Market, expanding the range of services offered to our customers, from discovery research through commercialization.”

Brian Eklov joined the company as a research scientist in 2007 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and a post-doctoral appointment at the University of Illinois, where he trained in synthetic organic chemistry. Brian became Associate Director of Chemistry at Kalexsyn in 2012 and then Director of Chemistry in 2016 and is an active participant in governance of the American Chemical Society.

Dipharma Group

With revenues about €130 million, Dipharma Group is a global CDMO and a leading manufacturer of APIs and Intermediates, with more than 500 skilled and highly committed employees, 4 cGMP plants, located in the U.S.A. and Italy, plus commercial offices in Italy, U.S.A. and China. The fully equipped R&D Centres develop innovative chemical processes and crystalline forms for the most prominent pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Since 1970, Dipharma has succeeded in achieving a positive unbroken record of major Regulatory Agency inspections and its cGMP manufacturing sites are equipped to supply quantities from laboratory to industrial scale. Dipharma has the right size and variety of scale-up capabilities to act as a global player and manage processes efficiently, while offering flexibility and agility to promptly solve any challenge. Experience you can trust. www.dipharma.com

Kalexsyn Inc. is a subsidiary of Dipharma Group and, together with an outstanding CRO offering, provides world-class CDMO services and supplies for clinical Phase 1 and early Phase 2 studies. It has research laboratories in Kalamazoo, Michigan (U.S.A.) and its services are provided by highly skilled scientists, with, on average, 15 years’ experience in pharmaceutical research and development, from hit validation to commercial process implementation.

Contacts

Paola Clerici
Communication Manager

Dipharma Francis S.r.l.
E-mail: [email protected]
Teams: [email protected]
www.dipharma.com