Samanta Cimitan appointed as CEO of the Celonic Group

Celonic Group, a Swiss-based Biologics Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), has appointed Dr. Samanta Cimitan as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Celonic Group, a subsidiary of the independent and privately owned J.RETTENMAIER & Söhne Company (JRS Group).

Samanta succeeds Dr. Konstantin Matentzoglu, who will step down after 9 years as CEO. During his tenure, Konstantin successfully repositioned the Celonic brand as a premium CDMO, delivered significant growth, and facilitated corporate development and strategic alliances. Konstantin Matentzoglu intends to remain a Member of the Celonic Board and will support Samanta during the transition.

With more than 20 years of experience working, teaching, and studying Life Sciences, Samanta is an expert in the CDMO industry, holding a deep and unique combination of scientific, commercial, and operational know-how.

Samanta joined Celonic in June 2022 as Chief Business Officer (CBO). During this time, she quickly articulated a new strategic direction for the Celonic business, solidified customer relationships, and accelerated innovation.

Prior to Celonic, Samanta was with Lonza for almost 13 years, holding several leadership positions across multiple commercial and strategy roles, including Vice President of Lonza Group Operations Strategy, developing and leading transformational programs across R&D, Operations and Commercial functions. Samanta holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Bologna, Italy, along with a master’s degree in Industrial Chemistry.

Josef Otto Rettenmaier, Chairman of the JRS Group: “I am excited to welcome Samanta to the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). She is a respected leader with an impressive track record. Her appointment will further solidify Celonic’s commitment to be a quality, world-class Biologics CDMO bringing life-saving drugs to the market. With her expertise, Samanta will help drive accelerated growth and long-term success for Celonic at this pivotal time.”

Dr. Samanta Cimitan says: “It is an honor to be appointed CEO of the Celonic Group. I am energized to leverage the talent, expertise and passion of the entire Celonic organization to meet and exceed our customer expectations and bring game-changing technologies to the market”.