Life sciences executive to join Patheon

Gilles Cottier to lead the company’s PDS business.

The appointment of Cottier is part of a larger realignment effort by the company to create three distinct business segments – drug product services (DPS), drug substance services (DSS) and PDS. This will help the company forge deeper relationships with clients and employ new business models to help clients simplify their supply chain management activities. Patheon’s three business segments are led by key executives: Franco Negron for DPS, Lukas Utiger for DSS and now Cottier for PDS.

Cottier will assume the responsibilities for the PDS business from Michael Lehmann who was leading both Global PDS and Global Sales and Marketing. Lehmann will now focus on the Sales and Marketing function to support the expanding number of new business opportunities and increasing complexity of client relationships.

“Gilles brings a wealth of relevant experience in the life science and technology sector, including the manufacture of chemical and biochemical compounds, contract manufacturing and commercial services,” said Mullen. “I’d also like to thank Mike Lehmann for his outstanding leadership of the PDS business during his tenure. We established ourselves as the global market leader of PDS services.”

Cottier joins Patheon from Sigma-Aldrich Corporation where he was executive vice president and president of the Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals (SAFC) Commercial Unit overseeing the contract manufacturing and the commercial services business unit which achieved more than $700 million in sales in 2014.

Cottier held numerous positions of increasing responsibility at Sigma-Aldrich during his more than 25 years with the company. He earned a master’s degree in organic chemistry from the Ecole Supérieure de Chimie Industrielle de Lyon, France and advanced management program from the Harvard Business School in Boston, MA.