Fujifilm Biotechnologies passed the leadership reins to Maja Pedersen, adding president to her current role as COO while former Chief Executive Lars Petersen transitions to a strategic advisor position.
Per Fujifilm corporate structure, the title of CEO has been retired from the CDMO, the company said.
“This reflects the next phase of our leadership model, where [Pedersen] will lead the company and continue driving the business, while also leveraging the broader strengths of the Fujifilm Group and its governance structure,” a company representative told Fierce in an e-mail. “In addition, this title structure is in sync with the structure of many other Fujifilm subsidiaries.”
The changes at the Denmark-based unit of Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings are effective immediately. Petersen, the former CEO, will serve as a strategic advisor to the CDMO until the end of September.
Pedersen was named COO last year after serving Fujifilm Biotechnologies in the capacity of chief quality officer since 2023. She was formerly Biogen’s global head of external manufacturing. Fujifilm acquired Biogen's large-scale manufacturing site in Hillerød, Denmark, for $890 million in 2019.
“Maja has already played a pivotal role in building the operational strength of Fujifilm Biotechnologies,” Toshihisa Iida, chairman of Fujifilm Biotechnologies, said in a statement. “Her deep operational expertise, strong quality leadership and commitment to our people and customers make her exceptionally well positioned to lead the company’s next phase while continuing the strategy that has been successfully established.”
Iida will continue to serve as chairman of the CDMO unit as part of the C-suite changes, the company said, and will focus on alignment with Fujifilm’s global strategic direction.
“My focus will be on building upon the strong foundation already in place, delivering consistently for our customers, strengthening quality and operational excellence and continuing to grow our business together with our exceptional people,” Pedersen said.
Last September, the CDMO opened the doors to its $3.2 billion cell culture facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, focused on antibody-based drugs. The facility is one of the largest cell culture biomanufacturing sites in the U.S. and with eight 20,000-liter bioreactors can handle both drug substance and drug product production.
Under Fujifilm Biotechnologies' KojoX model, the Holly Springs plant is effectively a clone of its facility in Denmark.