Aldevron Names Biomanufacturing Veteran Henry Hebel as New Chief Operating Officer

Henry Hebel has been named Chief Operating Officer of Aldevron, a leading global provider of contract plasmid DNA manufacturing, protein production and antibody discovery services. 

 

Hebel will guide strategy and global planning, customer service, procurement, sourcing, supply chain and global operations of the company’s facilities in Fargo, N.D., Madison, Wisc., and Freiberg, Germany. He will be heavily involved in the construction, startup, and certification of the company’s new 70,000 square foot GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) biologics manufacturing facility in Fargo, part of Aldevron’s new seven-acre corporate campus.

 

“We are excited to welcome Henry to the Aldevron team,” said Michael Chambers, the company’s CEO. “His commitment to biomanufacturing excellence is unsurpassed.” Chambers added that Aldevron will soon reach 200 employees to meet the requirements of the rapidly expanding antibody, cell and gene therapy industries.

 

“I am honored to be joining Aldevron at a pivotal point in the company’s evolution,” said Hebel. “Aldevron has an excellent reputation in the industry and has been serving a global client base for the past two decades.”

Hebel has more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical manufacturing experience. Most recently, he served as vice-president of operations for Aeglea Biotherapeutics of Austin, Texas, where he was responsible for strategic and operational planning.

Previously he served as vice-president of drug development for Terapio, also in Austin, where he successfully developed a radiation countermeasure product allowing entry into government countermeasure development programs. 

Additionally, Hebel was chief operating officer of VGXI (previously known as ADViSYS), of Houston, Texas, where he led cGMP plasmid DNA production in support of FDA and USDA clinical submissions. VGXI successfully obtained regulatory approval for the world’s first commercial plasmid-based gene therapy.

 

Prior to his work at VGXI, Hebel served as key account manager at Qiagen, in a strategic joint venture known as the “pAlliance,” which was focused on contract plasmid DNA production. His early career included work as senior manager of bioprocessing for GeneMedicine, and he has experience in antibody product development and manufacturing at Tanox Biosystems.

 

Hebel holds a Bachelor of Science in Zoology and an MBA from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He has been awarded multiple patents and dozens of his writings have been published in industry journals.

Hebel succeeds Ron Robson, who recently retired as Aldevron’s COO after 18 years with the company.