Advent International Appoints Biopharma Executive James Mullen as Operating Partner

BOSTON, March 28, 2023 – Advent International (“Advent”), one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, today announced the appointment of seasoned biopharma executive James (“Jim”) Mullen as an Operating Partner. Mullen will play a key role in further building out Advent’s pharmaceutical and pharma services platform, working with the firm’s healthcare investment team and the management teams of its portfolio companies.

“Jim has been a renowned leader in the biopharma sector for over four decades,” said John Maldonado, Managing Partner at Advent. “His knowledge and expertise will enhance our ability to identify and partner with industry-leading pharmaceutical and pharma services companies across contract manufacturing, commercialization, and research that can create value for patients through cutting-edge technology. We look forward to collaborating with Jim to expand Advent’s portfolio in this compelling area of investment.”

Mullen is an industry veteran who brings more than 40 years of biopharma industry experience, including pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing expertise. Mullen currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Editas Medicine, a leading genome editing company, where he previously served as the company’s President and CEO. While at Editas, Mullen has contributed to numerous innovative patient-focused technologies, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) provided protections to intellectual property concerning CRISPR/Cas9 and CRISPR/Cas12a which covers fundamental aspects of Editas Medicine’s gene editing.

Mullen served as the CEO and director of Patheon, a pharmaceutical and manufacturing organization serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors. Under Mullen’s leadership, Patheon grew dramatically by serving some of the largest biopharma customers and was acquired by Thermo Fischer for $7.2B in 2017. He was also previously the CEO of Biogen Inc., one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies specializing in the discovery and treatment of neurological diseases. Mullen earned an MBA from Villanova University and a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been dedicated to supporting the development of transformative therapies that improve the lives of patients,” said Mullen. “With the advancement of technologies in the pharmaceutical sector, there are numerous companies poised to make an impact with the right financial and operating support. Advent’s depth of investment and operating expertise across pharma services positions the firm to drive value with their companies and I’m excited to partner with the firm to pursue these meaningful opportunities.”

“Jim’s work at Editas and Thermo Fisher have put him at the forefront of the cell and gene therapy revolution,” said Carmine Petrone, Managing Director at Advent. “We are excited to partner with Jim as we continue to look for transformative companies that are enabling the development, manufacture and commercialization of these advanced therapies.”