Panel: CDMO Strategic Inflection Point: From Capacity Provider to Innovation Architect
Day 3 Manufacturing 5.0 Stage
08/10/2026 10:30 - 11:15am
Contributors
Bernardo Estupinan : Managing Director - CDMO Advisor LLC
Kjeldsen Lauren : Chief Operating Officer Custom Solutions (COO), Executive Board Member - Evonik Industries AG
Eduardo Jule : Chief Commercial Officer - Lupin Manufacturing Solutions
Ravi Rai : General Manager & Site Head, Chemical Development - CURIA Global Inc.
Hubert Scholze : Chief Business Officer - Rezon Bio
Allyson Costa : Executive Director Sales – Advanced Synthesis - Lonza
The CDMO industry has reached a strategic inflection point where competitive advantage no longer comes from simply offering capacity or geographic reach. Success is now defined by three converging forces: selective partnership models, execution excellence in complex modalities, and digital manufacturing readiness.
This panel brings together CDMO leaders to discuss how they're repositioning their organisations as innovation architects who co-create manufacturing solutions with pharma partners.
Key Discussion Points:
- Strategic selectivity and partnership evolution: How CDMOs are choosing projects that align with core capabilities and positioning themselves as strategic partners rather than overflow capacity in an era of pharma consolidation.
- Execution excellence as competitive moat: Investing in quality systems, regulatory readiness, and tech transfer efficiency to differentiate in a market where access to the right capacity—not just any capacity—determines success.
- Digital manufacturing deployment: Moving AI-driven quality monitoring, digital twins, and predictive analytics from pilot projects to production-scale implementation that delivers measurable ROI and meets pharma partners' demands for real-time visibility.