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.

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. 

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. Before that, he spent a decade at Catalent, where he oversaw all global IT systems supporting quality, analytical, and manufacturing operations.  Peter began his career in the Royal Air Force as an aircraft engineer, building a strong technical foundation that continues to shape his practical and results-driven approach to leadership.

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).

Arnout Everaert is Head of Drug Product Europe at Ardena, where he leads the company’s drug product development and manufacturing strategy across its European operations. He is responsible for advancing Ardena’s integrated service offering, strengthening operational alignment between sites, and supporting the company’s continued growth as a leading CDMO.

Arnout holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He brings extensive experience in formulation development, CMC strategy, and GMP manufacturing, with a strong track record in guiding complex drug products from development through clinical supply. Since joining Ardena in 2017, he has held several senior leadership roles, most recently serving as Business Unit Director at the Ghent site.

As a member of the leadership team, Arnout focuses on driving strategic initiatives, fostering collaboration across functions and geographies, and ensuring Ardena continues to deliver high-quality, scientifically driven solutions to its clients.