Kincell Bio, a cell therapy development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has appointed Mark R. Bamforth as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately.

Bamforth, who has served as Chair of the Board since May 2024, will play a pivotal part in advancing Kincell Bio’s mission to support innovators in the rapidly growing cell therapy sector.

This news follows the announcement in November that Kincell had appointed Dr. Stewart McNaull as Chief Commercial Officer.

Experience

Bamforth joins Kincell Bio with a wealth of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, having founded and served as CEO of three successful CDMOs: Arranta Bio, Brammer Bio and Gallus Bio.

His deep understanding of the CDMO landscape and ability to develop strong partnerships to meet clients’ needs uniquely positions him to drive strategic initiatives that align with Kincell Bio’s mission of delivering high-quality solutions for clients. Previously, Bamforth spent 22 years at Genzyme Corp., including leadership of the global operations team, covering multiple modalities.

Former CEO, Bruce Thompson, PhD, will continue to provide technical leadership for Kincell Bio as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), including leadership of the internal process and analytical development team, strengthening expertise in developing modalities, partnering with solution providers, providing thought leadership to the sector based on his knowledge and experience, and supporting the commercial team to develop technical solutions to meet the needs of clients.

“I look forward to building on the solid foundation that Bruce has established and working more deeply with him and the talented team at Kincell Bio to expand our cell therapy CDMO business to meet the development, clinical and commercial launch needs of clients from innovative biotechs to Fortune 500-backed companies that are developing solutions to address critical unmet needs for patients,” said Bamforth.