Meet Our Team

Larry is a proven leader with over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and the unique ability to combine a successful company culture with proven business results. As CEO, Larry is responsible for Avara’s global manufacturing facilities and is actively involved in system integrations as well as creating added value across our sites and continents. He has a strong focus on operational excellence within all facets of OSD manufacturing and packaging.

Larry has held various management positions in laboratories, quality assurance and information technologies in the pharmaceutical manufacturing space. He has led global initiatives for multiple pharmaceutical companies, including Avara, and is skilled at managing complex teams under the regulatory authority of Europe, Japan and the U.S.

Larry is a highly regarded member of the Avara executive committee. He has earned the respect and trust from his colleagues around the world through his professional approach, extensive knowledge and a genuine desire to meet client needs.

Larry holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Oklahoma State University.

Andy has over 20 years of financial leadership experience, with the last 14 years in the pharmaceutical industry. As a Chartered Institute of Management Accounts (CIMA) Qualified Manager, he has managed ERP systems, manufacturing planning, budgeting and costing, and reporting accounting in a U.S. / Swiss GAAP environment. Andy has specialized expertise in manufacturing accounting, cost control, production planning / forecasting, capacity planning, standard costing, financial modelling, inventory control and cash management.

As EVP and CFO, Andy maintains the financial strength of Avara, working closely with the commercial and business development teams to identify and finance projects that promote sustainability and growth. He is an integral member of the pricing committee that reviews and presents viable new project opportunities to the leadership team and board for approval and capital investment.

Prior to joining Avara, Andy held financial leadership roles with Covidien Pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and Legacy Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland. Earlier, he led a manufacturing network redesign project for Novartis Consumer Healthcare. He began his career with ICN and Valeant Pharmaceuticals as a finance leader and controller in global manufacturing.

Andy holds a B.Comm.Acc (Hons) in Economics, Law and Accountancy from the University of Birmingham.

Lindsay has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in roles spanning R&D, project and proposal management, pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, clinical services and supply management, and commercial processes.

Upon joining Avara’s corporate team in mid-2018, Lindsay was responsible for optimizing Avara's global processes and systems across customer service, project management and commercial functions. As Chief Commercial Officer, she now leads Avara’s commercial strategic and marketing plans and is in the process of executing these with her business development colleagues.

Lindsay has held global leadership positions at Catalent Pharma Solutions and Aptuit CDMOs, where she managed global projects and proposals to support business development for commercial and clinical supplies. Earlier, she served as Project Manager for Fisher Clinical Services, leading global clinical manufacturing and supply projects for clients. She began her pharmaceutical career with Dabur Oncology, a start-up cytotoxin manufacturing facility now owned by Fresenius Kabi. She has also managed outsourcing activities at GlaxoSmithKline for European and Asia-Pacific clinical supplies.

Lindsay has a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of St Andrews, UK, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Toxicology and Pharmacology from the University of Surrey, UK.

Flor has more than 22 years of experience in pharmaceutical plant management and operations, with a strong focus on quality and compliance.

Prior to becoming Vice President of Quality Assurance / Regulatory Affairs, Flor served as Director of Quality for Avara's Arecibo site. During that time, she successfully oversaw and implemented the site’s business continuity plan and quality actions.

Flor holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus and holds an MT certification from the Puerto Rico Department of Health and the American Association of Clinical Pathologists.

Mohan is a proven pharmaceutical and biotechnology leader with over 29 years of global leadership and technology experience. He has a successful record of developing and leading global organizations, achieving strategic objectives, developing talent and delivering tangible business results across the pharmaceutical, technology, automotive and engineering industries. Mohan has the demonstrated ability to help IT departments become value drivers for their organizations.

Mohan is both a proven turnaround architect and a growth-oriented leader who can develop entire IT organizations. Recently, he led the development of IT strategies for multiple supply chains of GSK and Medimmune (AstraZeneca). This included global ERP, supply chain, commercial, business and regulated environments coupled with a vendor partnership operating model.

Mohan holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Mysore, India.

Patrick has over 27 years of industry experience, including 20 years in management roles of increasing responsibility at CDMOs and specialty pharmaceutical companies. Through his experience, he has established a strong foundation of development, analytical, quality / regulatory, manufacturing and supply chain expertise, which allowed him to successfully lead new product launches in North America, South America and Europe as both a submission sponsor and partner.

As Vice President and Site Director of Avara’s Aiken, South Carolina, manufacturing facility, Patrick leverages his experience as both a contract provider and contract manager to deliver world-class customer service, consistently exceeding the needs of Avara’s global clients.

Prior to joining Avara, Patrick was Vice President of Manufacturing for UPM Pharmaceuticals. There, he built on the company’s foundation of strong early-phase development in Baltimore, Maryland, to a large-scale commercial supplier in Bristol, Tennessee, leveraging site legacy products, contract development products and direct site transfers to drive growth.

Earlier, Patrick led the contract manufacturing team and supply chain for Osmotica Pharmaceuticals. He began his career at Roxane Laboratories, ICN Pharmaceuticals and AAI Pharma Services with roles in product development, analytical development, quality control, validation, technical services and manufacturing.

Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Ohio Dominican University.

Andrea is a proven leader with over 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. As Site Director for Avara’s sterile injectables site in Liscate, Italy, he led the transition of the site out of the Pfizer network, successfully integrating it into the Avara CMO network. Previously, he served as Site Integration Leader for Liscate as part of the Pfizer acquisition of Hospira Inc., and, earlier, as Director of Materials Management for Pfizer’s Ascoli site.

Earlier in his career, Andrea served as Finance Director for Pfizer’s Ascoli and Nerviano sites, and, in his prior role as Director of Finance, he led the integration of Pharmacia into Pfizer. Andrea began his career with Pfizer at the former Pharmacia & Upjohn headquarters in Milan as a Business Control Analyst.

Andrea is Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and is a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP). He has a degree in Business Economics from the Politecnico delle Marche Institute and an MBA in Business Management from ISTAO - Istituto Adriano Olivetti, Ancona / Italy.

Debbie has been instrumental to the success of Avara’s OSD site in Norman, Oklahoma, where she has acquired more than 17 years of pharmaceutical industry experience through leadership roles of increasing responsibility in process engineering, project management, engineering and validation.

Debbie has extensive experience leading complex teams in OSD manufacturing technologies. In her previous role as Senior Director, Engineering and Technical Services, she oversaw Avara’s technical services and engineering departments, including the Norman site’s facilities. In addition, she directed all aspects of the client-facing portion of the business, including project management of new business, technical execution of product transfers and validation, and ongoing technical support for commercial products.

Debbie holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.

Rich has over 20 years’ experience within the pharmaceutical services industries focused on business development management positions. 

Since joining Avara’s Corporate Commercial Team in 2016 Rich has been instrumental in building and managing the North American business development team.  In this position, he has successfully identified and won new business opportunities for our global facilities.

Prior to Avara, Rich held business development management positions with contract service providers, including, AAI, MDS and Xcelience, enabling him to develop expertise across the drug development continuum while managing teams for the last 15 years.  Rich began his career conducting molecular biology research at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, IL. 

Rich holds a BA and an MBA from Purdue University.

Juan is a proven leader with over 21 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in the areas of manufacturing, packaging, logistics, supply chain, and warehouse management. He is a results-driven professional who brings decades of hands-on experience managing plants in a regulated environment to his leadership role at Avara’s Arecibo facility.

Prior to joining Avara, Juan worked in both internal- and external-facing roles of increasing responsibility at such companies as Proctor & Gamble, Warner Chillcott, Actavis, Allergan, Teva, and Baxter. Throughout his career, Juan’s focus has been on process improvement and goal alignment. His ability to engage employees, as well as leverage his organizational and communications skills has enabled him to be successful in achieving business goals in a wide variety of settings.

Juan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a major in Management from the University of Puerto Rico, as well as a Master of Business Administration with a special focus on Global Management from Phoenix University.