News & Insights
January 6, 2026
Mark R. Bamforth OBE Transitions to Executive Chair of the Board, Strengthening Strategic Leadership at Kincell Bio
Research Triangle Park, NC — Kincell Bio, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in cell therapy, is pleased to announce the promotion of Lawrence “Larry” Pitcher to Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Pitcher succeeds Mark R. Bamforth OBE, who guided the company through a successful phase of growth as CEO and will continue to support the transition in a strategic capacity as Executive Chair of the Board.
The year of 2025 has been transformational for Kincell Bio with the addition of new clients at both of its sites, and the progression of established clients’ lead programs into pivotal studies. As COO since March 2025, Pitcher has been instrumental in applying his experience to expanding Kincell Bio’s production capabilities, processes, and systems to support pivotal and commercial-stage cell therapies.
Prior to joining Kincell Bio, he served as VP & GM at Catalent’s Maryland gene therapy site, which was one of the largest sites in the industry, where he cultivated robust commercial manufacturing operations and drove significant revenue and profitability gains. His earlier roles include leadership positions at Thermo Fisher, Brammer Bio, and RTI Surgical across Europe and the U.S., where he delivered consistent operational excellence and growth.
With a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Western Michigan University and an MBA from the University of Florida, Pitcher brings technical expertise and strategic vision to the CEO role. He takes the helm at a pivotal time as Kincell Bio accelerates cell therapy supply from its Research Triangle Park, NC, and Gainesville, FL sites.
“Larry has a proven track record scaling cell and gene therapy manufacturing operations and aligning them with client and patient needs,” said Mark R. Bamforth OBE, former CEO and now Executive Board Chair. “His leadership of our operational capabilities positions Kincell Bio to better serve our clients as they progress into late-stage trials and commercial launch.”
“I’m honored to assume the CEO role at Kincell Bio. Together with our skillful teams, we will expand our clinical development and commercial supply infrastructure, accelerate technology transfer, and strengthen our commitment to deliver life-changing cell therapies efficiently and reliably,” Pitcher shared, in turn.
Pitcher’s elevation to CEO underscores Kincell’s ongoing mission: to support innovators from early development through pivotal clinical stages and commercial launch with tailored CMC development, manufacturing, and analytical services.
Kincell Bio provides industry-leading process and analytical development, and early- and late-stage clinical cGMP manufacturing capabilities that are serving the needs of biotech and pharmaceutical companies. The organization is also committed to advancing the field of cell therapy with tailored solutions that empower innovators to bring their therapies to market efficiently and effectively.
About Kincell Bio
Kincell Bio engineers cells into therapies. With manufacturing facilities located in Research Triangle Park, NC, and Gainesville, FL, Kincell Bio is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with the mission to streamline CMC development, with expertise in analytical and process development and GMP manufacturing, testing and release from early clinical, to pivotal studies, and product launch. Kincell Bio is focused on supporting innovative companies developing immune cell therapies, including autologous and allogeneic CAR-T, TCRs, Tregs, and CAR-NK programs, as well as developing expertise in stem cell products and iPSCs. For more information, visit www.kincellbio.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.
For further information, please contact info@kincellbio.com.
