Astraveus Appoints New COO and CTO to Advance Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory

Astraveus has appointed Didier Masson as Chief Operating Officer and Ken Kotz as Chief Technology Officer, announced in a press release. The appointments aim to strengthen the company’s leadership team as it advances development of its Lakhesys Benchtop Cell Factory.

Masson brings over 20 years of experience in operations across pharma, biotech, and medtech, most recently serving as COO at Quantoom Biosciences. At Astraveus, he will oversee operations including scaling of the Lakhesys platform and establishing cross-functional processes for manufacturing and supply chain management.

Kotz joins as CTO with more than two decades of experience in life sciences innovation. He previously served as Director of Process Development at bluebird bio, contributing to the commercialization of Lyfgenia and leading long-term strategy efforts. His expertise spans microfluidic bioprocessing, optical systems design, and cell therapy manufacturing.

These appointments follow earlier additions to the leadership team, including Jean-Paul Mangeolle as Chairman, David Newble as Independent Board Member, and Laurence Riot Lamotte as CFO, marking continued momentum for Astraveus in cell therapy manufacturing innovation.