Leadership team

Jeremie Trochu

Jeremie joined Ardena as Chief Executive Officer in June 2024.

He brings an extensive knowledge of the life sciences and CDMO industry, and a proven track record of success in the biopharma sector, with 20 years of experience building and growing businesses globally, expanding into new markets, and leading large-scale transformations in both publicly traded and privately held companies.

Jeremie was previously part of the team that helped transform Catalent from a private equity spinoff into a publicly traded global CDMO, and during his tenure there, led the successful acquisition and integration of multiple companies.

Ben Ash

Ben Ash joined Ardena in 2026 as Chief Financial Officer.

He brings more than 20 years of finance leadership experience, predominantly within the pharmaceutical sector, with a strong track record across publicly listed companies in the UK and US as well as privately held organizations.

Most recently, Ben served as Chief Financial Officer at Essential Pharma, a global pharmaceutical company focused on medicines for small, underserved and rare disease patient populations. Prior to this, he held senior finance roles at PTC Therapeutics and Shire. Ben is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

Henny Zijlstra

Henny Zijlstra joined Ardena as Chief Commercial Officer in 2026. She is an accomplished commercial leader in the pharmaceutical and CDMO industry, with a career built on driving growth through strategic business development, brand positioning, and customer engagement.

Ariane De Ganck, PhD

Since 2019, Ariane has overseen Ardena’s drug product activities, spearheading successful integration and transformation at Ardena Pamplona and expanding the company’s capabilities to include sterile services.

Gerjan Kemperman, PhD

Gerjan has significant leadership experience with 15+ years in the pharma industry. He worked previously at Organon/MSD in various leadership roles. Gerjan co-founded ChemConnection in 2012. He successfully led and grew the company and finally managed its buyout to Mentha Capital in 2018.

Gunnar Flik, PhD

Gunnar Flik joined Ardena in 2024 as Division Head of Bioanalytical Services. With over 20 years of experience in drug discovery within biotech and CRO environments, Gunnar brings a wealth of strategic vision and entrepreneurial expertise to his role. He is dedicated to developing comprehensive short- and long-term strategic plans aimed at optimizing efficiency, fostering growth, and enhancing profitability within Ardena’s Bioanalysis division.

Ian Bilodeau

Ian joined Ardena in 2025 as US Managing Director.  He has over 30 years of global experience across multiple functions in both the CDMO and Medical device industry.   Ian spent 19 years of his career working at GE in Quality, Finance, Supply Chain, Technical services and Commercial operations.   He then joined Catalent in 2013 where he was VP of Sales Operations and more recently GM for the Somerset site.  He holds degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management.

Dipesh Patel

Dipesh Patel joined Ardena in 2025 as Chief Quality Officer. He brings over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having held senior leadership roles across CDMOs, virtual biotech companies, and large-scale manufacturing organizations. With an academic background in Chemistry, Biology, and Toxicology, he has built a strong track record in both Quality and Operations, overseeing a broad range of dosage forms and regulatory frameworks.

Paul Edwards

Paul Edwards joined Ardena in 2026 as Chief People Officer, bringing over 30 years of international Human Resources leadership across complex, science-driven and global organisations. Paul has extensive experience in shaping people strategy to support organisational growth and transformation, most recently serving in senior HR leadership roles at Catalent Pharma Solutions.

Peter Rose

Peter Rose joined Ardena in 2025 as Chief Information Officer. He brings over 25 years of Information Technology leadership experience spanning multiple industries, including chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Most recently, he was the global head of IT infrastructure and security at Diversey, a global chemical manufacturer, driving technology-enabled transformation, and ​leading a successful IT migration of the company into the Solenis Group.