Leadership Team

Larry Pitcher

Chief Executive Officer

Larry Pitcher brings over 20 years of leadership experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, CDMO operations, and advanced therapies. He has held senior leadership roles at Catalent, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Brammer Bio, and RTI Surgical (now Evergen), driving operational performance, efficiency, and customer-focused solutions.

As VP and GM at Catalent, Larry led the company’s largest CDMO operations, overseeing a significant portion of revenue while improving profitability, customer satisfaction, and manufacturing scalability. Before that, he played a key role in Thermo Fisher’s expansion into microbial manufacturing, mRNA, and cell therapy, with multi-site responsibilities. He previously served as GM of Brammer Bio’s Florida operations and supported its acquisition by Thermo Fisher. Earlier in his career, he spent over a decade at RTI Surgical, leading its primary U.S. manufacturing site before serving as GM for Germany and France.

Larry has experience across multiple modalities, manufacturing platforms, and all GMP phases, from early development through commercial supply, including site readiness for FDA and global regulatory inspections.

He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Western Michigan University and an MBA from the University of Florida.

Bruce Thompson, PhD

President and Chief Technology Officer

Bruce Thompson brings more than 28 years of experience to his position as President and Chief Technology Officer. Bruce is the Founding CEO of Kincell, where he built the technical and operations teams and launched Kincell’s tech-savvy CDMO offerings to market. Before his role with Kincell, Bruce was Vice President and Technical Lead for the Cell Therapy Franchise at Resilience, Inc., where he helped to build the development and GMP manufacturing capabilities and served as a technical advisor.

Bruce has over 18 years of experience in CMC strategy, product development, and cell therapy manufacturing. As Vice President of Process Sciences at Lyell Immunopharma, he was responsible for Process and Analytical Development, as well as tech transfer of processes and methods to a newly built state-of-the-art cGMP facility. Before Lyell, Bruce served as the Sr. Director of the Therapeutic Products Program at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), where he led GMP manufacturing of cell and gene therapy products. He supported more than 15 active clinical programs and contributed to the filing of 6 INDs for various cell therapy programs. Bruce also spent nearly 10 years at Pfizer in the Pharmaceutical Sciences division, where he gained expertise in analytical and process development.

Bruce received his B.A. in Biology, an M.S. in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Louisville.

Tatjana Heller

Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary

Tatjana Heller brings over 20 years of diverse financial leadership and deep life sciences industry experience. Prior to her role at Kincell Bio, Tatjana was a VP of Investor Relations, Treasury, and Business Development at Resilience, Inc., where she oversaw a period of rapid expansion and capital deployment. Before Resilience, Tatjana was a Head of Portfolio Forecasting, Analytics, and Reporting at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), where she led the portfolio decision-making process for Novartis’ 300+ R&D projects in discovery and early development phases. Prior to her time at NIBR, Tatjana was part of the Life Sciences Financial Advisory leadership team at Ernst & Young LLP and Deloitte LLP. In this capacity, she supported clients by applying a financial lens to significant business decisions to advance organic and inorganic growth strategies.

Tatjana obtained a business degree with a concentration in Finance from Trier University in Germany and later an MBA from Clark University. Tatjana has been a Chartered Financial Analyst since 2009.

Stewart McNaull

Chief Commercial Officer

Dr. Stewart McNaull is the Chief Commercial Officer at Kincell Bio, where he leads the commercial organization and drives innovation in Kincell's cell therapy service offerings to deliver unique technical and business solutions that advance our clients' products and improve patient outcomes. 

Before joining Kincell in November of 2024, Dr. McNaull served as CBO at Wheeler Bio, where he successfully launched and commercialized Wheeler's Portable CMC antibody service offerings. Other commercial roles include Business Unit Head for Biologics and Vaccines at Resilience, with global franchise responsibility for the development and execution of the sales and marketing strategy, network S&OP, and franchise P&L across seven sites.  Previously, he held senior commercial roles at established CDMOs, including KBI Biopharma and Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. He has a track record of continually designing and executing CDMO sales and marketing strategies that deliver innovative solutions to the market.  As a chemical engineer by training, Stewart is known for driving innovation on the manufacturing floor and for providing insightful integration of technology and business priorities to meet unique client needs. Stewart earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Melodie Bryce

Chief Quality Officer

With nearly three decades in the biopharmaceutical industry, Melodie Bryce brings deep, hands-on expertise in quality, manufacturing, and supply chain leadership. Before joining Kincell Bio as the Global Head of Quality, she directed quality operations for both cell therapy and monoclonal antibody programs at KBI Biopharma. Earlier roles at Bayer, Talecris, and Grifols laid the foundation for her work in large-scale biologics manufacturing, while her roles at Matica Biotechnology and Cognate Biotherapeutics demonstrated her ability to implement robust quality systems and prepare facilities for regulatory inspection readiness. Melodie earned her B.S. from North Carolina Wesleyan University.

Matt Haines

Chief Operations Officer

Matt leads the buildout and operation of Kincell’s manufacturing capabilities. Before joining Kincell, he served as Vice President, Manufacturing Operations, at Inceptor Bio, and as Senior Director of Manufacturing at AveXis/Novartis Gene Therapies, where he played a key role in the successful approval and launch of a commercial gene therapy and in expanding their manufacturing network. In his 20+ years in the biotech industry, he has held various roles within manufacturing, engineering, manufacturing sciences, and quality at companies such as Biogen, Amgen, and Merck. Matt earned his BS in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University.

Ashley Jacobs

Senior Director of Human Resources and People Operations

Ashley Jacobs is the Head of Human Resources and People Operations at Kincell Bio. Prior to Kincell Bio, she has held leadership roles, including as Director of HR and People Operations at Inceptor Bio and Assistant Director for Career and Industry Engagement at the University of Florida. She brings experience in HR operations, talent management, employee engagement, full-cycle talent acquisition and retention strategy, employee relations, and human and organizational development. Ashley is driven to make an impact in the cell and gene therapy space by developing workforce strategy, coaching towards organizational effectiveness, and providing best-in-class resources for individuals and teams within Kincell Bio.

Ashley earned her B.S. in Psychology, M.Ed. in Human Development and Organizational Studies, and Ed.S. in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida. She earned her MBA from the University of South Florida and holds the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional credential.