Leading Our Way

Antoinette Gawin has shaped her career and leadership goals on one guiding philosophy: Each patient, regardless of who they are or where they live, deserves access to life-changing, quality healthcare.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies — a medical technology company operating in 150 countries and striving to unlock the potential of blood and cell-based therapies — she has made expanding access to the highest standards of care a priority while focusing on continued work and supporting programs that emphasize equal access to education and healthcare.

Under her leadership, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies secured the first FDA Emergency Use Authorization during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the innovation, expertise, and agility the company leverages for impact. From enabling the first bone marrow transplant in Sub-Sahara Africa, to building an infrastructure for novel cell and gene therapies in Asia, to continuing to advance the safety of the world’s blood supply, Antoinette has focused the company’s efforts on helping the global healthcare ecosystem rise to meet difficult challenges that can impede patient care. She also brings that emphasis to her role as Group Managing Executive Officer for the Tokyo-based, 100-year-old healthcare innovator Terumo Corporation (TSE:4543).

Antoinette’s early insight into patient access issues came from her humble roots, growing up in a rural Northern Michigan farming community. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from the University of Michigan, but her mission to make a difference in healthcare led her to return to higher education, achieving a master’s degree in health policy from DePaul University School of Public Service. She also completed an executive program at Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

She is a certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt with 30+ years of experience managing transformational change at GE and Baxter Healthcare, and an admired board member for healthcare and education groups, such as the Global Blood Fund. She chairs AdvaMed’s Technology & Regulation Committee. Antoinette serves as a Trustee of The Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board (CED). She is also a sought-after speaker who polished her skills at Chicago’s famous The Second City, which helped her master the art of turning quick sparks of imagination into inspiration for progress.

Antoinette lives in Colorado, where she supports equal access-focused civic organizations and enjoys the outdoors, performing arts, and wine.

As Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Rusty has worldwide responsibility for all finance functions, overseeing accounting, tax, treasury, finance, and planning and analysis.

Rusty also serves as a corporate liaison with Terumo Corporation, aligning budgeting, forecasting, month-end and quarter-end reporting processes, strategic plan financials and all other financial matters, including meeting requirements for Japan's equivalent of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Rusty's expertise spans corporate finance, governance and policy, capital markets, international business and Sarbanes-Oxley Act implementation, as well as mergers, acquisitions and business integration.

Prior to his current role, Rusty held the position of Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller, in which he was responsible for global financial reporting, technical accounting and financial controls across all world regions. Prior to joining Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, he held leadership and financial management positions at Quiznos Inc. and Molson Coors, and he served as the European controller for Bass Brewing operations, based in England. He also provided business and advisory services for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Rusty earned his bachelor's degree in business finance from Colorado State University.

Tim serves as General Manager of Plasma Innovations, bringing more than 35 years of international business experience in the medical device industry across the Americas, Europe, and Asia with organizations such as Haemonetics, Lumenis (formerly ESC Medical Systems), Candela, and Mentor Ophthalmics. 

During his more than 14 years at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, he has held multiple global commercial leadership positions, including vice president of growth ventures for Terumo BCT and general management of the Blood Center business area. He has consistently demonstrated expertise in sales and marketing, new product development and product launch, and business development in his multiple roles at the company.

Tim earned his bachelor’s degree in History at Middlebury College and has completed MBA coursework in Marketing at Babson College. For two decades, Tim has successfully built strong teams that have enjoyed great success under his leadership.

He enjoys family activities, including golf and travel. A former college player and coach, Tim is still an avid ice hockey fan and covers U.S. college hockey as an online reporter. 

As head of the Global Therapy Innovations business unit, Veerle leads cross-functional teams transforming business models and solutions to meet the changing needs of our global customers and patients. This includes translating strategy into practical approaches to reach more patients with our products and capturing real-time insights for a diverse and comprehensive portfolio.

To bring the right therapies at the right time in the patient’s treatment journey, Veerle’s focus is leveraging unique synergies and strengths across the portfolio and services to help increase patient access to care. She and her teams are shaping the cell therapy ecosystem to better facilitate the journey of life-saving cells from patient and donor cell collections through cell processing and manufacturing, a holistic approach to help make innovative therapies accessible to more patients. At the same time, they will continue to enhance the therapeutic potential and future development of the company’s industry-leading Spectra Optia^® Apheresis System.

Veerle’s interest in healthcare comes from her passion to make a meaningful contribution to society. She believes that working with a diverse, engaged team behind clearly defined goals drives results that enable more patients to get access to healthcare and better treatment options.

She has worked in healthcare for more than 20 years, across the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors in a variety of commercial and marketing leadership roles. With this experience and perspective, she inspires and mobilizes people and teams around a clear vision and strategy.

Veerle previously served as Vice President, Commercial, EMEA. She was also the Commercialization Director for EMEA Therapeutics Systems, where she successfully repositioned the business across Europe as a partner to provide clinical solutions and disease therapies. She joined the company in 2010 as a sales Manager.

Before joining Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, she worked at Pfizer in various business units, most recently as the Business Unit Director, Rheumatology and Dermatology.

She graduated with distinction from the University of Leuven. Her engineering degree focused on a specialization for chemical and agriculture industries, including industrial biology and microbiology, as well as cell and gene technology.

Robyn is an experienced global executive who understands the value of the essential tools in the strategic management toolbox — from financial analysis to market forecasting to operational visibility. She also knows that all those elements combined won’t deliver success if they aren’t connected to a shared, meaningful organizational purpose.

She has made it her mission to not only align resources across business areas and geographic regions, but also ensure priorities stay closely linked to the company’s decades-long fuel for innovation: To make a difference in patient lives and serve unmet medical needs.

Robyn assumed the vice president role in 2023 after several years as a noted champion for long-term enterprise strategy and more than 25 years at the organization, mostly in finance positions. In her current role, she focuses on creating the strategic direction for the enterprise — using her passion for the impact the company has around the world to lead and motivate others.

Robyn earned an MBA at the University of Denver and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Plattsburgh State University in New York. Throughout her career, she has been selected for prominent leadership programs, including ones affiliated with the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Institute of Higher Business Studies (IESE) in Barcelona, Spain.

Robyn and her family are based in Colorado, where she serves on the Board of Directors for The Action Center, a nonprofit resource organization assisting community members facing hardships. In her spare time, she finds inspiration from activities like mountain biking, skiing, and traveling.

Jacqueline (Jackie) is the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research and Development. She leads a global team focused on enterprise-wide collaboration to bring complex and innovative programs to life.

With more than 20 years of experience leading R&D organizations and programs, she has a track record of building rigor and efficiency and applying broad systems thinking across many functions, all leading to disciplined innovation that gets more products and therapies to patients in a timely fashion.

In her previous role, she was Chief Quality Officer, Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Global Head of Quality, Regulatory and Compounding Services, with an organization of nearly 6,000 employees and over 70 sites. Kunzler joined Baxter in 1993 and served in roles of increasing responsibility across Baxter’s Research & Development, International Marketing, and Quality and Compounding organizations.

Kunzler obtained her bachelor’s degrees in biology and medical technology (laboratory medicine) from the University of Iowa. She also earned a master’s degree in toxicology from the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine, an MBA from Benedictine University with continuing education at Harvard Business School, and a PhD in neuroscience/cell biology from the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

On a personal note, she has been married to Matt for 35 years, has three grown children and two grandchildren, and is an avid tennis player.

She completed the Advanced Management Program at Wharton Business School. She has served on several industry committees (Parenteral Drug Association, Medical Device Innovation Consortium) and is on the board of directors of two organizations (NAMSA and the Baxter International Foundation).

Janet has over 25 years’ experience in leading regulatory teams for medical device and in vitro diagnostics Fortune 200 companies. This includes building collaborative teams that deliver new product approvals and improve compliance, as well as establishing and executing global regulatory strategies to contribute to business growth globally. Global Regulatory Affairs oversees relationships with agencies in the 130 countries where the company has customers.

Janet’s experience includes leading discussions with regulators, receiving multiple FDA premarket approvals and 510(k) clearances, navigating EU approvals and international product approvals, leading acquisitions and divestitures, and developing teams for future growth.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts. Janet was nominated for and completed the Northwestern Kellogg Executive Education Women’s Senior Leadership Program. She is certified in regulatory affairs by the Regulatory Affairs Professional Society.

Janet enjoys reading, traveling, and making crafts. She and her family are based in Colorado.

Bon has more than 25 years of international business experience in the consumer-packaged goods, consumer healthcare and diagnostics/medical devices industries across the Americas, Europe and Asia in organizations such as Unilever, Novartis and Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. He has held multiple human resources leadership positions and is an expert in talent, organizational and leadership development.

Bon earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce at De La Salle University, Philippines. He has completed several executive education programs in human resources, business and strategy at the business schools of Stanford University, Babson College and Dartmouth College. For two decades, Bon has partnered with leaders as a certified executive coach. He enjoys traveling with his family and exploring new countries and cultures. In his spare time, he plays basketball and competitive badminton as well as mentoring young leaders across the world.

Chetan Makam serves as General Manager, Global Blood Solutions, for Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, as well as Managing Director and Board Chair for our India subsidiary, Terumo Penpol Private Ltd.

He leads our vision to create comprehensive solutions that transcend the walls of traditional blood centers. Our customers and partners operate in new, dynamic ways. They must meet donors where they are and constantly develop new ways to provide blood products that improve patient care along the donor-to-patient therapeutic continuum.

Increasingly, this path includes complex and virtual networks. These extend far beyond a physical place and require equally dynamic partners and suppliers who can serve these connected networks with total value propositions.

With this reality in mind, Chetan champions our winning aspiration to elevate the standard of care by driving disruptive innovation across the entire blood transfusion value chain and position Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies as the undisputed market leader in global blood collection, processing, transfusion, and services.

He joined us in 2018 as Vice President, Global Services, and successfully built our Global Services business with teams that encompass all customer-facing functions after sale in 130 different countries. His articulation of the “Services Ecosystem” and development of the “Beyond Equipment” paradigm are key strategies for the corporation.

Having worked in various parts of the world, Chetan brings significant experience in medical devices, healthcare, and other industries, as well as a unique perspective and understanding of various cultures and people.

He earned an MBA (cum laude) from Babson College, a master’s degree in plastics engineering from the University of Massachusetts, and a bachelor’s degree (gold medalist) in polymer engineering from the University of Poona, India, and is a certified LEAN Six Sigma Master Blackbelt.

Chetan is an avid reader and an amateur numismatist. He is based in Colorado.

Manne, as he is known, leads and maintains the company’s quality mindset and aligns global teams around design, delivery, and field support, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to quality.

He joined the company in 2019 and was previously responsible for Lakewood Manufacturing Operations at the company’s global headquarters in Colorado. He led critical manufacturing projects throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing flexibility to the company’s operations that enabled a shift to serve the need for convalescent plasma collection. He also led the build-out of a new factory in Littleton, Colorado, which was inaugurated in 2022 to support the company’s new Plasma Innovation business and its centerpiece, the Rika Plasma Collection System.

Manne brings over 25 years of experience in the medical device, pharmaceutical, and contract manufacturing services industries. He is an enterprise thinker and brings well-rounded experience across operations, corporate strategy, and business transformation. Manne firmly believes in a continuous improvement mindset to help drive a culture of growth and accountability. He is a certified LEAN Six Sigma Master Blackbelt.

Manne has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Mysore, a master’s degree in industrial engineering from Wichita State University, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Manne serves on the board of directors for the Colorado Chamber of Commerce. He enjoys movies, travel, cooking, and spending time with his family. Manne is based in Colorado.

Cindy is responsible for front-line interactions with the company’s customers globally. This includes sales, services, clinical support, distributor management, and regional and local marketing to deliver high-impact customer experiences and a world-class presence at the local level.

Cindy is a hands-on sales and marketing practitioner with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. Her commercial experience includes both direct and distributor sales and marketing roles with Roche, 3M, and Sanofi. She transitioned to medical devices with Advanced Medical Optics (part of Abbott) and Pall Corporation. After Danaher Corp.’s acquisition of Pall Corp., she took on a new challenge to turn around its biopharmaceuticals business in China.

Mani Venkatesh serves as Vice President of Digital Transformation (DX) for Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and is a member of its executive leadership team.

He leads the company’s vision to embrace new technologies and transform how we serve our customers. He is responsible for creating and leading the Digital Transformation Office (DX Office) to fully leverage and modernize our capabilities. The DX Office will champion the adoption of emerging technologies to improve processes and customer support systems while fully capturing the value of previous digital investments. It will foster a culture of embracing new technologies as a catalyst for business growth and efficiency, modernizing our foundations while incorporating operational needs such as cybersecurity and data privacy.

With over 25 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Mani joined the company in 2020 as Vice President of Software Engineering. He specializes in medical device product development with an emphasis on software. Mani has driven customer efficiencies and helped lead the organization’s growth.

At Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership in deploying software platforms with robust architectures and strategic roadmaps. Some notable examples include software for Rika Plasma Donation System software and software for managing our medical devices for blood centers and cell therapy manufacturing organizations.

Mani has a master’s degree in computer science from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Mumbai University. Before joining Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Mani built and led Systems, Software, and R&D teams at Medtronic and Spacelabs Healthcare. Mani enjoys playing and watching cricket, watching movies, traveling, and spending time with his family. He also has a passion for activities that support the community. He is based in Redmond, Washington.

As the head of global manufacturing, Chris leads a diverse team around the world managing procurement, supply chain, logistics, and manufacturing operations.

He developed deep manufacturing experience through progressively responsible roles at Baxter, including rebuilding facilities and launching countless engineering and continuous improvement programs. He led Baxter’s European manufacturing operations, delivering dramatic cost, quality and customer service improvements.

Chris’s experience building lean, customer-focused manufacturing organizations enabled him then to transform the manufacturing infrastructure for Salter Labs and Santa Cruz Nutritionals before serving as vice president of manufacturing operations at PharMEDium Services. His foundation of process improvement and ability to build cultural bridges are skills he is using to enable teams to further Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies’ continued growth.

Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Mississippi State University. He is an avid tennis player and loves to travel in his free time.