Management
Stephane Ducroux
Chief Executive Officer
Stephane Ducroux brings 22 years of international experience in the Natural Specialty Ingredients industry. He is a proven senior executive that has built and led teams towards growth ambitions in a multicultural-international B2B environment. Stephane is a versatile, energetic, hands on and results oriented leader with expertise in acquisitions, integrations, cross functional management & International business development.
In former roles, Stephane was COO at Naturex Americas/Asia-Pacific (18years) & Board Director as well as PureCircle CCO & Deputy CEO.
Keith Thomson
Chief Financial Officer
Keith qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. He was COO and CFO at Phytopharm plc where he successfully re-structured the business and enabled the company to close a £25 million fundraising. He has helped guide a number of international healthcare businesses including: On Medica an international E-detailing business, Verigen, a German based multinational tissue engineering business, and Vision RT, a business utilising 3D surface imaging technology to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy treatment.
Andrew Gallagher
Global Head of Science
Andrew has been developing healthcare products (Rx, OTC and consumer healthcare) from plants for over 14 years and has a deep understanding of the science behind Phynova’s products. He previously held business development, operations and R&D roles within Phynova, as well as business development role for the clinical research organisation Kendle (acquired by INC Research) and as biochemistry lecturer at the University of Natal (South Africa). Andrew holds an MSc (Biology) from the University of Natal, an MBA (Finance) awarded with Distinction from the University of Leicester, and is completing a PhD in Health Economics at Monash University. Andrew is based in Melbourne, Australia.
Alexis Manfré
Vice President EMEA
Alexis Manfré has 17 years of experience in B2B within the Nutraceutical, Food, and Pharmaceutical industries, holding local, regional, and global roles across Sales, Product Marketing, Innovation, Strategy, Business Development, and Management. As a multicultural leader passionate about botanical remedies, he has dedicated most of his career to Specialty Natural Ingredients for Health, with a strong focus on developing innovative and successful branded ingredients that drive business growth while improving consumer well-being—all with a deep respect for both people and the planet. Among his key achievements, he played a pivotal role in the development of Turmipure Gold®, a renowned ingredient innovation. Before joining Phynova, Alexis has worked at Givaudan (2019–2024): Sales Director Europe, Business Development Director, and Global Product Manager for Health Ingredients, at Naturex (2013–2018): Global Category Manager for Nutraceuticals and Key Account Manager for Food and at AstraZeneca (2007–2012): Respiratory Product Manager and Oncology Sales Representative. Alexis holds a degree in Health Engineering from the School of Pharmacy and a Master’s in Marketing from HEC Paris.
Yazan El Safadi
EMEA Business Development
Yazan has over 18 years’ experience in life sciences, ranging from API development to natural ingredient sourcing and supply, and NPD in the field of food supplements. Before joining Phynova, Yazan worked as a scientific director for a food supplement brand, where he was responsible for the development, marketing, and quality and regulatory compliance of new products.He has initiated research programs combining natural ingredients, since he firmly believes that natural products will be at the centre of tomorrow’s health strategies and policies. He is passionate about the science, as well as the creation of efficient, innovative, and truly useful food supplements.
Wouter Claerhout
Vice President APAC
Wouter brings 25+ years of B2B experience in sales, marketing, commercial management, strategic supply contracts, innovation management and communication. Before joining Phynova, Wouter was head of global marketing – Human Nutrition and Health (HNH) at Royal DSM, a global science-based company active in health, nutrition and materials. The role included ownership of the HNH innovation pipeline. From 2010 until 2014, Wouter was based in Singapore as DSM’s Marketing Director HNH APAC. Partnering with customers to make their brands succeed was Wouter’s pride and joy. From 1995 to 2010, Wouter held roles in commercial management, project management and sales in Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland. Wouter has academic qualifications in Law, Marketing and Business Administration.
Loïck Fenaux
Vice President Americas
Loick has 15 years of experience in the natural food ingredient industry spanning across fibers, proteins, botanical extracts, flavors, and many other specialty ingredients. His roles have always been focused towards developing customers, either for new regions, new products, or new divisions, and eventually building the teams to support the sustained growth of revenue. He had Business Development roles for Cosucra, Naturex, Dohler and Brightseed focusing mainly on Dietary Supplement and Food brands.
Jewell Blackwell
Marketing and Sales
Jewell Blackwell’s experince in B2B sales and marketing, coupled with her passion for wellness and communication, supports Phynova’s goal to empower wellness brands and their consumers with the benefits of Reducose® .
Xiaofei Gao
Global Head of Quality and Regulatory Compliance
Fei heads our regulatory compliance and quality assurance efforts specializing in plant-based products. She’s the driving force behind our quality ecosystem and manufacturing setup.
Before joining Phynova, Fei demonstrated exceptional client engagement and performance as the top salesperson at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma China. She holds an MSc in Public Health from the University of Birmingham and a BSc in Pharmacy. Additionally, she completed MBA essentials at The London School of Economics and Political Science.
Fei also contributed as an Editorial Board Member for the book “Market Access to European Countries: Guidelines for Herbal Medicine,” published by China Commerce and Trade Press.
Michael Lane
Group Scientific Coordinator
Michael manages the execution of Phynova’s scientific roadmap including R&D, clinical trials and regional approvals as well as contributing to client engagement. His background includes a mix of science and professional services. He earned a Masters of Chemistry from the University of Oxford and has 5 years’ experience in leadership advisory. Previously, Michael recieved an MBA from the University of Warwick where he specialized in corporate strategy for life science companies. Michael is based in London, UK.
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