LOWELL, Mass., March 16 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rapid Micro Biosystems, a leading provider of automated, non-destructive, rapid microbial detection, is pleased to announce the addition of Natale (Nat) Ricciardi to its Board of Directors.

Mr. Ricciardi spent his entire 39-year career at Pfizer Inc, retiring in 2011.  At retirement Nat held the positions of President, Pfizer Global Manufacturing and Senior Vice President, Pfizer Inc. In addition to his corporate leadership role, Nat was directly responsible for all of Pfizer’s internal and external supply organization – a global enterprise with as many as 38,000 employees and more than 100 manufacturing facilities supplying small and large molecule pharmaceuticals, vaccines, consumer, nutrition and animal health products. He played a leadership role in shaping a mission-driven and values-based culture as the company went through phases of growth, mergers and acquisitions and transformation. His relentless focus on Quality and Compliance became a competitive advantage. His passion for science and technology and for creating a culture of continuous improvement, as drivers of efficient and effective processes, were felt across Pfizer and delivered billions of dollars in cost savings as the business transformed.

“We are delighted to welcome Nat to the Board of Directors. He brings a wealth of experience in global manufacturing and quality operations in our target industries and will be a key advisor to Rapid Micro Biosystems as we continue to execute our vision of automating microbial quality control throughout the pharmaceutical, biotech, personal care and medical device industries,” said Robert Spignesi, Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Ricciardi earned a degree in Chemical Engineering from the City College of New York (CCNY) and an M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from Fordham University.  He serves on the Board of Directors of Dynavax Technologies, Inc., Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. and is on the Strategic Advisory Board of HealthCare Royalty Partners.  He is currently a member of the Board of the 21st Century Foundation of CCNY.

“I am excited to join the Board of Directors of Rapid Micro Biosystems at a time when this company is making a significant impact in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries with new and innovative approaches to automated, rapid microbiological detection methods,” said Nat Ricciardi.  “I look forward to contributing my experience in leading global manufacturing and quality operations to the Company’s success.”

About Rapid Micro Biosystems:
Rapid Micro Biosystems delivers the Growth Direct™ System, an automated, non-destructive rapid detection and enumeration technology based on the compendial method for microbial quality control in pharmaceutical manufacturing.  The system automates and accelerates detection and enumeration in the areas of sterility testing, environmental monitoring, and bioburden testing, eliminating manual steps and analysis.  The detection technology, first developed and patented by Dr. Don Straus, Ph.D., uses the natural auto-fluorescence of microbes and requires no reagents. For more information about Rapid Micro Biosystems visit www.rapidmicrobio.com


Contact:
Eugenia Kendrick
Rapid Micro Biosystems
ekendrick@rapidmicrobio.com

SOURCE : Rapid Micro Biosystems

--BERNAMA