Executive Leadership

Kasper Møller, Ph.D

Chief Technical Officer and Executive Vice President, Europe & Japan Regions

Kasper Møller was appointed EVP of Europe and Japan regions in 2023, and Chief Technical Officer in June 2019, after serving for two years as General Manager and Site Head for our Copenhagen facility. Throughout his time at AGC Biologics, Kasper has provided expertise in process characterization and validation, in previous roles such as Principal Scientist, Department Manager within Process Development, Vice President of Process Development and Vice President of Manufacturing. Earlier in his career, Kasper spent five years as an assistant professor and faculty member at the Technical University of Denmark, conducting research, and teaching fermentation technology and metabolic engineering.

Kasper earned a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering, with a focus on microbial physiology, from the Technical University of Denmark. He pursued his post-doc at the university’s Center for Process Biotechnology, as well as the Department of Genetics at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. Along the way, he contributed to more than a dozen scientific international journals and publications.

Tomoko Miyagawa

Executive Vice President, Corporate Development

Tomoko Miyagawa was appointed to the role of Executive Vice President of Corporate Development in October 2023. She joined AGC Biologics after serving as General Manager of Strategy and Planning for AGC Life Science Company.

While with AGC Life Science Company, she played a critical role in developing and executing the strategy for acquiring new facilities to expand the AGC Biologics global network of CDMO sites over the last several years, including the company’s expansion into cell and gene services in 2020. Tomoko has been supporting the AGC Biologics integration into the AGC Inc. corporation since the company was formed in 2018. She brings more than 25 years of experience to this position, and a decade of expertise in the manufacturing and chemicals space, including several senior strategic level positions at AGC Chemicals.

In her role she focuses on additional strategic corporate development opportunities for AGC Biologics to ensure successful growth and development of its global manufacturing network.

She has been working for AGC Inc. since 1998 in a variety of divisions, including spending time as a registered attorney. Tomoko holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tokyo and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Christoph Winterhalter

Chief Business Officer

Christoph Winterhalter assumed the role of Chief Business Officer in March 2024 and oversees corporate strategy, business development, new business initiatives and global marketing for the AGC Biologics CDMO network. He brings 30 years of experience in the life science, CDMO and biopharmaceutical outsourcing space, and previously served as the Senior Vice President Business Development EMEA for AGC Biologics.

Christoph joined AGC Biologics in 2018 and has contributed significantly to the company’s growth over the past six years. Before AGC Biologics, he most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Global Business Development for the CDMO Rentschler Biopharma. Reporting directly to the CEO, he guided the company’s global sales and development strategy and created strategic manufacturing alliances with leading global biopharmaceutical companies. While there, he was instrumental in tripling the top-line sales numbers for the company. Before that, Christoph worked at Wacker Chemie AG supporting its Life Science businesses for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as Vice President of Biosolutions for the Americas. At Wacker he managed teams focused on Research and Development (R&D), Project Management, GMP Production, Business Development, and Marketing.

Christoph received a degree in Microbiology and his Doctorate from the Technical University of Munich.

Luis Velez

Executive Vice President, U.S. Region

Luis Velez assumed the role of Executive Vice President, U.S. Region, in December 2023. He brings 25 years of experience in high-performance and sustainable commercial manufacturing operations with a background in both supply chain and compliance-related work.

He most recently served as Vice President of Global Quality External Manufacturing & Supply Operations with Teva Pharmaceuticals. While there, Luis played a vital role in leading the strategy and implementation for a new business division dedicated to improving efficiencies in quality, manufacturing and supply chain operations across a network of 75 countries. Before his time with Teva, he held various leadership roles with Baxter Healthcare, Amgen, Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson in operations, manufacturing, supply chain, and drug product and substance engineering. He will use this experience to lead the direction of AGC Biologics U.S. sites and ensure the network runs efficiently and effectively to serve developers at any stage in their product lifecycle.

Luis earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Turabo. He also received Executive Leadership training at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Greg Shelton

Executive Vice President, People and Culture, General Counsel and Compliance Officer

Greg Shelton was appointed to the position of Executive Vice President, People and Culture, General Counsel and Compliance Officer on January 1, 2023. Before his appointment, Greg served on the AGC Biologics Executive Leadership Team as General Counsel and Compliance Officer.  He brings over 25 years of experience, legal expertise, and proven people leadership abilities within the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and healthcare spaces. Greg currently serves as the Executive Sponsor of the AGC Biologics Global Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) and the Strategic Initiative on Culture, relying on his passion for organizational culture and previous experience within DE&I committees to help team members have a fulfilling, rewarding, and appreciative experience and workplace.

Before joining AGC Biologics, Greg served as Division Counsel and Senior Leadership Team member for Stryker Emergency Care – a division of Stryker Corporation. Prior to Stryker, he represented a notable roster of multinational companies at high-performing law firms in both Seattle and New York City. Greg has also authored numerous legal publications.

He earned his Bachelor of Art, Philosophy from University of Massachusetts and his Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School. 

Carrie Mygatt

Executive Vice President, Finance

Carrie Mygatt was appointed to the role of EVP Finance at AGC Biologics in October 2023. Carrie brings over 30 years of operational financial leadership experience in finance, accounting, treasury, IT, HR and procurement.   Prior to joining AGC Biologics, Carrie held senior financial positions at Corning, Alvogen, Honeywell and Stryker.

Carrie is a licensed CPA in the state of Missouri and earned a B.S. in Accounting from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Akira Nakamura

Senior Vice President, Corporate and Strategy Planning

Akira Nakamura was appointed Senior Vice President, Corporate and Strategic Planning of AGC Biologics, in August 2022 after 32 years with AGC Inc. From October 2021 until his recent appointment, Akira served as Group Leader of the Strategy Group within the Life Science Division in Tokyo. Since joining AGC Inc., he has played an important role in numerous achievements, including the M&A of CMC Biologics in 2016, MolMed in 2020, as well as the implementation of a global cyber insurance initiative in 2021, and an international cash management system in 2013.

Akira holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Law from The University of Tokyo.

Motoi Aoki

Interim Head of Global Quality

Motoi Aoki (Moto) joined AGC Inc. in March 2023 as General Manager of Quality Compliance Management Division for AGC Life Science Company. Moto has over 32 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry with a background in quality and CMC.

Before joining AGC Inc, Motoi served as Vice President of Development Quality in Astellas Pharma Inc. and Vaccine Quality Japan Head in Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Moto managed global quality for more than 10 facilities under development (research and clinical stage to commercialization) in areas such as small molecular, biologics, vaccine, cell therapy, gene therapy and medical devices in Astellas. Moto also acted as the Regional Quality Head in Asian, Oceania and Japan regions to cover all quality aspects from development to commercial including sales affiliate management in Astellas. Then Moto moved to Takeda and became the Japanese Quality Head and Japan Security Pharmacist (similar role to Qualified Person) within a global vaccine business unit under collaboration with the global quality organization.

Moto earned his Master degree of Pharmaceutical Science from Kumamoto University in Japan and is a registered pharmacist. He also has the national license of Professional Engineer (PE) on Biotechnology certified by Japanese Government (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: MECSST/MEXT).

Andrea C. Porchia

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Copenhagen Facility

Andrea C. Porchia, General Manager of the Copenhagen facility, joined AGC Biologics in August 2013. During her time with the company, she has taken on increasing responsibility across sites in progressive roles as Project Director, Senior Director Business Development, and Global Vice President of Project Management prior to the GM appointment. Andrea’s deep knowledge of the Copenhagen site is complemented by a track record of successful integration and standardization of project management practices across sites at AGC Biologics. With more than 20 years of experience in CMC development, her expertise includes process and analytical development, tech transfer, drug substance and drug product manufacturing and regulatory strategy.

Andrea pursued her education in Argentina and Denmark. She earned a PhD in Biochemistry from Mar del Plata University, Buenos Aires, Argentina, in addition to a Postdoctoral position from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Dieter Kramer

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Heidelberg Facility

As the General Manager of the Heidelberg facility, Dieter Kramer applies two decades of technical and leadership expertise. Dieter joined AGC Biologics in July 2018, having worked in a similar role at Corden Biochem GmbH, a full-service Contract Manufacturing Organization. Dieter brings breadth and depth to his role. Combining the disciplines of business and chemical engineering, he held various positions in R&D, manufacturing, project management and general management in the Sandoz/Novartis network in Austria and Germany. In particular, he spent five years as Managing Director of an API manufacturing site with large-scale fermentation and downstream capabilities.

Dieter pursued his education in Austria. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Management Center Innsbruck. He received his master’s degree in Technical Chemistry and Biotechnology at the Technical University of Graz. He completed his education at Höhere Technische Bundeslehranstalt in Wels with advanced study in chemical engineering.

Jun Takami

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Japan Region & Yokohama Facility (under construction)

Jun Takami, General Manager of AGC Biologics’ Japan Region, joined AGC Inc. in September 2017. He brings over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with roles in process development, GMP manufacturing, process engineering, team management and PLI activities at Chugai Pharmaceutical within Roche Group.

After joining AGC Inc., he helped design and introduce mammalian capacity of both 500 L and 2,000 L scale at the Chiba site. He was appointed as Project Management Director, a role which he held for two years. In parallel, he supported business development activities by bringing customers to the Chiba site. For more than three years, he led the Chiba site operations in executing both microbial and mammalian projects for our global customers. Starting in 2024 Jun brought his considerable expertise to a new role as General Manager of the Japan region and the operational readiness of the the Yokohama site. Jun has experience cultivating strong leadership teams, each dedicated to the success of development, manufacturing, supply chain, engineering and quality. He also works to keep our quality culture top-of-mind within AGC.

Jun holds a Masters in biological science from Kobe University, as well as Bachelor’s degree.

Luca Alberici

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Milan Facility

Luca Alberici, General Manager of the Milan, Italy facility is a value driven professional who came to AGC Biologics through the July 2020 acquisition of MolMed, a leading cell and gene therapy company. His rich educational background is complemented by more than 14 years of industry experience in roles of increasing responsibility for strategic business development and operations, licensing, project management and intellectual property for large molecule and specialty drug development and commercialization. Throughout his career, Luca has been fundamental in licensing and strategic supply agreements that drove top line results in his former position as Chief Business Officer at MolMed. In addition to practical proficiency with discovery and development for HIV and tumor therapies in his early career, Luca has extensive experience in negotiating go-to-market strategies and bringing new cell and gene therapies to market through partnerships with leading biopharmaceutical companies.

Luca earned a PhD and Masters in cellular and molecular biology from Libera Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, in addition to a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from SDA Bocconi. He has a thorough understanding of European regulatory requirements and pricing policies, and is a published author and frequent industry speaker.

Michael Tranmer

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Boulder Facility

Michael Tranmer, General Manager of the Boulder, Colorado facility joined AGC Biologics in July 2023. Michael has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biological, and medical device industries. His career started in animal health vaccine research before he moved into mammalian cell production. Since then, his experience has spanned both management and executive roles with increasing responsibility in manufacturing operations, with companies such as Pfizer, SmithKline Beecham, Endo/Par, Mesa Labs, and Strides Pharma Inc. Michael has a successful track record of delivering against expectations regarding safety, regulatory compliance, financial, and operational objectives. He has built strong leadership teams and has been a culture change agent throughout his career.

Michael earned a Master of Science in Veterinary Science and Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

Jose Gonzalez

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Seattle Facility

Jose Gonzalez, General Manager of the Seattle, Washington facility joined AGC Biologics in April 2024. He has over 35 years of experience leading complex manufacturing operations and engineering organizations in biopharmaceutical, medical device, high-tech, and chemical industries.

Jose spent the first years of his career in the chemical and high-tech industries with W. R. Grace and Hewlett Packard. He transitioned to the life science industry with Johnson & Johnson. Adept at challenging the status quo and driving change in operations, he has been appointed to transform several engineering organizations in the US, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Mexico. He has led several major capacity expansion projects and international operation transfers including construction, equipment installation, validation, and manufacturing readiness. He held various operations leadership roles in engineering and manufacturing at Amgen’s flagship operation in Juncos, PR. Before joining the AGC Biologics team, he led the transformation of CSL Behring’s flagship fractionation facility in Bradley, IL. He drove a heightened level of compliance and sterility assurance, enabling the facility to reliably supply plasma-derived product intermediates to the global network. At CSL, he helped design and implement a new matrix-based end-to-end global operations organization.

Jose holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Tulane University.

Susumu Zen-in

Senior Vice President and General Manager, Chiba Facility

Susumu Zenin, the General Manager of AGC Biologics Chiba facility, joined AGC Inc. in December 2015. Since then, he has played an important role in manufacturing and process development and has held a variety of positions including 5 years as a manager and director of microbial manufacturing, as well as 3 years leading a process development team as a Sr. Director. With over 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and expertise in not only GMP manufacturing, process development, and R&D but also quality assurance at AGC and Japanese biotech JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd, Susumu brings a wide breadth of knowledge and skills to our Chiba team.

Susumu holds a Master of Bioscience from Hokkaido University, as well as a Bachelor's degree.