Cathal founded Neo PLM following a career at Pfizer that spanned nearly 32 years. During that time, he gained considerable hands-on experience in manufacturing, both in high-volume continuous manufacturing and complex multi-product batch environments. He led the design, commissioning and startup of several new and highly automated multi-product plants as well as the retrofitting of many older facilities. With a deep understanding of the challenges of manufacturing, Cathal increasingly focused on technology as his career progressed and became a leader in the application of advanced and innovative technologies at Pfizer’s API manufacturing plants. He pioneered the implementation of one of the pharmaceutical industry’s first fully electronic batch record systems, and following that he led the envisioning, development and deployment of the world’s first integrated PLM solution for process manufacturing. This technology received the Microsoft Innovation Award for Manufacturing.

Cathal strongly believes that PLM for process manufacturers, centered around digital design, will usher in a new era—driving benefits similar to those experienced by discrete manufacturers using CAD-based PLM.

Rick is a highly accomplished software development expert. He has spent his entire career dedicated to developing solutions for manufacturing enterprises, which began with the focus in the late 1980s on computer integrated manufacturing (CIM). In the early 1990s, he joined Pfizer’s Advanced Technology group at the company’s manufacturing facility in Groton, CT. Rick has a long track record of successfully implementing challenging technology solutions in complex manufacturing environments. In 1995, he led the development team that implemented the pharmaceutical industry’s first fully electronic batch record system, fully compliant with what was the FDA’s evolving Part 11 guidance. Since then, Rick has led the development and implementation of several large software projects in both manufacturing and R&D. Rick’s deep expertise in software development is complemented by his ability to communicate with customers and establish a comprehensive understanding of their business challenges.

Majdi is a highly respected technology expert with an extensive background in manufacturing technology. He began his career with Fisher Controls (acquired by Emerson) in Austin, TX and later worked with Tivoli, a division of IBM. More recently, he has been involved with several startup technology companies focused on providing innovative solutions for process manufacturers. These include Performix Inc. and CBM Enterprise Solutions. Since the mid-1990s, Majdi has collaborated with Cathal Strain on the evolution of concepts and solutions that have now led to the creation of Neo’s advanced PLM for process manufacturing technology.

Peter is a forward-thinking business executive with over 20 years of proven success at both large companies and start-ups, including Accenture and Ariba, and a strong track record of helping to grow early-stage enterprise software and technology companies. Through a customer-satisfaction and solutions-based sales approach, Peter drives new products to meet critical client needs, maximize customer success and achieve win-win outcomes. He has worked with numerous life sciences software solutions companies including Dassault Systèmes BIOVIA (QUMAS), Elsevier, PAREXEL (Liquent) and Aris Global. His areas of expertise include manufacturing, ERP, supply chain, digital factory, regulatory compliance and big data analytics. Peter brings a deep knowledge of software design, development and implementation that includes experience with SaaS/cloud-based solutions, and Oracle, SAP and SharePoint technology platforms.