Harsh Thakkar (00:01.286)
All right, welcome to another episode of Life Sciences 360. If you are in life sciences or you are in pharma, know that all companies are basically, their north star is to get medicines to the patients. I've read a stat somewhere that it takes 15 years or $2 billion or something like that. And everyone's trying to catch speed, right? But as we all know,

Speed sometimes kills, but other times it also helps you reach your goals faster. And I can't remember a week or two going by before I hear about some big pharma completely virtual from day one, tons of CDMOs in the market. So I'm really fascinated by this collaboration between biotech and pharmaceutical companies and end -to -end CDMO providers. So my guest today is Kevin Sharp. He's the Senior Vice President.

head of global sales at Samsung Biologics. That's an end -to -end CDMO, so we're gonna dive in and talk to Kevin and hear his side of how he sees this industry going forward. Welcome to the show, Kevin.

KEVIN SHARP (01:10.806)
Great. Thank you, Harsh. It's pleasure to be here today and I look forward to having a conversation, talk about what's happening in the industry and again, how we as CDMOs partner with our pharmaceutical clients and essentially help bring medications and treatments to patients around

Harsh Thakkar (01:35.33)
Yeah, and I start off by asking most people, because a lot of the listeners are probably hearing you for the first time, may not know about your background. Do you want to tell us how you got into life sciences and how did you get to where you are at Samsung Biologics today?

KEVIN SHARP (01:52.502)
Sure thing. at first, actually at the beginning of my career, I was working in the government space, so public sector work. And I quickly, I think, realized that I wanted to do a little bit more in terms of being engaged in the more private sector. But always with the mindset of being there to help and support.

people. So doing that through government is, you know, that's an obvious mission. But moving from that into healthcare also served a similar mission in terms of treating patients and helping people in that sense. So it was a natural transition for me to maintain that personal mission that I have. And I did that originally with GSK. Started with them.

Harsh Thakkar (02:49.275)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (02:51.274)
working at a vaccine facility for them in a procurement role. And then through the time with them, had a number of different roles and responsibilities, covering different spaces from vaccines to consumer healthcare to pharmaceuticals, and then ultimately moved into a supply chain business development role, which then transitioned me into the CDMO space.

Harsh Thakkar (03:18.885)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (03:19.414)
So really finding a niche in terms of being able to support pharmaceutical clients was something I really had an interest in. I found an opportunity to do that through Samsung Biologics starting in 2017. So the company was just five years old at the time. So really making its way into the industry.

Harsh Thakkar (03:40.132)
Mm.

Harsh Thakkar (03:44.205)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (03:48.378)
And really over the last eight years here at Samsung Biologics have been a part of the sales team and now leading efforts to really partner with not just the global pharmas, but a lot of mid -sized, smaller biotechs to really support both their development and manufacturing programs through our CDMO model. So.

Harsh Thakkar (04:05.156)
Hmm.

Harsh Thakkar (04:09.946)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (04:13.018)
It's really been a great experience and journey for me, first starting on the pharmacy, but then moving into the CDMO space. And again, every day having the opportunity to work with my partners and find ways to find solutions to get treatments to patients as quickly as possible.

Harsh Thakkar (04:33.368)
Yeah, I wanted to ask you about, because I know just following other biotech companies and executives on LinkedIn, that many people who were in leadership roles at Big Pharma or other startups are now considering moving into this whole CRO CDMO space. And also because the amount of companies that are popping up in the CRO CDMO space,

is neck to neck with the amount of biotech startups, right? Like every, I hear every week there's a new CDMO or CRO type company popping up. But personally, when you reflect on your journey of, as you said, moving from GSK or Pharma to the CDMO side, in your maybe first year, can you point to maybe one or two challenges that you face that might help somebody else who's transitioning to a CDMO role?

KEVIN SHARP (05:28.618)
Right. Yeah, think one of the challenges I saw was just understanding, I think, the mindset difference from an innovative company to a service company. So, on the CDMO side, essentially, we are a service provider. And while at the end of the day, our goals are similar in terms of...

Harsh Thakkar (05:38.085)
Hmm.

Harsh Thakkar (05:45.73)
Yes.

KEVIN SHARP (05:56.192)
bringing those treatments to the market and to patients. It's just that day -to -day mindset in terms of being a service organization and supporting multiple clients in different capacities, at different stages of their journey for their product development or commercialization. So really that I think is a key point of transition that needs to be made.

Harsh Thakkar (05:59.376)
Mm

KEVIN SHARP (06:25.186)
and being able to understand and relate back to form a role in being in their shoes and being able to have that and relate back to what's important, what are the drivers, and then finding solutions and ways to support that. So I think that's definitely probably at top of my list in terms of what's key for making that transition and making sure you

have that mindset in terms of servicing your clients and really finding solutions to their problems because that's ultimately what they're seeking.

Harsh Thakkar (07:04.475)
Yeah, and I love the way you put it, you know, coming from a pharma, you know, like an innovative mindset where either you're coming up with new products in your pipeline, or you have partnered with a startup that you're now acquiring because they're reaching a regulatory milestone. Like that's typically what happens in big pharma. But then here you come in the CDMO side. I've had some friends who work at CDMOs and they're like, it's fast. It's like,

We're building an airplane while it's flying and we have tons of clients, every client's different. So yeah, it's a nice way that you put it.

KEVIN SHARP (07:42.932)
Yeah, and I think just to add to that, I think sometimes on the innovative side, you can be hyper -focused on that particular launch that's taking place or an individual brand that's being supported commercially. Where, to your point, you hit it on the head. You're switching gears quite often on the CDMO side, project to project, different stages.

Harsh Thakkar (07:49.268)
Mmm.

KEVIN SHARP (08:10.186)
different regions. So it's definitely a different pace and a different type of environment where there is that dynamic aspect that, while it still exists in the pharma space, but it is different at a different.

Harsh Thakkar (08:27.438)
Yeah, and I want to now switch gears and go into the whole CDMO industry. think people who are in life sciences or in pharma are probably aware of Samsung Biologics just because of the history of the company and the accolades and the reputation in the industry. So it's having you representing the company and sharing with us, I'm sure they're going to be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Why is there a huge boom of CDMOs? What are some of the pressing challenges that biotech and pharma companies have that CDMOs are able to solve and by which they're able to explode and have this much success?

KEVIN SHARP (09:15.914)
Right. think there's a few I can think of, Harsh. First, I think overall investment is definitely a concern. So first and foremost, in terms of availability of funds and capital is a little more challenging in today's market. So we're seeing decisions that need to be made in terms of where

Harsh Thakkar (09:27.749)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (09:45.042)
Is capital, where is cash being allocated within the industry? And on the innovator side, if you have to make a choice between seeking finances in a difficult environment where there's high interest rates or limited funds available versus putting equity and capital towards further development, we're seeing a lot more choose the latter.

Harsh Thakkar (10:11.439)
Mm

KEVIN SHARP (10:14.142)
in terms of making more investment in R &D versus brick and mortar and building newer facilities. So that's definitely one, I think, challenge that the industry is seeing in terms of that availability on the investment side, having to make those decisions. And we are seeing those decisions being made, which then creates an environment in the CDMO space.

where again, that's the core business for a CDMO is facilities, whether it's development or manufacturing. So that investment goes right back into the business in terms of building end -end solutions like Samsung Biologics has done to really create options and opportunities for the pharma companies. I think...

Harsh Thakkar (10:44.645)
Yep.

Harsh Thakkar (11:03.982)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (11:05.078)
Second would also be what we just talked about a bit is that speed aspect. And CDMOs really bring an element in terms of speed to the forefront, both on the development side. bringing, there's a lot more in terms of complex molecules, new modalities are really coming into the industry a lot faster than they did in the past, 15, 20.

Harsh Thakkar (11:10.853)
Mm -mm.

Harsh Thakkar (11:31.78)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (11:34.966)
plus years, we're seeing just a wide mix and breadth of newer technologies, whether it's cell and gene therapy, ADCs, mRNAs, and other RNA technologies. The list really goes on. So being able to be nimble and pivot quickly and use that as a competitive advantage.

Harsh Thakkar (11:45.262)
Hmm.

Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (12:03.104)
do bring that speed element to be able to switch between modalities, make those investments, and support the clients in that front. And lastly, I would say the regulatory environment is really ever -changing. And CDMOs are, if you look at the number of approvals that we go through, the number of PAI inspections, it's obviously higher than an individual pharma company.

Harsh Thakkar (12:33.136)
Mm

KEVIN SHARP (12:33.524)
because we're doing this across multiple clients and platforms. So as that environment changes, and we saw a lot of that during COVID in terms of how agencies were reacting, how they were inspecting, we see it post -COVID as well, a lot of challenges there. So CDMOs really bring a different perspective for CMC.

Harsh Thakkar (12:58.82)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (12:59.594)
higher level of experience just because we're doing it day in and day out across multiple products and programs.

Harsh Thakkar (13:07.198)
Right, yeah, those are very interesting points because I never thought about it, know, the way you put it, that in an individual biotech or pharma company, you know, the amount of interactions they're having, like let's say if it's a cell or gene therapy company, versus on the CDMO side, you're working with so many types of different clients, you almost have an unfair advantage that now you have all these data points where

you might say like, hey, know, or I'm not sure maybe you've seen something like if you're working with an mRNA client and having the interactions with the regulatory authorities versus maybe a small molecule or a cell in gene therapy, you now know like, for this type, this is kind of the process, this is how long it takes. But if you go with this modality, it's slightly different. You know, a pharma company maybe doesn't have those data points because they're just.

you know, their pipeline is focused on one or two types of products. But yeah, it's, think that's a great advantage for you to have those data points and interactions.

KEVIN SHARP (14:12.726)
Right, no definitely that diversification is huge in terms of what we're able to bring to the table.

Harsh Thakkar (14:19.206)
Yeah, I wanna point out an interesting stat that I read is that Samsung Biologics has partnerships with 14 of the top 20 pharma companies. So first off, congratulations on that. That's not a, you I'm sure there was a strategy behind that from the one to the 14 and I'm sure there's a strategy for the remaining six, but can you talk a little bit about

KEVIN SHARP (14:44.33)
Haha.

Harsh Thakkar (14:48.228)
What was the vision behind having that partnership with the best companies in the world?

KEVIN SHARP (14:54.806)
Right. And just to note, it has been increased to 16 hours since that data point. So we've continued to get closer and closer to

Harsh Thakkar (14:59.993)
Okay, perfect.

KEVIN SHARP (15:09.802)
I think from Samsung Biologics point of view is really finding that there was a lot of similarities in terms of that shared vision that we have in terms of finding treatments to serve patients globally. And we've created an environment, an infrastructure that really helps support that both on the development and on the...

Harsh Thakkar (15:21.84)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (15:39.318)
commercial manufacturing side. having that shared vision, I think is a key foundation for being able to partner with some of the global pharmas like we have. But at the same time, we've found ways to really expand and find ways to diversify the relationship. it's not just, okay, we're going to call Samsung.

biologics for this unique individual need for antibodies, for example. We've grown over the years in terms of where are there opportunities, where is diversification happening within these clients, and how can we support that growth as well? And again, that comes in all forms in terms of our business model, which has grown over the years, where we've added preclinical

Harsh Thakkar (16:15.547)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (16:39.126)
development services, for example, to help support earlier programs pre -IND and leading into phase one. We've added drug product manufacturing, mRNA in 2022, and now ADC is coming online in early 2025. So it's part of that diversification model that we've been building that helps us grow with

Harsh Thakkar (16:50.885)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (17:05.928)
our customers at the same time. So we're seeing what their needs are, where their challenges are. And then we're supporting that by bringing that capability or added capacity into our network. So it's really working jointly, being transparent in terms of what those needs are, where the growth is, so that we can support them.

Harsh Thakkar (17:18.083)
Yeah.

Harsh Thakkar (17:29.484)
Yeah, and when you think about, you know, the selection of a CDMO or the initial conversations where these partnerships are formed, what is your thoughts on, like, what are some of the qualities that a CDMO should have to be able to establish sort of a long -term partnership? And maybe, are there some, you know, items that

biotech companies or their leadership is overlooking or not considering, but then they find out later down the road that they didn't bring up that in the earlier stages of the conversation of partnership with the CDMO.

KEVIN SHARP (18:09.94)
Right. I think for starters, there's the clear requirements in terms of quality, just overall assurance of supply and capability. Those are table stakes that you have to bring to the table from day one. So I'll kind of part those and then really focus on maybe some of the more intangible other areas once you kind of get beyond the foundation.

Harsh Thakkar (18:18.448)
Yeah.

Harsh Thakkar (18:27.981)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (18:40.506)
And I truly feel that the biggest component is really having a good relationship. What we do in this industry is really formed around relationships and trust. And that's critical in terms of building that with our partners, really from day one.

even before there's any deal signed, it's how do you interact from that first communication and you have to build that trust up over time through different ways before you even begin to execute on a program for them. But that continues throughout, it never goes away. You have to maintain and continue to build and off of that established trust that is made.

And part of that is just regular and routine communications, having those touch points at all levels and at all areas of the business. So it's not just the sales folks, it's the technical team, the quality team. They're all having their regular conversations at different levels within the organizations that really help build that trust. We've done that by expanding.

our commercial offices here in the US getting closer to our clients. We saw that was key. So in 2023, we set up offices here in the US, including the head sales office here in New Jersey, and really just trying to get in the backyard of our existing and potential clients to, again, just have better communications and build off of that trust with them.

Harsh Thakkar (20:25.423)
Right.

KEVIN SHARP (20:31.038)
So I think that's a key element in terms of being able to build and expand these relationships. And ultimately, you have to deliver. think that's at the end of the day. You can say all the things that sound great, but execution is paramount. And being able to deliver, do it quickly.

do it obviously again with the quality and making sure all the standards are met. But being able to execute, I've seen is really a differentiating factor in this industry because that's where the rubber hits the road in terms of can you really perform and deliver for the client.

Harsh Thakkar (21:21.508)
Yep, or even bring in expertise if, let's say if you hit a roadblock and you're maybe not able to deliver at the time or at the month or quarter that the project was planned, how do you quickly present your client with options like, hey, here's what's happening, here's the options, right? Because like you said, going back to that service mindset, I'm sure every client of yours,

has a priority of what they value from the relationship with Samsung and some value speed, some value communication, constant communication, and there's like a whole list of things. I work in consulting, so I already know how clients can be and it's difficult to meet all those demands.

KEVIN SHARP (22:09.118)
Right, yeah, no, I think, you when it comes to the roadblocks, we all hit them, right? It's natural, it's gonna happen. So then, you know, we start to think about flexibility, agility in terms of, you know, how quickly can you implement changes? And, you know, that's something SEMSOMBRIO, Biologics brings to the table. You know, we've been doing that even before we...

Harsh Thakkar (22:14.81)
Yeah, yeah.

Harsh Thakkar (22:21.797)
Mm -hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (22:36.864)
We had Samsung Biologics as a Samsung group and working in technology and it's part of our DNA in terms of how we operate. And how do we find ways, how do we innovate to find solutions when there are hiccups that do happen in our industry as we all well know? And then again, how quickly, how agile can we be to implement those strategies and those changes?

Harsh Thakkar (22:38.597)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (23:06.516)
to really provide that speed to deliver back to our clients. And again, that's another differentiating factor that can really separate the CDMOs in this space.

Harsh Thakkar (23:19.172)
Yeah, and I also wanted to ask you about, mentioned the different therapeutic areas and modalities, you mentioned ADC, right? So I know just by following the industry that that's an area that's rapidly advancing, but from your side, it requires tons of specialized skill set in terms of development and manufacturing. So how is Samsung Biologics keeping up with the demand of

like the whole ADC market and do you have any insights on just the market as a whole?

KEVIN SHARP (23:54.1)
Right. Yeah, no, definitely. I think, you know, adding the ADCs for us is part of our growth strategy as a company. have three pillars for our growth. One is capacity. So growing, adding more capacity to the market as it's needed. The second is geography. So how do we expand our geography and place ourselves in

different regions of the world to better support our clients. And then third is capability, which is what new modalities, what new technologies are we bringing to the industry? And that's exactly where the ADC falls within our capability strategic growth. And really we've seen an uptick really over the last probably two and a half years.

on the ADC side, while there's been ADCs in the market for longer than that, it's really just hit a spike in terms of overall treatment options within the industry. So with that, we've seen quite a bit of activity, both on the development side, but also on the &A side. We saw a lot of deals starting to close in 2023.

Harsh Thakkar (25:14.821)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (25:19.614)
The beginning of this year, we saw many more that were also closing in the beginning of the year, Q1, particularly revolving around ADCs and larger pharmas are acquiring companies products in this technology space. So it's evident that it's catching a lot of attention from a development standpoint, from a commercial ability standpoint.

Harsh Thakkar (25:40.165)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (25:49.654)
And we recognize that as, again, what's important for our clients, where is the growth and how can we support that? So with that, we've to complement our antibody manufacturing by adding the conjugation step where we can further support the supply chain, which happens to be very complex when you start to kind of peel the onion back a little bit.

Harsh Thakkar (26:06.66)
Hmm.

Harsh Thakkar (26:15.547)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (26:15.798)
ADCs have a lot more complexity in terms of different components that go into the manufacturing process, different standards in terms of safety and toxicity when it comes to a lot of the warheads that are added to the antibodies. So, to your point, Harsh, it's not just building a new facility, it's building a new capability.

And we've went ahead and brought in experts from around the world in terms of building a team that's really going to be able to execute from day one to support both commercial and clinical programs. We're adding both development labs for ADCs as well as full manufacturing through the clinic, as well as at scale for commercial manufacturing. And we're also tapping into

vast labor pool that we have in South Korea, where the biotech industry is significantly growing, a lot of it through Samsung Biologics as we've grown as a company. And really I've become the employer of choice in the biotech space in South Korea. So we have an influx of talent coming in through that channel, but then also finding experts globally on the ADC side to, again, be able to

Harsh Thakkar (27:24.218)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (27:45.066)
to immediately deliver and provide capabilities for development and manufacturing.

Harsh Thakkar (27:51.019)
Yeah, yeah. And I've said this before on the podcast, that I'm just, I work in mostly quality compliance and technology management side of things, but I'm just fascinated by how many therapeutic areas and how many new modalities and how many ways can we bring new medicines to patients and...

10 years ago, I didn't know any of these, but then over the last 10 years, I've worked with companies, I've worked with clients who are in this space. And I feel like, you know, every few years there's a new, you know, modality that comes in. There's tons of startups. And as an industry person, it's, it's good to learn that, you know, there is not just one way to improve human life or, you know, bring medicines. There's literally hundreds of mechanism of action and, know,

It's just fascinating to me to learn all of these.

KEVIN SHARP (28:49.334)
Right, no, definitely. And it's getting more diverse, right? We talked about it earlier. Over the past even five to 10 years, we've seen quite a growth in those different modalities, newer technologies. It's not like it used to be where it was more cut and dry and simple in terms of what the options were, not just for patients, but on the development side.

Harsh Thakkar (28:52.783)
Yes, yep.

Harsh Thakkar (29:09.232)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (29:17.82)
So it adds a layer of complexity in terms of, you know, where are you going to invest and how are you going to be able to support these programs as they eventually do become commercial. And that's part of the challenge for the industry and how CDMOs can play their role in being able to support that ecosystem.

Harsh Thakkar (29:40.268)
Yeah, I want to ask you another question for selfish reasons because I constantly work with biotech companies, even CDMOs, mostly on the software technology side of things. So maybe you can comment or share something about, like within Samsung Biologics, what is, like, are you having conversations around like,

emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, maybe robotics, automation. Can you give us a glimpse of what those conversations sound like without any confidential information?

KEVIN SHARP (30:19.043)
Yeah, no, no, definitely. think it's a great question in terms of where the industry is going because we're seeing a lot more. you know, first I'll start with overall concept of digital transformation. So that's a term you'll hear in the industry where we're seeing a lot more data driven activities.

that are happening both in the development space, but a lot in the manufacturing space in terms of monitoring the progress of a product being manufactured. And how do we capture that data? How do we leverage it, utilize it to improve the the manufacturability of the product? Doing it real time?

Harsh Thakkar (30:52.325)
Hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (31:15.114)
And then as a CDMO, how do we share that with our clients real time as well, right? Because that's a critical component for them to really understand what's happening as it's happening. You know, instead of, you know, thinking back, you just have to wait, right, until the batch is done and is it successful or not. So now we're seeing a lot more technology being integrated through automation, through monitoring.

Harsh Thakkar (31:20.173)
Yes.

KEVIN SHARP (31:44.702)
of the equipments and the process. So that digital transformation is real, it's happening. Samsung is, we're beneficial in terms of being a technology company more broadly. So we're tapping into our knowledge, our innovation mindset to really bring platforms and technologies to the forefront. We started to do...

something during the COVID times in terms of real -time interaction for our facilities because travel was limited at the time. We created a platform that allowed for virtual tours, which then ultimately got used for inspections by regulatory agencies.

Harsh Thakkar (32:38.242)
nice

KEVIN SHARP (32:39.57)
some first inspections were done using that technology where inspection inspectors weren't even present in the facility. So, you know, it's things like that that Samsung is able to bring to the table. I think beyond that, in terms of the digital transformation, you mentioned AI, and it's definitely more than just the buzzword these days within the industry. It's being used by our partners.

Harsh Thakkar (32:47.269)
Mmm.

KEVIN SHARP (33:07.614)
They're still trying to figure out how to use it best from all areas, early research and development through to manufacturing, even via commercial models and looking at ways to tap into AI on ways to just improve and just advance the progress that's being made. So it's definitely a space that

that we're playing in as well. We have some internal overall development within the Samsung group that we're leveraging and tapping into as well. But I think it's quickly evolving. No one's an expert at this time. You know, if they tell you that they are, they're not, because it's definitely, it's fast moving, it's early, but it's here to stay and it's gonna be a part of the future. So it's something we're closely looking at.

Harsh Thakkar (33:39.088)
Yep.

Harsh Thakkar (33:51.993)
Yes, yeah.

Harsh Thakkar (33:57.094)
the

Harsh Thakkar (34:01.082)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (34:07.08)
implementing step by step and doing it in the right way that's going to be beneficial for not just us but our clients and patients as

Harsh Thakkar (34:18.596)
Right, right, and you brought up a very good point about leveraging the internal knowledge that Samsung Group has because we all know if you looked at some of the Samsung fridge and washing machines, the high -end ones, they have AI capabilities, tons of things you can do with just tapping from your phone. AI is not new.

for Samsung, it might be new for the kind of space that you are in or you might be experimenting. And you also mentioned another point, which is, yes, nobody's an expert, but that also means there's a lot of opportunities to become an expert or to be the first mover in that space. That's kind of like my direction there, working with clients, because I worked on some projects, AI projects. They're not...

They're basically proof of concepts where companies are testing different things to see what works. And another thing I wanted to add there is there's also a lot of legislation. maybe you've heard of the EU AI Act that was passed. It's like 470 pages. And, you know, the first reaction pharma had is like, Hey, this is going to stop innovation. can't, we haven't even gone to implementing AI and you're giving us like a...

470 page document with all these boundaries. So yeah, there's a lot going on with that.

KEVIN SHARP (35:51.86)
Yeah, for sure. And I think we all need to be mindful of that, be nimble, because we will need to understand how it will be regulated. We're used to that as an industry in terms of certain regulations. I don't think that's unexpected. So it's something we definitely are keeping a close eye on as

Harsh Thakkar (36:01.402)
Yep.

Harsh Thakkar (36:15.396)
Yeah, listen, this has been amazing conversation. I know we're running out of time, but I wanna ask you maybe a little bit, going into a non -technical side of things, just about the success you've had in the industry, the success you've had at Samsung Biologics, what are some qualities that you bring to the table that make you an effective leader that maybe you can share with somebody?

who wants to achieve the same level of success.

KEVIN SHARP (36:46.666)
Right. Now, I think, you know, it really, I think, boils down to really understanding the environment and understanding the client and listening. think, you know, a lot of times it's just understanding what the problem is and then finding a solution for that problem after understanding where are the pain points.

Harsh Thakkar (36:57.466)
Yep.

Harsh Thakkar (37:08.922)
Mm -hmm.

KEVIN SHARP (37:16.458)
and then bringing other experiences into the conversation that can help create a solution that maybe wasn't so evident in the first instance. So, you know, really focusing on the customer and understanding what their needs are is critical. I think then moving into, you know, operational, right, you have to deliver.

Right? So having that operational excellence is key. We talked about quality. Quality excellence is right at the top. And then lastly, you know, it's people excellence. So the people we have is critical, right? They're the ones doing the work day in and day out. So how do we create an environment for our people where it's an environment for success?

Harsh Thakkar (37:50.021)
Yeah.

KEVIN SHARP (38:12.884)
an environment for collaboration and working and finding solutions and delivering for our clients. you know, really looking at those four pillars is something as a leader, both as a company and personally that I like to bring to the table every day.

Harsh Thakkar (38:27.536)
Yep.

Harsh Thakkar (38:34.756)
Yeah, and we all know that the life sciences is a small world and you might run into people that you worked with before or there's new talent coming in because of layoffs or downsizing or whatever. So anybody that's interested in maybe pursuing a role at Samsung Biologics, can you share maybe one or two things that you love about either your role or the company in general?

KEVIN SHARP (39:01.46)
Right. Yeah, no, definitely think, well, my role, I love just being with the clients every day. It's what I do because I truly have a passion for it and finding just ways to create better relationships. But I think as a company, again, Samsung Biologics has created an environment for success of its employees.

Harsh Thakkar (39:07.599)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (39:29.654)
but also an environment where we value the employees as well. We were voted the number one biotech company to work for in South Korea. Number two overall for the number one workplace. Number one was Samsung Electronics. So they've had that for think over 10 years. So hard to knock them off. But it's really, again, creating a work environment where

Harsh Thakkar (39:33.371)
Hmm.

Harsh Thakkar (39:49.91)
and yet

KEVIN SHARP (40:00.896)
where everyone is valued and that's something Samsung has done a really great job of.

It's something that makes me happy every day coming to work.

Harsh Thakkar (40:13.974)
Yeah, that's great to hear. And like I said, thank you so much for everything you've shared. I love the insights that you shared about the CDMO industry, about new modalities like ADC, and just everything that you're doing in your role. It's very insightful to hear. Before we drop off any final words for the listeners or...

Do you wanna share how they can connect with you or learn more about Samsung Biologics?

KEVIN SHARP (40:44.928)
Right. No, I think, you know, in terms of final words, you know, we talked about the CDMO space. I see it continuing to grow. And it's one where it's growing because those relationships that are being established are really forming and are forming off of the trust that's out there. So I see this as a space that will continue to evolve. The investment will be

Harsh Thakkar (40:53.346)
Mm.

KEVIN SHARP (41:14.514)
continued in this space so we can better support the clients. In terms of outreach, Samsung Biologics through our US offices here, we have in New Jersey, San Francisco and Boston, always available to have any type of conversation, whether it's just to talk about what's happening in the industry, I'm always available, or to talk about a particular project.

Harsh Thakkar (41:31.555)
Yep.

KEVIN SHARP (41:44.148)
be more than happy to support. I'm definitely accessible through LinkedIn and through our website as well. So I'd love to have some further conversations within the industry and keep the topic going and see how things evolve.

Harsh Thakkar (42:03.142)
Yeah, yeah, and we'll add those links to the show notes so the audience can find the website and your LinkedIn. But yeah, thank you so much again for coming on, Kevin. It was amazing to have the conversation with you. Next time I talk to you, I wanna hear you got all the top 20, because you have four more left. But yeah, I'll be cheering for you from the sidelines.

KEVIN SHARP (42:28.786)
Excellent great. Nope. Appreciate it. I appreciate the time today and look forward to seeing you again soon Alright, bye

Harsh Thakkar (42:35.076)
All right, thank you, Kevin.