Leadership

Meet Our Experienced Leadership Team

Dr. Prasad Raje, CEO

Dr. Prasad Raje joined LGM Pharma as CEO in 2018 with the goal of growing the organization to better serve our customers. With leadership experience across analytical testing laboratories, drug substance, and drug product, he has overseen LGM’s expansion from a leading API sourcing organization for global pharmaceutical companies to an end-to-end contract development and manufacturing organization featuring: a network of prequalified API manufacturers, well over 100,000-square-feet of US-based development and manufacturing facilities and equipment, and expert regulatory and analytical testing services.

Born and raised in India and educated in India and the US, Prasad’s extensive pharmaceutical career includes consulting and leadership roles at both large and small, public and private organizations. Most recently he was president, CEO, and board member of Nanotherapeutics, Inc.; senior vice president and head of the life sciences division at EAG Laboratories; vice president of development and manufacturing at Cambridge Major Laboratories (now Alcami); and President of Smithers Pharma Services and EVP and Managing Director of Smithers Viscient Laboratories. Prior to that he held several roles at AMRI Global leading to president and managing director at AMRI India.

He earned his PhD in organic chemistry at Auburn University.

Hamilton Lenox, SVP of Business Development & Operations

Hamilton joined LGM Pharma in late 2018 to lead the organization’s business development and marketing transformation under Dr. Raje’s visionary leadership. He brings to LGM 20+ years of experience in the drug development sector, leading BD, sales, and marketing teams for CDMOs in the US, Europe, Japan, China, and India. Hamilton’s expertise and knowledge of the small molecule, biologic, peptide, and oligonucleotide drug development markets has allowed LGM to expand our service offering and better assist our clients. Prior to LGM, Hamilton held leadership roles at CPC Scientific, a peptide-focused CDMO; Nitto Denko Avecia, an oligonucleotide CDM; and Neuland Laboratories, a small molecule & generics manufacturing organization. Hamilton earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from DePaul University, his master’s in biochemistry from Northwestern University, and an MBA from Florida International University.

Shailesh Vengurlekar, SVP Quality & Regulatory Affairs

Shailesh joined LGM Pharma in 2019, bringing extensive CMC, regulatory, and management experience in NDA, ANDA, and BLA submissions. He also has a proven track record in process development, formulation, analytical and bioanalytical method development, supply chain, metabolism, and other non-clinical studies. With 35+ years in the pharmaceutical industry, Shailesh makes effective use of science to drive quality, operational, and business efficiency. He has been able to rapidly create strategy into a guiding vision in a change-oriented environment.

Prior to LGM, he was VP of Pharmaceutical Development at Palatin Tech; and a manager at Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals, and Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories. Shailesh began his career as an analytical development scientist.

Ian Gibson, EVP Operations

Ian leads LGM operations for our CDMO business. He joined LGM in 2020, having held various roles of increasing responsibility with Nexgen Pharma and its predecessor Anabolic Laboratories.

He started his career in geotechnical engineering, then became a pharmaceutical production engineer at Anabolic Labs. Throughout his Nexgen career, he served as VP Operations, overseeing three plants and a major remodel; as President, overseeing Rx sales, R&D, Quality, and Manufacturing and Packaging Operations; as Assistant CFO; and, most recently, EVP Rx Operations, overseeing 2 plants for oral solid dose and semi-solid/liquid dosage forms.

Ian earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Virginia Tech and an MBA from the University of Hawaii.

Deepak Thassu, SVP R&D and Regulatory Submission

As part of the Nexgen acquisition, Deepak joined LGM in 2020 to lead our integrated R&D and regulatory submissions teams for our CDMO clients. A senior strategic and technical leader, Deepak leverages scientific and business acumen to drive R&D, regulatory CMC, and commercialization efforts. He has launched commercial products with several US and EU patents and handled submissions for NDAs, ANDAs, BLAs, and medical devices. Prior to joining Nexgen in 2015 to lead the R&D and Regulatory groups, Deepak was managing director at Actavis, Chief Scientific Officer and VP of pharmaceutical development at PharmaNova, CSO and SVP of pharma development at Holopack International, and associate director of Global Pharmaceutical Development and Technology at UCB Pharma inc. He earned his master’s in Pharmaceutics from Saugor University, and PhD and post-doctoral training from the University of Cincinnati in Pharmaceutical Sciences. He earned MBAs from Cornell University (general business administration and finance) and Queen’s University.

Richard Goitia, VP Finance & Accounting

Richard joined LGM Pharma in 2019 to lead the Company’s finance organization. Richard has more than 15 years of accounting and finance experience across a variety of industries, including real estate, telecommunications, and pharmaceutical. He has led teams through finance due diligence projects (two transactions valued at approximately $750 million); relocated the accounting function of a $25 million government division as part of a cost optimization project; led multiple teams through process and internal control optimization projects (acquisitions / system conversions) and is experienced with US Securities and Exchange Commission reporting.

Previously he served as Corporate Controller at both BTI Partners and EMC (Expanding Mobile Connectivity), Assistant Controller at Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), and other accounting roles at BFC Financial and Broadspire.

Richard was born in the US and was raised in Venezuela, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Zulia, one of the largest universities of Venezuela.