Stephen Hermitage joins Sai Life Sciences as VP, CMC

Sai Life Sciences, a leading global Contract Research, Development & Manufacturing Organisation (CRO-CDMO), today announced the joining of Stephen Hermitage (Steve) as Vice President, CMC. In this role Steve will join the global R&D leadership team at Sai Life Sciences, where he will add further deep scientific, process development and drug development experience to the R&D organisation.

Making the announcement, Sauri Gudlavalleti, Chief Operating Officer said, “Over the past few years, our team has established a formidable reputation for itself as a high-quality scientific unit that can solve complex chemistry challenges. I am delighted to welcome Steve, a pharma industry veteran, onboard at Sai Life Sciences. His addition to our global delivery team further strengthens our ongoing efforts to build strong client partnerships and exceed client expectations by raising the bar on innovation, speed, and efficiency.

Steve joins Sai Life Sciences from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where he was a department head and member of the global chemical development leadership team. Over 24 years at GSK Steve has successfully worked with many project leaders and their teams to deliver the API and regulatory submissions that facilitate preclinical and clinical activities across the whole development lifecycle - from pragmatic accelerated early phase supply to complex Quality by Design (QbD) control strategies supporting commercial file and launch. Throughout his time with GSK Steve gained significant experience of working with CDMOs in India, China and Europe having led the technical externalisation group within Chemical Development.

As part of this role, he was a key architect for defining the technical contracting process from Project inception to successful closure. Additionally in his role at GSK, Steve sponsored the genotox risk assessment process within Chemical Development covering the entire small molecule Portfolio and has recently worked closely with colleagues across various scientific disciplines to define and execute GSKs response to the industry wide challenge of potential nitrosamine contamination in Drug Products.

Elaborating on Steve’s role, Dean Edney, Global Head of Process R&D said, “Steve will bring best practices in late phase chemical and API development to programs across Manchester and Hyderabad. His experience will also provide new perspectives on project and program management, ensuring we continue to build towards excellence in client partnership.”

Steve is an experienced Job Coach who has worked with colleagues to support their personal development and career aspirations. He holds a BA & MA from Oxford University, a PhD from Liverpool University and conducted Postdoc studies at the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chartered Chemist (FRSC CChem).

Commenting on his appointment, Steve Hermitage said, "I am incredibly excited to join Sai Life Sciences at a transformative time for the company. Throughout all my interactions with colleagues in the company it is clear that there is a collective ambition to build a world leading organisation that delivers Projects for customers by blending strong science with efficient manufacturing capability whilst maintaining high standards in Safety and Quality.”