Sterling Snapshot | James Rogers, EVP and Site Head at Deeside

29th Aug 2023

Executive Vice President and Site Head, James Rogers, has over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, previously holding roles such as Vice President of Manufacturing and Supply Chain and Site Director.

James RogersCan you give us an overview of your career to date?

I was always interested in science at school and I eventually went on to study Biologic Sciences at the University of Birmingham. After university, I got a job as an Analyst at Abbott UK, before moving onto their graduate scheme. This provided me with various opportunities to move around departments, getting to know each business area. The experience I gained during this role was invaluable to my career development, acquiring skills in everything from chemistry to management.

In 2007, the site I worked at was purchased by Aesica Pharmaceuticals. This provided me with a very different experience as I transitioned from working for a larger company to a smaller contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) and so the work, dynamic and culture changed.

During my time at Aesica, I completed my master’s degree in Lean Operations at Cardiff University. This degree taught me the principles, tools and techniques of operational excellence and how to improve processes to meet customer needs which has greatly benefited me in my role today. I eventually moved into departmental and site leadership roles at Aesica, which gave me a very broad base of experience which has proven invaluable to my career.

After my time at Aesica, I joined a company called BTG, which was an organisation originally set-up to commercialise British intellectual property but had moved to focus on healthcare. I worked for them running a small site that manufactured sterile drug, device combinations and medical devices, including a treatment for varicose veins. From there I moved into a group role, running four manufacturing sites globally that supplied products to meet our customers’ needs.

I met Kevin Cook and Andrew Henderson for the first time whilst working at Aesica. I really resonated with Kevin’s values and liked where the business was heading, so when the opportunity arose to join them at Sterling, it was an opportunity I could not turn down. I joined originally as Head of Manufacturing and Supply, and that title evolved as we began to acquire more global facilities, leading me on to become EVP and Site Head at our Cramlington site. In 2024, I moved to our Deeside facility to take on the role of EVP and Site Head in Wales.

It is my responsibility to ensure our Deeside site delivers for our customers with a high degree of focus on health, safety, environment and quality. I want to ensure we meet, if not exceed, expectations in all areas for our customers and our employees.

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ROLE

Executive Vice President and Site Head, Deeside

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JOINED STERLING 

January 2020

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EDUCATION

MSc in Lean Operations, Cardiff University

BSc in Biologic Sciences, University of Birmingham

How has your previous experience supported you in your role as EVP and Site Head of the Deeside facility?

Experience is incredibly important, as it helps guide your decision making and how you react to issues when they arise. I’ve been lucky to work with some great organisations and people, which has helped me develop a good understanding of what our customers expect from us and how we can support their projects.

Throughout my career, I have headed up a variety of pharmaceutical sites which has provided me with the knowledge and skills needed to support myself and my colleagues in my current position. Antibody drug conjugation is where biology meets chemistry, so my background is essential to this role; my previous experience is a helpful aid whilst running an ADC facility.

How do you ensure we are meeting our customers’ requirements?

At Sterling, we take a partnership approach. This means understanding our customers’ needs and ensuring we meet our commitments to them. We aim to be flexible in order to help us meet our customers’ requirements, so we make sure to tailor our approach to what works best for our customers. Some customers want a high level of involvement whilst their project is with us, and other don’t want as frequent updates, so they can be as immersed as they want to be.

What are your top priorities for the Deeside facility?

Beyond Sterling’s overall organisational priorities of safety, quality, and delivery, which take precedence for us here at Deeside, leading the site through to the next stage of its lifecycle through expansion and investment is another top priority I hope to achieve. With the vast amount of market opportunity available within the pharmaceutical industry, our goal is to offer GMP clinical services to the ADC world and become a cutting-edge component of modern medicine.

At Sterling, we take a partnership approach. This means understanding our customers’ needs and ensuring we meet our commitments to them.

What are some of the things that set the Deeside facility apart?

At Deeside, we have scientists who have been involved with ADCs since their first inception and have worked on some of the few ADCs that have made it to commercial launch, as well as a host of experts in conjugation. The team have vast amounts of knowledge and bring the skill and expertise in ADC development, all the way through to clinical manufacture.

We bring Sterling’s partnership management approach to our ADC customers; partnership is all about successful communication with clients to meet their needs. If potential customers are seeking a partnership with a personalised service for their bioconjugation project, then Deeside is the place.

What’s next for the Deeside facility?

We will continue to offer GMP services to market, whilst building upon our capacity and capabilities. New investment into the site as part of our ongoing, long-term strategy, will aid in the development of our manufacturing and analytical potential, and meet the changing needs of our customers as the market grows. We hope to become a key powerhouse of conjugation proficiency in the U.K.

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