FUJIFILM Diosynth recruits new Quality leader

Maja Pedersen has been appointed as Chief Quality Officer (CQO), to lead FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ global quality team.

Pedersen’s new role is effective immediately. As a member of the executive leadership team, she will report to President and CEO Lars Petersen, who was appointed in June this year.

With 20 years of leadership experience in the life sciences and biopharma sector, Pedersen has previously had senior leadership positions in quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC), regulatory affairs as well as external manufacturing.

Commenting on her new appointment, Pedersen said that she is “excited” about engaging with relevant stakeholders. She explained: “I am thrilled to be joining FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies again and becoming an integral part of leading our teams to develop and embed a transformational quality culture.”

“We are pleased to welcome back Maja Pedersen to FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies to lead our global quality initiatives,” stated Lars Petersen, the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “She has tremendous experience driving a quality culture [and a] firm belief in quality as an enabler which has proven to deliver results”.

Pedersen’s career in pharmaceutical quality control and manufacturing

Prior to returning to FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, she recently served as the Global Head of External Manufacturing at Biogen. There, she oversaw the entire CDMO network. Previously, Pedersen’s role was as the Head of Quality and Qualified Person, according to FUJIFILM Diosynth. In this position, she was responsible for the successful startup of large-scale manufacturing capabilities and securing commercial manufacturing licenses for essential medicines with both FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies and Biogen. 

The CDMO’s previous therapeutic capability expansions 

In 2022, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies announced that it had finalised a $100 million acquisition of Atara Biotherapeutics’ US-based cell therapy manufacturing facility. In the company’s original statement, it highlighted that the 90,000 sq. ft. site is the organisation’s newest addition to its infrastructure portfolio.