Management Team

A complex product development journey demands people who are up to the challenge.

Our teams draw on decades of experience to serve the complex needs of pharmaceutical manufacturers and regulated life science companies.

Chief Executive Officer

Ms Yadlapalli has worked in the bio-pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years and brings extensive global industry and regulatory expertise in small molecules, innovator drugs, generics, and biosimilars. Yadlapalli has held leadership positions in fortune 500 and international companies, in finance, business development, strategic marketing and regulatory affairs. Prior to Pharmatech, she served as Vice President, International Government and Regulatory Affairs at US Pharmacopeia (USP). As Regional Director of South Asia at USP, Yadlapalli worked extensively to support manufacturers to supply quality medicines to all major markets and held senior-level positions at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Johnson & Johnson. She is a CHIEF member, a network of women executive leaders in the US, holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the Indian School of Business, a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University, and a B.B.M in Accounting from Bangalore University.

Chief Science Officer

Bikash Chatterjee has worked in the bio-pharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, medical device and diagnostics industry for over 30 years, guiding the successful approval of a dozen new products within the U.S. and Europe. Chatterjee has developed and transferred products and processes to satellite operations and CMOs throughout his career, designing and implementing systems to satisfy the requirements for ICH Q8, Q9, and Q10, e-pedigree, risk-based validation, and developing a six sigma-based methodology to support the PAT initiative. He is an ISO 9000 certified lead assessor and six sigma / lean manufacturing master black belt. Chatterjee is a member of the USP national advisory board, past chairman of the Golden Gate Chapter of the American Society of Quality (ASQ. Chatterjee is a regular editorial contributor to several industry journals, serves on the editorial advisory board for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical Technology, and is a founding member of the CPhl expert industry advisory board. Chatterjee is the author of "Applying Lean Six Sigma in the Pharmaceutical Industry” (ISBN: 978-0-566-09204-6). He holds a B.A. in biochemistry and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California at San Diego.

Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Snyder is a proven leader with 25 years of experience in developing, implementing, and optimizing operational and financial processes. He has a successful track record in strategic executive leadership with small businesses that provide business services, consulting services, and technology services. Snyder uses a consultative approach, drawing on his diverse professional background working in many industries, for companies of varying size, and in different roles. Prior to joining Pharmatech Associates, he held executive leadership positions at TMA Direct and as an outsourced COO/CFO for various entities. Snyder also held consulting management positions at Cizer Software, INTIEX, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. He has consulted for the Executive Office of the President (EOP), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), United States Postal Service (USPS), International Air Transport Association (IATA), Air Transport Association (ATA), and MCI Communications (MCI).

Executive Vice President

Claudia Lin is a biotech veteran with over 30 years of experience in multi-national companies and startups in the U.S., EU and China working in life cycle biologics product development, manufacturing, and quality. A global supply chain expert, Claudia’s work focuses on phase-appropriate product development, quality management, and regulatory compliance for all biologics. She holds a PhD in cell and molecular biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Managing Director

Stephanie Gaulding has over 25 years working with quality management systems and validation program management in the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and related life science industries. She develops and delivers efficient and sustainable quality management systems assuring compliance with global regulatory requirements and industry best practices to help start-up and industry-leading clients pass regulatory inspections and achieve their desired results. Gaulding has held quality management leadership positions at Mediatech and Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals. She is an ASQ certified quality auditor and ASQ certified pharmaceutical GMP professional. Gaulding is actively involved in PDA, ISPE, and ASQ through co-teaching ISPE’s “Applying Quality Risk Management” course, as a member leader in the ASQ Human Development and Leadership Division, participating in the certified pharmaceutical GMP professional exam development process, and serving on the PDA member newsletter editorial committee. She holds a M.Sc. in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins and a B.Sc. in biology from Virginia Tech.

Executive Director, Marketing

Ms. Buechler has 20 years of experience in b2b marketing and event planning and manages the marketing department at Pharmatech Associates. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native and member of the American Marketing Association. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the ISPE Women in Pharma Global Steering Committee. ISPE's Women in Pharma group is a member-exclusive initiative committed to bridging gender, cultural, organizational, and geographic boundaries to maximize the impact women have on the pharmaceutical industry, and their respective communities. The steering committee meets this mission by providing program guidance and mentorship.

Practice Lead, Head of Sales

Richard Steiner, a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in sales, currently leads the Pharmaceutical Continuous Manufacturing focus area and is the Head of Sales for Pharmatech Associates. Richard's extensive career includes notable leadership roles, such as heading the Leistritz business unit in Pharma Extrusion before joining GEA in 2012. At GEA Pharma Systems, he excelled as the Global Sales Director for Continuous Processing Technologies. A distinguished expert in continuous manufacturing, Richard is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and a frequent contributor to trade journals and scientific textbooks. His passion lies in advocating for the implementation of continuous processing in the pharmaceutical industry (PCM). Richard's wealth of knowledge is backed by a solid educational foundation, having attended the University of Applied Sciences in Nuernberg and the FU University of Berlin. He holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering (Dipl. Ing.), MBM, and MBA. With a proven track record of success and a commitment to advancing pharmaceutical continuous manufacturing, Richard Steiner continues to make significant contributions to the industry through his leadership, insights, and dedication.

Head of Operations, Western US

Wai Wong has over 20 years of equipment, facility, and process validation experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and biologic industries, and has earned an international reputation for expertise navigating the complex requirements of the FDA, EU and PIC/s compliance. Prior to joining Pharmatech in August 2005, Wong was the West Coast regional validation manager for Fluor Enterprises, and a senior validation engineer at Nektar Therapeutics, formerly Inhale Therapeutic Systems. He began his biopharmaceutical industry career at Genentech as an aseptic filling technician and was promoted to a process engineer role responsible for introducing new equipment and processes into Genentech’s fill-finish operation for both clinical and commercial manufacturing. Wong has authored multiple articles relating to the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. He is a six-sigma green belt has been involved in many FMEA exercises at numerous client sites. He holds a B.A. in molecular and cell biology with emphasis on biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.

Practice Lead

Peter Rafa serves as executive director of Project Design and Startup. His focus is to engage with Pharmatech clients to define project scope, roles and responsibilities, and expectations prior to contract award, ensuring that the Pharmatech team integrates within the project environment. Rafa began his career at Pharmatech in 2001 as a validation engineer. Since then, he has become a recognized leader in manufacturing facility startup and qualification, equipment qualification of solid dosage and aseptic processes, and computerized systems validation. Rafa has extensive experience in designing and implementing quality management systems (QMS) primarily in the startup environment for biologics, devices, and other new regulated therapeutic arenas. He is dedicated to providing high caliber, above and beyond service to Pharmatechs’ clients and is thrilled by the challenge of each individual opportunity. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Practice Lead

John Aikens has over 20 years of experience in leadership for innovative cell and gene therapy companies including supporting strategic partnerships through resourcing and project management in addition to operational oversight. He has served in advisory roles to startups assisting in technology translation, business development, partnerships and investor backed fund raising. Aikens has founded and operated multiple biotechnology companies including Lybradyn, a contract service organization, which collaborated with clients to mature bioprocesses from discovery to commercial scale. His experience extends from pharmaceuticals to food and sustainable energy. Dr. Aikens holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Irvine and studied biochemistry and biophysics through a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. As the Biologics Practice Lead for Pharmatech Associates he works with clients to accelerate growth and advises on developing and commercializing innovative biologic products.

Practice Lead

Joel Sanchez-Castro has over 25 years of experience specializing in quality management systems (QMS), auditing, remediation, vendor qualification and oversight, and operational excellence within the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, radiopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cell and gene therapy sectors. With a passion for helping companies achieve and maintain regulatory compliance across the entire drug development lifecycle, from discovery to commercialization, Sanchez-Castro brings not only a comprehensive understanding of global regulations and standards but also a practical approach to their implementation. He remains abreast of industry trends and best practices, ensuring smooth navigation of the complexities of drug manufacturing quality and compliance. Sanchez-Castro’s leadership and communication skills empower teams to drive operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives. He cultivates a collaborative environment where all stakeholders work together to meet regulatory milestones. Fluent in both English and Spanish, he is committed to bridging language barriers and achieving favorable outcomes for your most challenging issues and holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico and a certificate in Clinical Trials Operations from Johns Hopkins University.

Head of PMO

Michele Levenson has over 20 years’ experience in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, and medical device/diagnostic industries, with an emphasis on process, equipment, utility, facility, computer, and automation validation and project and people management. Levenson’s areas of expertise include equipment/facility/utility/automation commissioning & qualification, quality management systems, statistical analyses, process design, and process validation. Her expertise spans solid dose manufacturing delivery systems to aseptic biotech processes and drug delivery systems. Throughout her career she has been involved with process and technology transfers, process optimization and redesign projects, and cell culture fermentation operations. Levenson is extensively involved in leading commissioning and qualification mission critical projects for gene therapy, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies. She is often engaged in remediation activities for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are under regulatory action specifically for Process Validation in the U.S. and has been involved in the development of policies and procedures for process validation programs deployed around the world. Levenson is a lean / six sigma green belt and certified project management professional (PMP). She holds an executive MBA from Saint Mary’s College of California, and a B.S. degree in general life sciences with a minor in Spanish from Penn State University.

Founder

Calvin Wong has been active in the biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, and food industries for more than 40 years, in operations, engineering, technical services, and validation management for many biotech and pharmaceutical companies, including Syntex Laboratories. Wong founded Pharmatech Validation Services in 1995 to work with the leading pharmaceutical and biotech clients in Asia and North America, providing basis of design and conceptual design development for GMP pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing facilities, comprising commissioning, qualification and validation program development, project and protocol development, technology transfer, NDA submissions for drugs and combination products, regulatory compliance guidance, audits and remediation, QMS development, lean six sigma training, business strategy development and tactical deployment. He holds a B.A. in microbiology from the University of California at Berkeley, and lives with his wife in the San Francisco Bay Area.