Kim Watanabe

Kim Watanabe is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Currently serving as Executive Director at PPD since May 2023, Kim leads the cell and gene therapy pillar for hematology and oncology. Prior to this role, Kim held various positions at Thermo Fisher Scientific starting in January 2016, including General Manager and Site Head for Translational Services. Previous experience includes serving as Senior Product Manager at Irvine Scientific, where responsibilities encompassed margin optimization and new product development in cell therapy. Early career roles include Research Scientist at ScienCell Research Laboratories and Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, San Diego. Kim holds a BS in Cell and Structural Biology with a Chemistry minor from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Virginia.