Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
With over 40 years of global experience in vaccine and biopharmaceutical development, I’ve led cross-functional teams, built high-impact business cases, and driven innovation from lab to launch. My career spans leadership roles at Batavia Biosciences, GSK Vaccines, Crucell, DSM Biologics, and Solvay Duphar—delivering results across upstream/downstream development, CMC strategy, and GMP manufacturing. As founder of Almira Biotech Consultancy, I now support startups, CDMOs, and research teams in translating breakthrough science into clinical reality. Whether optimizing processes, leading multifunctional teams, or guiding regulatory strategy, I bring deep technical insight and a relentless focus on results.
As a member of Batavia Biosciences’ Executive Management Team, I lead global sales and business development initiatives aimed at driving client retention, revenue growth, and long-term profitability. My role bridges strategic planning with hands-on execution, ensuring commercial excellence across the organization. I oversee the planning and implementation of global sales activities, aligning them with company targets and market dynamics. I lead and develop the commercial business development team, setting clear KPIs, communicating performance expectations, and continuously evaluating results to implement corrective actions when needed. I manage Batavia’s strategic relationships with major non-profit clients including IAVI, CEPI, BMGF, and PATH. Since 2022, these partnerships have contributed over 60% of the company’s total sales, averaging €18 million annually. Since early 2024, I’ve served as CMC Head for all IAVI projects, leading multifunctional teams through advanced clinical development. This includes Phase 3 preparation and manufacturing for the VSV-Lassa vaccine, and Phase 1/2 manufacturing for the VSV-Ebola Sudan and VSV-Marburg vaccine candidates.
As the leader of Batavia Biosciences’ upstream development team, I managed a dynamic group of 10 scientists and technicians dedicated to advancing biopharmaceutical innovation. My role encompasses strategic oversight, technical direction, and cross-functional collaboration to drive impactful results. I oversee the development of a Phase I manufacturing process for a Chikungunya vaccine, guiding the team through early-stage process design, optimization, and scale-up. This includes aligning scientific milestones with regulatory and clinical timelines to ensure readiness for first-in-human trials. I provide technical support to our business development efforts by crafting detailed quotations for prospective clients, translating complex scientific requirements into clear, actionable projects. I also facilitate the seamless transfer of new projects to dedicated project managers, ensuring continuity and client satisfaction from initiation to execution.
At GSK Vaccines, I spearheaded the creation of the Process Architecture Improvement (PAI) Team, a strategic initiative aimed at transforming vaccine production through end-to-end process evaluation. Our mission: to enhance efficiency, ensure reliable supply, and accelerate Time-to-Market for critical vaccine programs. By analyzing the full product chain, the PAI team identifies bottlenecks and redesigns workflows to future-proof manufacturing operations. Our work directly supports GSK’s commitment to delivering high-quality vaccines faster and more reliably.