Discover Veranova

Mike Riley joined Veranova as Chief Executive Officer in May 2023. Mike has over 25 years of professional experience, the majority of which has been spent in the pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) industry. Prior to joining Veranova, he spent 19 years at Catalent, Inc., most recently serving as President of Biotherapeutics. During his tenure at Catalent, Mike led and built Catalent’s biologics business into a leading service provider for advanced biologics modalities, including proteins, monoclonal antibodies and Antibody Drug Conjugates. Mike served in multiple executive positions at Catalent and was part of the core leadership team that transformed Catalent from its inception into an S&P 500 company. He began his career as a management consultant for Marakon Associates, providing strategic advisory to companies across multiple industries. Mike holds a B.A. degree from Duke University, and an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Andy Wesztergom has served as SVP of Finance and Chief Financial Officer since January 2019. Andy leads all aspects of the accounting and finance function as well as Human Resources and IT. Andy has spent the majority of his career working for large international manufacturing companies, both public, private and private investor backed, focusing on specialty chemicals and metals. Andy holds an MBA from Temple University with a concentration in Strategic Management, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance.

Nick Shackley has served as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer since September 2020. He joined in November 2017 as VP, CDMO / Innovators. From August 2011 to October 2017, Nick worked for Aceto Corporation as Global Vice President, Active Ingredients and Intermediates. From January 2008 to June 2011, he worked for BASF Corporation as Vice President, Pharma Ingredients and Services and prior to 2008, Nick held technical and commercial roles in Zeneca, Avecia and Cambrex.

Nick served on the Board of SOCMA from 2003 – 2011. Nick holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, University of London.

Ken Zrebiec has served as SVP, Manufacturing Operations since December 2020. With over 20 years of experience in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, Ken has proven leadership in site management, supply chain, project management, and environmental, health, and safety. Prior to Veranova, Ken held senior operational roles with Siegfried in the US and Switzerland and was the Director of Supply Chain at Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Ken has been on the SOCMA Board of Governors since 2018 and has been a member of the SOCMA Executive Board since 2020. Ken holds a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Operations Management from the University of Delaware.

Ross Oehler has headed the Legal and Intellectual Property functions since May 2013. He has practiced law in both the private and corporate sectors and, for the last 30 years, focused on the biopharmaceutical and applied chemistry industries, holding positions of increasing responsibility in Legal and IP with Sanofi-Aventis (formerly Rhône-Poulenc Rorer) and Cephalon, Inc., before assuming his current role with Veranova supporting all functions in the business.

Ross is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and has been involved in numerous IP and commercial disputes in US Federal Courts, the International Trade Commission, post-grant review proceedings in the US and European Patent Offices, and in several courts throughout Europe. Ross is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Association of Corporate Patent Counsel, and the Intellectual Property Owners Association, where he served on the Board of Directors.

Rohtash Kumar joined Veranova as SVP, Development Operations and Chief Technical Officer in May 2023. Rohtash brings deep experience in the CDMO industry, leading technical teams engaged in the discovery and development of new products for use in clinical trials, as well as successfully running programs for commercial supply of APIs in the branded market. Prior to joining Veranova, Rohtash served as Site Head at Bachem Americas Inc. where he worked for 8 years holding different positions including VP of API Manufacturing. Prior to Bachem, Rohtash worked with Sigma-Aldrich as Manager of R&D and Manufacturing. In the early part of his career, Rohtash worked at Toronto Research Chemicals as a Group Leader, and at Apotex as Senior Research Scientist. Rohtash holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Delhi University, and an MBA – Production Management from Chaudhary Charan Singh University. Rohtash completed postdoctoral work at the University of Alberta, and at the National Research Council of Canada.