- Highly experienced hires bring robust operational and technical expertise
- Momentum builds at Astraveus following exceptional additions of Jean-Paul Mangeolle, David Newble, and Laurence Riot Lamotte earlier this year
PARIS, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Astraveus SAS ("Astraveus" or the "Company"), the Benchtop Cell Factory company, today announces that it has further strengthened its world class leadership team with the appointments of Didier Masson as Chief Operating Officer, and Ken Kotz as Chief Technology Officer.
Didier Masson brings over 20 years of experience in operations across pharma, biotech, and medtech. He joins from Quantoom Biosciences, where he was also COO. His expertise lies in program management, manufacturing and supply chain across bioprocessing. His operational remit at Astraveus will include the scaling of its innovative Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory, and the development of robust, cross-functional processes to deliver operational excellence and sustainable growth.
Ken Kotz is a seasoned technical leader with more than 20 years of experience driving innovation across life sciences. His expertise spans microfluidic bioprocessing, optical systems design, product development, and cell therapy process development, including autologous cell therapy manufacturing. Prior to joining Astraveus, Ken served as Director Process Development at bluebird bio, contributing significantly to the commercialization of Lyfgenia, as well as leading long-term strategy efforts.
Jérémie Laurent, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "Didier and Ken both bring exceptional and varied qualities and experience to our leadership team and they will have a pivotal role as we progress the development of our Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory. Attracting this level of talent is testament to our ambition, as we endeavor to make these groundbreaking treatments available to everyone in need, thereby enabling a healthier tomorrow."
Didier Masson, newly appointed Chief Operating Officer, added: "I see a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the growth of Astraveus by optimizing operations, building scalable systems, and promoting collaboration across teams. The company's mission and its highly innovative approach truly resonate with me, and I look forward to helping drive operational excellence to support its ambitious goals."
Ken Kotz, PhD, newly appointed Chief Technology Officer, said: " Astraveus' closed, automated, and truly end-to-end approach to cell therapy manufacturing has the potential to transform the autologous cell and gene therapy landscape. I am deeply passionate about helping to expand access to these transformative medicines for patients in need."
These new hires herald a transformational period for Astraveus and complement the existing skillsets of the Company's leadership team. These were bolstered earlier this year with the appointments of Jean-Paul Mangeolle as Chairman of the Board of Directors, David Newble as Independent Board Member, and Laurence Riot Lamotte as Chief Financial Officer. With the integration of this world class leadership team, Astraveus stands at the cusp of revolutionizing the cell therapy manufacturing landscape with its unique Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory.
About Astraveus:
Astraveus is a Paris-based life science company dedicated to scaling cell therapy manufacturing with maximized quality and increased speed at order-of-magnitude lower cost. With the unique Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory, Astraveus provides bioprocessing innovation at the cellular level, utilizing cutting-edge microfluidic technology to enhance process optimization and scalability from pre-clinical to commercial manufacturing.
Founded in 2016 by Jérémie Laurent at the Saint-Louis Hospital in Paris, a prestigious hub for leading cell therapy research, Astraveus is committed to revolutionizing the development and manufacturing of cell therapies and aspires to make these innovative treatments accessible to everyone in need, thereby enabling a healthier tomorrow.
www.astraveus.com
About Didier Masson:
Didier is an operations leader with 25 years of experience in leading cross-functional teams in the pharma, biotech and medtech industries. He has successfully overseen large-scale operational transformations, aligning execution with business strategy, optimizing processes, and leveraging best project management practices to streamline program execution. Prior to joining Astraveus, Didier held senior roles at IBA, Advanced Oncotherapy, UCB and Quantoom Biosciences, where he led program management, manufacturing, supply chain and field services. His know-how includes industrialization of instrumentation for biopharma manufacturing in compliance with GMP and ISO standards such as ISO13485. He graduated from the University of Liege in Belgium with an MSc in Electrical Engineering, supplemented by a MSc in Management from Louvain School of Management, UCLouvain.
About Ken Kotz:
Ken is a seasoned technical leader with more than 20 years of experience driving innovation across the life sciences industry. His expertise spans microfluidic bioprocessing, optical systems design, product development, and cell therapy process development. Prior to joining Astraveus, Ken held senior positions at bluebird bio, Draper, and Massachusetts General Hospital, and he co-founded General Fluidics, a clinical diagnostics company. Ken has deep expertise in autologous cell therapy manufacturing, contributed significantly to the commercialization of Lyfgenia at bluebird bio, and led long-term strategy efforts to advance next-generation autologous manufacturing. Ken earned his BSc in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.
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