Leadership Team

Jeremie joined Ardena as Chief Executive Officer in 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, expending 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. He holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from EMLyon, France.

Henny Zijlstra joined Ardena as Chief Commercial Officer in May 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.

She has held senior commercial roles across the sector, including at Lonza and most recently at Adragos. At Ardena, Henny leads the commercial organization across business development and marketing, with a focus on strengthening Ardena’s market presence and supporting customers in complex molecules, nanotechnology, drug conjugates, and bioanalysis.

Henny believes that strong commercial performance is built on trust, authenticity, and meaningful relationships. She leads with a clear focus on results and on helping customers connect with the specialist expertise they need to advance complex therapies.

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. His global experience provides deep insight into diverse regulatory requirements and the practical implementation of robust quality systems across multiple regions. Most recently, Dipesh served as Senior Vice President, Quality, at Accord Healthcare, and prior to that held leadership roles at Catalent as Vice President Quality and Site General Manager. He is also a certified EU Qualified Person (QP).

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.

Prior to joining Ardena, Gunnar served as owner and Managing Director of operations EU of Brains On-Line which was later acquired by Charles River Laboratories (CRL). He led the successful and seamless integration of Brains On-Line into CRL. Gunnar played a pivotal role in the seamless integration of Brains On-Line into CRL, where he subsequently served as Site Director and contributed to strategic initiatives within the Discovery Business Unit, advising on partnerships and M&A activities.

Gunnar holds a PhD in Neuropharmacology.

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. In his roles there, he partnered closely with executive and business leaders to strengthen leadership capability, build high-performance cultures and align talent strategy with commercial and operational priorities. 

 At Ardena, Paul leads the global people agenda with a focus on enhancing leadership capability, talent development, and organisational effectiveness to support the company’s continued expansion and strategic objectives. 

 Paul holds a joint honours degree in Law and Politics from Durham University in the United Kingdom and is based in New Jersey, USA. 

Ariette brings over 30 years of experience in clinical research and global healthcare logistics to Ardena’s Board of Directors. She currently serves as President of UPS Healthcare Precision Logistics, where she leads a global team of 4,000 employees across 220+ countries and territories.

Throughout her career, Ariette has held senior executive roles spanning global marketing and business development, pricing, project management, and operations. Her deep expertise in the pharmaceutical and CRO industries provides her with exceptional insights into the complexities of drug research, development, commercialization, and supply chain logistics.

Since joining legacy Marken in 2010, she has helped to position Marken as the market leader in clinical trials, advanced therapy, direct-to-patient and home healthcare, and developed optimized solutions and new service offerings for Marken’s clients.

Ariette earned a diploma as a National Public Relations Consultant, a Baccalaureate of Modern Languages and Biological Sciences, and a Superior French Language degree from the International College of Cannes, France.

Alan has over 30 years private equity investment experience, with a strong track record of dedicated healthcare investing.

He is currently a member of the board at Ardena, Alcami, RoslinCT, X-Chem, and Sterling and previously Quotient Sciences until its successful exit.

Previously, Alan was a board member at 3i plc, led the build-out of the 3i Europe office network, and founded 3i’s healthcare sector team as Global Head of Healthcare. Subsequently, Alan was founder, CEO and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Hermes GPE, an active co-investor in private equity-backed healthcare.

Alan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law, an MSc in Enterprise and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD. He was Chair of the BVCA and for a number of years chaired the BVCA Responsible Investment Advisory Board, and is currently Chairman of the European Healthcare Investors Association (EHIA).