Ardena Somerset

Joseph Ju is Director of Continuous Improvement at Ardena Somerset. He brings more than 13 years of experience in the CDMO pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, with expertise spanning cGMP clinical and commercial manufacturing operations, process optimization, and operational excellence. At Ardena, Joseph oversees cGMP clinical and commercial manufacturing operations in Somerset, focusing on continuous improvement initiatives and scalable manufacturing performance. Throughout his career, he has led commercial operations teams supporting operational efficiency and sales growth within regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. Joseph obtained both his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Hibreniguss (Hibre) Terefe, PhD, is Director of Product Development and Site Head of R&D at Ardena Somerset. He leads integrated preformulation, formulation R&D, and analytical R&D teams supporting drug product development programs from early-stage enabling technologies through Phase III and commercial launch. Hibre brings more than 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in oral drug delivery systems and drug product development. His expertise includes hot melt extrusion, solubility enhancement, amorphous solid dispersions, modified release technologies, pediatric formulations, and abuse deterrent platforms. Throughout his career, he has combined scientific expertise with strategic and organizational leadership to support efficient and milestone-driven development programs. He is also recognized as an industry thought leader in oral drug product development and CMC strategy, with more than 15 publications across industry and scientific journals, contributions to the Handbook of Pharmaceutical Granulation Technology, and involvement as co-inventor on 10 patents and patent applications related to drug delivery technologies. Hibre obtained his pharmacy degree and earned his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, with an emphasis in Analytical Chemistry, from Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany. He also served as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.

Phillip Santos is Engineering Director at Ardena Somerset. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with expertise spanning process equipment, facilities management, and GMP manufacturing across multiple small molecule dosage forms. Throughout his career, Phillip has built and led high-performing engineering teams and supported complex programs within regulated manufacturing environments. At Ardena, he is responsible for engineering operations across the Somerset site, supporting operational efficiency and manufacturing activities within GMP-regulated environments. Phillip is recognized for his leadership in engineering operations and his experience managing technical and operational activities across pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.

Peggi Gosha is Director of Supply Chain at Ardena Somerset. She brings more than 23 years of experience across medical device manufacturing and the pharmaceutical industry, with expertise in supply chain operations within regulated manufacturing environments. Throughout her career, Peggi has focused on building scalable and compliant processes that support inventory control, operational efficiency, and cross-functional alignment. At Ardena, she leads supply chain strategy for the Somerset site, supporting GMP operations and the expansion of bioanalytical services. Peggi is recognized for driving strategic initiatives, implementing structured systems, and supporting audit-ready operations within highly regulated environments.

Neil Eppinger is Interim Associate Director of Analytical Services at Ardena Somerset. He brings more than 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical quality, specializing in microbiology and controlled environments within cGMP-regulated clinical and commercial manufacturing facilities across diverse product portfolios and cleanroom classifications. In his current role, Neil leads analytical and microbiological quality control programs, including environmental monitoring, stability and sample coordination, cleaning verification and validation, and contamination control strategies. Throughout his career, he has supported regulatory inspections conducted by the FDA and international agencies and has performed quality inspections of suppliers and intercompany sites. He also brings extensive experience conducting complex microbial investigations to ensure compliance with global regulatory standards. Neil is recognized for his leadership of cross-functional teams, commitment to data integrity, and focus on risk-based quality strategies that support continuous improvement, operational excellence, and patient safety.

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.