BASEL, SWITZERLAND – Lonza, the world’s leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has announced the creation of a new executive role aimed at strengthening its commercial operations and delivering a more unified customer experience. Samanta Cimitan has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Senior Vice President, and Member of the Extended Executive Committee, effective by 1 January 2027.
The newly created position is a cornerstone of Lonza’s “One Lonza” strategy, which seeks to integrate its diverse capabilities across biologics, small molecules, and cell and gene therapy into a seamless offering for pharmaceutical and biotech partners. Cimitan will lead Strategic Enterprise Account Management, Global Marketing, and Commercial Excellence, with direct responsibility for the company’s most important strategic accounts. Her mandate is to simplify how customers access Lonza’s full end-to-end services, from early development through commercial manufacturing, across all three business platforms.
Wolfgang Wienand, Lonza’s Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the strategic importance of the appointment: “Samanta’s appointment to the new role of Chief Commercial Officer is another important step in building One Lonza and making the full power of the Lonza Engine work for our partners in the pharmaceutical industry.” He added that the company’s ambition is for every customer to benefit from the breadth of Lonza’s science, technology, and manufacturing capabilities, enabling them to translate breakthrough innovations into viable therapies for patients worldwide.
Cimitan brings extensive CDMO experience to the role, having served as Chief Executive Officer of the Celonic Group, a focused biologics CDMO, where she strengthened commercial, operational, regulatory, and innovation capabilities. Prior to Celonic, she spent nearly 13 years at Lonza in various commercial and strategy leadership roles, including Vice President of Lonza Group Operations Strategy, where she led transformation programs spanning commercial, R&D, and operations. Her return is seen as a strategic move to leverage her deep understanding of Lonza’s operations and her proven track record in building trusted partnerships.
The creation of the CCO role reflects Lonza’s broader efforts to enhance customer engagement and commercial delivery. By consolidating commercial leadership under a single executive, Lonza aims to ensure consistent and coordinated interactions with its clients, regardless of the business platform or geography. This is particularly critical as the CDMO industry faces increasing demand for integrated services and faster time-to-market.
Lonza, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, operates across five continents with a team of approximately 20,000 employees. The company reported sales of CHF 3.4 billion and CORE EBITDA of CHF 1.2 billion in the first half of 2026. Its comprehensive offerings span the entire pharmaceutical development and manufacturing value chain, from early-stage research to commercial production. The appointment of Cimitan is expected to further solidify Lonza’s position as a partner of choice for innovative therapies.
As Lonza continues to execute its One Lonza strategy, the new CCO role is a clear signal of its commitment to customer-centricity and commercial excellence. With Cimitan’s leadership, the company is well-positioned to navigate the evolving CDMO landscape and meet the growing needs of its global clientele. For more information about Lonza and its services, visit www.lonza.com.
