Our Company & Facilities
Leadership & Talent
Leadership and Talent Behind Our Reliable Execution
Wilmington PharmaTech’s ability to deliver complex chemistry programs is grounded in the experience and tenure of its people. With an average team member tenure of over 10 years with our company across our Operations, Process Chemistry, QA, QC and Administrative teams with many team members boasting over 20 years with us, our staff have built a strong foundation of company-wide practices and knowledge that helps ensure the smooth advancement of complex programs at scale.
Our teams, both operational and executive, combine deep technical expertise with rigor and discipline, enabling clients to move forward with confidence from early development through commercial manufacturing.
Leadership Team: Deep Scientific Expertise and Proven CDMO Experience
Synthetic organic and process chemists are at the heart of Wilmington PharmaTech. Each member of our founder-led executive team has honed their skills from discovery through commercialization within large pharma companies. Their extensive experience enables them to anticipate challenges and optimize your project. Wilmington PharmaTech has developed API processes for many successful billion-dollar NDA’s and hundreds of IND’s. We pass this experience on through robust training to our team, comprised of over 20% PhD-degreed scientists from top universities.
Our Founder, Hui-Yin Harry Li, Ph.D, describes Wilmington PharmaTech’s approach to successfully navigating complex programs
Hui-Yin (Harry) Li, PhD
CEO & Founder
Harry has over 30 years of combined experience in all aspects of new drug research and development, including API cGMP manufacturing, solid state chemistry, and project management. Harry is the author of numerous patents and publications, including key process and polymorph patents related to several important pharmaceutical compounds. In 2003, he founded Wilmington PharmaTech with three cGMP production facilities, an R&D center in Newark, Delaware, and a research center in Suzhou, China, and continues to serve as President and CEO. Harry received a B.S. in chemistry from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, an M.S. in natural product chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Tokyo Institute of Technology. From 1990 to 1991, Harry was a post-doctoral fellow at the Medical Products Department of DuPont Company. After working as a medicinal chemist with DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals from 1991 to 1995, Harry worked as a process chemist at the Process R&D department of DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company (1995-2001) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (2001-2002). He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware and Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences in China.
Kent Payne, PhD
Managing Director
Dr. Kent Payne is distinguished as a business operator and leader in sales, commercial manufacturing, operational excellence and product R&D. His leadership philosophy blends scientific rigor with strategic decision-making, enabling Wilmington PharmaTech to scale its capabilities while maintaining agility and quality. In support of Dr. Li, Kent oversees company-wide operational performance, ensuring the alignment of people, processes, and facilities as Wilmington PharmaTech continues its expansion in API, HPAPI, and integrated development services. He is a three time CEO with extensive executive experience in M&A and successfully leading offerings from target identification through commercialization for both small and large molecules including complex sterile, inhalation, oral, topical and oral solution formulations. Kent also serves as an Operating Partner for Curewell Capital and Board Director for GBI (a Signet Healthcare Partners company). Dr. Payne previously was CEO of Aliri Bioanalytical (an Archimed Co.); Bioduro (an Advent International Co.), and Socorro Pharmaceuticals (a specialty generic Rx company). He also led the initial angel investment and was Board Chairman for PDS Biotechnology (NASDAQ: PDSB).
Mike Shearer
Chief Commercial Officer
Mike leads commercial strategy at Wilmington PharmaTech, playing a pivotal role in driving growth, strengthening client partnerships, and positioning the organization as a trusted partner for API development and manufacturing. With more than 24 years of experience across leading CDMOs and pharmaceutical services organizations, he brings a strategic, client-centric approach to every engagement. Prior to joining Wilmington PharmaTech, Mike spent over 21 years at Catalent, where he held multiple senior leadership roles. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Rx Early Phase Development and Zydis®, leading global commercial teams and supporting a diverse portfolio of advanced drug delivery solutions. Throughout his tenure, Mike successfully led cross-functional, global teams and developed commercial strategies that drove sustained business growth. Beyond commercial execution, Mike’s leadership and vision help ensure Wilmington PharmaTech continues to meet the evolving needs of its clients today, while preparing for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. Mike holds a Bachelor’s degree from Drexel University and an MBA from the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Carl Behrens
Executive Vice President, Chemistry & Business Development
Dr. Carl Behrens combines advanced technical expertise in organic and process chemistry with decades of experience guiding clients through early development and scale-up. Known for his ability to solve challenging synthetic problems and identify efficient routes to API, he plays a central role in shaping Wilmington PharmaTech’s scientific strategy and service offerings. Carl serves as a technical interface with clients, ensuring each program benefits from Wilmington PharmaTech’s strengths in complex synthesis, solid-state chemistry, and route optimization. Since joining Wilmington PharmaTech in 2006, Dr. Behrens has been supporting clients by evaluating technical needs, developing proposals, and providing strategic guidance by serving as a trusted technical and business manager. Prior to joining WPT, Dr. Behrens worked at Rhodia Pharma Solutions and DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company; he received his PhD from MIT.
Hongfeng Chen
Executive Vice President and General Manager of Process Chemistry and Manufacturing
Dr. Hongfeng Chen is a recognized expert in process development and scale up and has successfully navigated numerous complex synthetic routes, including having successfully overcome what one client with >30 years of industry experience characterized as the most difficult-to-synthesize molecule he had ever seen. He has overall responsibility for translating scientific innovation into reliable, scalable, and compliant manufacturing solutions. He provides strategic oversight across chemical development, technology transfer, engineering, analytical sciences, and production, ensuring integrated execution and operational excellence throughout the product lifecycle. Since joining Wilmington PharmaTech in 2008, Dr. Chen has directed numerous IND-enabling GMP manufacturing programs, supporting clients from early development through phase III clinical trials. Prior to WPT, he served as a scientist in the Process Development organization at Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Chen holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Arizona.
Feng Han, PhD
Senior Vice President of Operations
Feng Han leads operations with a focus on quality systems, regulatory compliance, material management, and manufacturing efficiency. His experience spans GMP manufacturing, integrated project planning, and cross-functional program execution. He plays a vital role in maintaining Wilmington PharmaTech’s high standards for documentation, quality assurance, and on-time delivery. His leadership strengthens the organization’s operational continuity and supports the scalability required for IND, NDA, and commercial-ready programs. Prior to his current role, he spent nearly two decades at DuPont, beginning as a research scientist and manager in genomics and molecular biology, authoring numerous peer-reviewed publications and earning more than 30 patents globally. Over the latter part of his tenure, he led business development and licensing across industrial biotechnology, biocatalysts, and bioprocessing, executing first-of-kind global process licenses and supply agreements and driving their successful translation into commercial-scale manufacturing. He combined deep scientific expertise in process technology and scale-up with disciplined project and manufacturing execution, coordinating cross-functional teams across R&D, engineering, operations, supply chain, and commercial functions to deliver robust, deployable production platforms worldwide.
Qi Chen
Executive Director of Quality Control
Qi Chen serves as the Executive Director of Quality Control at Wilmington PharmaTech, where he oversees the technical and strategic direction of the QC department. With over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology research involving intensive study evaluation, methods development, technical support, troubleshooting, and project management, Qi bridges the gap between complex analytical science and robust business operations, ensuring strict GMP compliance across all studies while managing the financial and technical quality of analytical operations. Qi joined Wilmington PharmaTech in 2016 as an Analytical Chemist, then started to lead the Quality Control Department two years later. Prior to his current role, he spent nearly a decade at DuPont Central Research & Development, where he spearheaded groundbreaking research in genomic engineering and metabolic pathways. Qi holds an MD from Peking Union Medical University and finished postdoctoral training as a Biochemist at Wistar Institute in Philadelphia.
Dawn Zhao
Executive Director of Quality Assurance
Dawn has over 20 years of QA/QC experiences in the pharmaceutical industry, responsibilities include overseeing cGMP compliance of operation and procedures, handling customer audits, analytical method development and validation, analytical support for drug development, and reviewing SOPs, analytical procedures, and instrumentation qualification. Dawn received a B.S. in Medicinal Chemistry and a M.S. in Organic Chemistry from University of Delaware.
Michael Dal Bello
Michael Dal Bello is a Managing Partner at Curewell Capital and has been involved in principal investing for over 25 years, primarily focused on the healthcare sector. Prior to co-founding Curewell Capital, Michael was Investment Partner and Head of Healthcare at Pritzker Private Capital, serving on the boards of Clinical Innovations, PathGroup, and KabaFusion. Prior to PPC, Michael was a Managing Director at Blackstone where he focused on healthcare and insurance and served on the boards of Alliant Insurance Services, Apria Healthcare, Biomet, Catalent, Emdeon (now Change Healthcare), TeamHealth and Vanguard Health Systems. During his tenure he worked with management teams to drive value through operational improvements, growth initiatives and acquisitions. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of AMR Clinical, WeInfuse, and Wilmington PharmaTech.
Ceron Rhee
Ceron Rhee is a Managing Partner at Curewell Capital and brings more than 18 years experience investing in and working with healthcare companies and management teams. Prior to co-founding Curewell Capital, Ceron was an Investment Partner at Pritzker Private Capital where he helped lead the healthcare team. Prior to PPC, Ceron focused on healthcare private equity at TPG Capital and Blackstone, where he was involved with various investments across healthcare services, medical devices and life sciences. Ceron was previously in the healthcare investment banking division at Credit Suisse. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of AMR Clinical, WeInfuse, and Wilmington PharmaTech.
Michael Bowman
J. Michael Bowman is Associate Director of the University of Delaware’s Office of Economic, Innovation and Partnerships, CEO/founder of the Delaware Technology Park (DTP), and the State Director of the Delaware Small Business Development Center (SBDC). DTP is a collaboration between the State of Delaware, the University of Delaware and private industry, originally focused on advanced composites but later extended to a diverse group of technology industries. Prior to leading DTP, Mike was a Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Material Systems at E.I. duPont de Nemours. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati in Chemical Engineering, with graduate studies at Wharton in Finance and Columbia in Marketing.
Hui-Yin (Harry) Li, PhD
CEO & Founder
Harry has over 30 years of combined experience in all aspects of new drug research and development, including API cGMP manufacturing, solid state chemistry, and project management. Harry is the author of numerous patents and publications, including key process and polymorph patents related to several important pharmaceutical compounds. In 2003, he founded Wilmington PharmaTech with three cGMP production facilities, an R&D center in Newark, Delaware, and a research center in Suzhou, China, and continues to serve as President and CEO. Harry received a B.S. in chemistry from Nanjing University of Science and Technology, an M.S. in natural product chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Tokyo Institute of Technology. From 1990 to 1991, Harry was a post-doctoral fellow at the Medical Products Department of DuPont Company. After working as a medicinal chemist with DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals from 1991 to 1995, Harry worked as a process chemist at the Process R&D department of DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company (1995-2001) and Bristol-Myers Squibb (2001-2002). He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware and Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences in China.
Kent Payne, PhD
Managing Director
Dr. Kent Payne is distinguished as a business operator and leader in sales, commercial manufacturing, operational excellence and product R&D. His leadership philosophy blends scientific rigor with strategic decision-making, enabling Wilmington PharmaTech to scale its capabilities while maintaining agility and quality. In support of Dr. Li, Kent oversees company-wide operational performance, ensuring the alignment of people, processes, and facilities as Wilmington PharmaTech continues its expansion in API, HPAPI, and integrated development services. He is a three time CEO with extensive executive experience in M&A and successfully leading offerings from target identification through commercialization for both small and large molecules including complex sterile, inhalation, oral, topical and oral solution formulations. Kent also serves as an Operating Partner for Curewell Capital and Board Director for GBI (a Signet Healthcare Partners company). Dr. Payne previously was CEO of Aliri Bioanalytical (an Archimed Co.); Bioduro (an Advent International Co.), and Socorro Pharmaceuticals (a specialty generic Rx company). He also led the initial angel investment and was Board Chairman for PDS Biotechnology (NASDAQ: PDSB).
Teams That Support Programs End to End
Beyond leadership, Wilmington PharmaTech’s strength lies in the depth and continuity of its scientific and operational teams.
Chemists, engineers, analytical scientists, manufacturing professionals, and quality specialists work collaboratively across departments, maintaining shared ownership of program outcomes. This cross-functional structure allows Wilmington PharmaTech to adapt quickly as programs evolve while preserving consistency and accountability.
Team expertise spans discovery chemistry, solid-state science, process development, analytical testing, cGMP manufacturing, and quality systems, enabling seamless progression across the lifecycle.
Process Chemistry
Wilmington PharmaTech’s Process Chemistry team is a multidisciplinary group of 14 chemists who combine technical leadership with direct project ownership. Each chemist serves as both subject matter expert and program lead, providing clients with a single, accountable point of contact from initiation through key milestones.
The team brings deep expertise in organic synthesis, pharmaceutical sciences, biochemistry, chemical engineering, and analytical chemistry, supported by a strong concentration of Ph.D.-level organic chemists. This foundation enables advanced route design, reaction optimization, and troubleshooting for complex small molecule and HPAPI programs.
With an average tenure of nearly 10 years, the group blends institutional knowledge with a fresh scientific perspective. Close involvement at the bench and full program ownership support clear communication, technical continuity, and consistent execution.
Engineering
Wilmington PharmaTech’s Engineering team focuses on translating laboratory chemistry into safe, scalable, and reliable manufacturing processes.
Composed of chemical and biochemical engineers with bachelor’s, master’s, and MBA-level training, the group supports process development, scale-up, and implementation across development and commercial operations. Their work spans reaction design, mass and heat balance analysis, process optimization, and risk mitigation.
Working closely with chemists and operations, the team ensures new processes are practical, efficient, and compliant, enabling a smooth transition from bench scale to commercial production.
Analytical / Quality Control
The Quality Control Chemistry team ensures the integrity, quality, and compliance of materials and products throughout development and manufacturing.
Responsibilities include in process testing, release testing, ICH stability studies, reference standards, and analytical method support. The team combines doctoral-level scientists with specialists in analytical chemistry, materials science, biology, and engineering, providing broad technical depth across a range of analytical techniques.
Their work supports accurate data, timely material release, and regulatory readiness, forming a critical foundation for both clinical and commercial supply.
Quality Assurance
The Quality Assurance team oversees compliance across all Wilmington PharmaTech operations, ensuring alignment with GMP, FDA, and other regulatory requirements.
With an average tenure of more than a decade, the team brings deep experience in chemistry, engineering, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical product development. QA is responsible for document and process review, change control, deviation and CAPA management, audit readiness, and ongoing compliance monitoring.
Through disciplined oversight and collaboration across departments, the group safeguards data integrity, operational consistency, and the quality standards that clients depend on.
Client success at Wilmington PharmaTech is not driven by project management alone. It is built into how teams work and how decisions are made.
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Clients engage directly with experienced scientific and operational leaders. Programs are supported by stable teams that retain knowledge as projects advance, reducing rework and preserving momentum.
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Wilmington PharmaTech emphasizes practical decision-making, transparency, and early risk identification. Chemistry, analytics, manufacturing, and quality are aligned from the outset, enabling issues to be addressed proactively rather than reactively.
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Quality is embedded across the organization, not isolated within a single function. Teams operate within established GMP systems with a shared commitment to data integrity, compliance, and continuous improvement. This culture supports both regulatory confidence and reliable execution.
Join the Team
Wilmington PharmaTech continues to grow as demand for complex chemistry and high-potency manufacturing increases. We are always looking for experienced scientists, engineers, and operations professionals who want to work on challenging programs with real impact.
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