NewsABL appoints Stéphanie Colloud as
general manager and chief operating
officer to lead European activities
Internal promotion marks key milestone in company’s expansion and starting point for new
roadmap focused on upstream and downstream R&D activity for GMP production platforms forgene and cell therapies.
ABL, a pure play Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with specialized
expertise in the development and manufacturing of solutions for biopharma, including viruses forgene therapy, oncolytic viruses and vaccine candidates, today announces the appointment ofStéphanie Colloud as general manager and chief operating officer (COO) for Europe. In her new role,
she will be responsible for operations at the Lyon and Strasbourg development and clinicalproduction sites, leading a team of 160 staff.
Ms. Colloud’s priorities include strengthening ABL’s R&D work in its GMP production platforms for
Adeno Associated Viruses (AAV) and LentiViruses (LV), both internally and in conjunction with partnercompanies. She will also pilot the launch of a commercial production facility equipped withbioreactors, up to 2,000 liters, at the Strasbourg site, and enhance quality control procedures.
Stéphanie’s appointment comes at a pivotal juncture within ABL’s new ‘Gene to Cell’ development
strategy, aimed at ensuring that the company can meet customer requirements as effectively as
possible and adapt to changing market conditions.
“After almost five years of working at ABL, it’s a real privilege to have been selected for the roles ofgeneral manager and COO,” said Ms. Colloud. “I’m excited about this opportunity to take a leadingrole in driving the business forward and in helping ensure that ABL becomes a key player in the viralvector market.”Over the course of her career at ABL, Stéphanie Colloud has gained a vast working knowledge of thecompany’s sites and teams. After joining the company in 2018, she was appointed director of theLyon site. For the past four years, she has successfully expanded the site’s operations, significantly
growing staff numbers from six to 70 and increasing the turnover sevenfold. She also headed up thedevelopment of the AAV platform at the Lyon site and established a partnership with Coave
Therapeutics.

“ABL is a pioneer in the production of viral vectors. Our ambition is to become Europe’s leading
provider of all services relating to the production of innovative therapies, for both our customers andour partners,” explained Thierry Van Nieuwenhove, CEO of ABL. “Stéphanie Colloud’s appointment
brings us one step closer to achieving this goal, thanks to her astute understanding of the market andimpressive performance at our Lyon site.”
In 2022, the market for the production of viral vectors and plasmid DNA was estimated to be $0.3
billion (€0.28bn). This figure is expected to rise to $0.89 billion (€0.82bn) by 2030, which represents aCAGR of 16.9% for the forecast period (2023–2030).
Over the next few months, ABL plans to establish structural partnerships within the gene and celltherapy sector, as part of the Institut Mérieux group, of which it is a subsidiary.

About Stéphanie Colloud
Stéphanie has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences and in the biologics CDMO industry.
Since 2018, as director of the Lyon site and an executive committee member of ABL Europe,Stéphanie has led the production, quality and technical services departments, with a focus on
shaping innovative development strategies, building an AAV platform and launching the presence ofthe company in the cell and gene therapy field. Prior to joining ABL Europe, Stéphanie served as chief
executive officer at Accinov, the first innovation platform aimed at accelerating the clinicaldevelopment of biopharmaceutical products through a new GMP biomanufacturing business model.
Stéphanie also held several operational roles at PX’Therapeutics, a French biologics CDMO; she hasbrought to ABL her expertise in process and analytical development and CMC strategy, along with apassion for building modular and flexible facilities as well as strong quality culture management andbest practice in GMP production. Stéphanie graduated in cell biology engineering from the Joseph
Fourier University of Grenoble, France, and holds a master’s degree in quality management in thebiotech & biopharma industry from the faculty of pharmacy of Angers, France.

About ABL, an Institut Mérieux company
ABL is a pure play Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specialized in thedevelopment and manufacturing of gene therapies, oncolytic viruses and vaccine candidates. ABL's
mission is to provide GMP viral vectors from early-stage to market, contributing to the success of its
clients' immunotherapy and gene therapy innovations. ABL's CDMO services include manufacturingof bulk drug substance, fill-finish of drug products, process and assay development, bioanalytical
testing and regulatory support.
ABL is a subsidiary of the Institut Mérieux. It operates from various locations in Europe and the US.
www.abl-biomanufacturing.com