Leadership

Leading the way

Exelead is driven to provide excellent service and manage complex manufacturing processes. The leadership team at Exelead brings decades of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, overseeing each project to ensure the highest quality of production and service.

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John P Rigg
CEO

John is our Chief Executive Officer. Prior to joining Exelead in June 2014, John served as the Vice President of Manufacturing for Ventria Bioscience in Fort Collins, CO—a progressive bioscience company focused on developing and commercializing proteins expressed in rice. Earlier in his career, John spent 25 years at Eli Lilly and Company with a multitude of assignments across manufacturing sites in the US, Puerto Rico and the UK. John has extensive experience with the development, scale up, and commercialization of therapeutic proteins.

Originally from Liverpool, England, John attended Liverpool University where he graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Chemistry. He is a former track runner, and actively supports the Zionsville High School athletic program.

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Glenn Wright
Sr. Director of Quality Operations

As Senior Director of Quality Operations at Exelead, Glenn is responsible for Quality across the company. He has 29 years of experience in parenteral and biologics manufacturing, and has served in multiple, senior-level roles at Eli Lilly and Company. Early in his career, he held various QA/QC management and technical positions at Amgen and Pfizer Inc.

Glenn served 12 years on the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Board of Directors, 10 years on the PDA Science Advisory Board, and 10 years on the Editorial Review Board of Bioquality. He is currently the Chairman of the Manufacturing Technical Committee for the Product Quality Research Institute. Over the years, Glenn has chaired and co-chaired various industry meetings in addition to special industry working groups such as the PDA’s Aging Facility Task Force, PQRI’s Aseptic Processing Group, and PQRI’s Post-approval Changes for Aseptic Processing Group. He has received numerous awards and citations, including the prestigious Frederick J. Carleton Award for his outstanding contributions to the PDA board and wider organization. Glenn received both a BS and MS in Microbiology from Southern Illinois University. 

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Brad Wynja
Sr. Director of Finance & Business Operations

As Senior Director of Finance and Business Operations, Brad is responsible for leading the finance, business development, supply chain, project management, and IT organizations. He has 20 years of experience supporting the pharmaceutical industry, working with both CRO and CDMO organizations.

Brad holds an MBA from Drake University, and he completed his undergraduate work in Accounting and Finance at the Central University of Iowa. He is also a member of the American Institute of CPA’s. Outside the office, he enjoys spending time traveling with his wife, spending time on the lake, and supporting his kids’ athletic activities.

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Gerry Carthy
Sr. Director of Manufacturing

As Senior Manufacturing Director at Exelead, Gerry is responsible for facility operations and maintenance. Prior to joining the Exelead team, Gerry was Senior Director for Parenteral Operations at Eli Lilly's Indianapolis Parenteral facilities. He has 29 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including 25 years in parenterals. As part of previous roles, he has managed quality, technical services and operations organizations. Gerry is Irish, and has both a PhD and a BSc (Hons) from University College Dublin.
 

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Tom Busby
Director of Manufacturing Operations & Projects

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Karla Aberle
Director of Quality Control

Karla is the Director of Quality Control at Exelead, and is responsible for managing three groups: both the Chemistry and Microbiology groups from the Quality Control laboratory and the Analytical Technical group in charge of method development and validation.

Karla joined the company in 2007 as an analyst in the Microbiology laboratory. She was made manager of the Microbiology department in 2009, and then Sr. Manager of the Microbiology and Analytical Technical group in 2015. Since 2016, she has served as the Director of Quality Control, managing all three groups. Karla is NRCM (National Registry of Certified Microbiologists) certified. She holds a bachelor’s of science in Chemistry and a master’s of science in Microbiology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. 

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Mandy Redmond
Director of Quality Assurance

Mandy, who joined the company in 2011, is our Director of Quality Assurance. Prior to her time with us, she served as Senior Manager of Quality Assurance for Roche Diagnostics. Mandy has over 20 years of experience in the biopharma/medical device industry, spanning technical publications, research and development, regulatory affairs, customer complaint management and quality management.

Mandy holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Technical Writing from Indiana University and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She also holds Quality Auditor and Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence certifications from the American Society for Quality. Mandy currently serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Indiana University/Purdue University Indianapolis.

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Kim Rice
Head of Supply Chain & Project Management 

Kim is our Manager of Supply Chain and Strategic Planning. Before she joined Exelead in January 2018, Kim spent 28 years at Eli Lilly and Company where she held several technical and project/program management roles in both Parenteral Manufacturing and Global Supply Chain. Kim has extensive experience with parenteral products, project management and supply chain.

Originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, Kim attended Indiana State University where she graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and later earned a Master’s degree in Project Management. Kim has five children and enjoys gardening, reading and exercising.

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Larry Beiter
Director of Process Engineering & Development

Larry is the Director of Process Engineering and Development for Exelead. This means he is responsible for both the technical transfer of existing clinical and commercial manufacturing processes to the Indianapolis facility as well as the development of new processes at the pre-clinical stage. Larry’s role includes evaluation of new business requests and development of process and project plans for new business proposals. 

Prior to Sigma Tau’s purchase of the Indianapolis manufacturing facility in 2010, Larry was employed at the site for 15 years as part of the Liposome Company, Elan Pharmaceuticals and Enzon Pharmaceuticals. He has served in a variety of roles at the facility including process engineer, project manager and engineering and validation manager. Early in his career, Larry worked for Jacobs Engineering on a variety of engineering and design projects in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. He has an extensive knowledge of the development, scale up, and commercialization of liposomal products and sterile manufacturing.

Larry attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where he graduated with a BSc in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Biochemical engineering. He is an avid sailor and outdoor enthusiast and is active in the local community and schools. 

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Alex Aust
Business Development and Marketing

Alex serves as Exelead's Director of Business Development, leveraging experience in nearly a dozen different roles across the pharmaceutical industry—including supply chain, strategic planning, master scheduling, marketing, quality assurance, validation, and quality control microbiology. Alex works closely with new clients, helping to nail down their production needs and identify what it will take to get their drug to market.

Alex earned an M.B.A. with a concentration in Manufacturing and Production Management from Ball State University, and he holds a Masters in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Purdue. He is a devoted husband and father, and he brings a contagious, positive energy to the team.

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Valarie Gossage
Director of Human Resources

Valarie, our Director of Human Resources, is an accomplished HR professional with over 23 years of experience in the manufacturing industry. Valarie is responsible for helping Exelead plan, staff, train, and retain a high-performing and motivated workforce. She oversees compensation, benefits, employee relations and leadership development.

Prior to joining Exelead in October 2006, Valarie served as the Manager of Human Resources at PK USA, a Tier-one automotive supplier to industry giants including Nissan, Saturn, Toyota, Subaru, and Isuzu. During her time there, she was responsible for the HR operations and budgetary management of four North American plants, including a successful plant startup and a successful plant acquisition.

Valarie holds a Masters in Science Management from Indiana Wesleyan, holds her Professional Human Resource (PHR) certification through the Human Resource Certification Institute, and is a Certified Professional (SHRM-CP) through the Society of Human Resource Management.

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