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Where medical and life science innovation becomes scalable reality

Ascential™ helps leading medical and life sciences companies turn complex product ideas into practical manufacturing solutions. From development through post-production support, market entry, and supply chain management, our experts collaborate to design, engineer, and automate systems that meet regulatory and performance expectations.

With global manufacturing capabilities, robust teams, and deep technical expertise born from seven decades on the cutting edge of automation, Ascential is uniquely positioned to add scale where you need it and momentum when it matters.With global manufacturing capabilities, robust teams, and deep technical expertise born from seven decades on the cutting edge of automation, Ascential is uniquely positioned to add scale where you need it and momentum when it matters.

Meet our executive leadership

Get to know the leaders propelling Ascential Medical & Life Sciences forward.

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Anupam Girdhar

Chief Executive Officer
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Ellen Scipta

Chief Financial Officer
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Vinod Mirchandani

Chief Technology Officer
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Chris Cowen

Chief Commercial Officer
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Georgette Dulworth

Chief Legal Officer
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Todd Martensen

Chief Strategy Officer
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Melissa Detamble

Chief Human Resources Officer
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Ray Kime

Senior Vice President, Operations
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Steve Laninga

Managing Director, Devices
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Elliot Shelton

Managing Director, Instruments and Devices
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Raghu Behara

Managing Director, Automation BU
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AEA
Investors

Founded in 1968 by the Rockefeller, Mellon and Harriman family interests and S.G. Warburg & Co., AEA has been positioning businesses for long-term success for over 50 years.

AEA has an extensive history of partnering with leading companies in the industrial technology and automation industries to achieve growth and operational improvements. The Firm manages funds that have approximately $19 billion of invested and committed capital.

7 legacies.
One partner.

Ascential brings together the expertise of seven well-respected, highly specialized firms across engineering, automation, and advanced manufacturing. United, we help the world’s leading medical device and life sciences companies solve their most critical manufacturing and design challenges.

Scale here. Build there.
Compliant everywhere.

Scale easier with our global network of harmonized FDA/ISO-certified facilities. Prototype in the U.S. and build in Europe or Costa Rica, all without revalidation. Wherever production happens, the same systems, standards, and oversight follow.

World map highlighting locations: USA, Costa Rica, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore.

Join the Ascential Medical & Life Sciences team

Ready to help bring complex, high-impact innovations to life and advance global health and safety? Join us in solving the toughest process, workflow, and product challenges. Whether you’re skilled in engineering, manufacturing, automation, or organizational support, Ascential offers a fast-paced, collaborative environment for growth.

Ascential Careers

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Partner with trusted medical manufacturers

Ascential navigates production and commercialization strategy with precision, scale, and speed — ensuring your innovations are safe, functional, and fully compliant.
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Anupam Girdhar

Chief Executive Officer

Anupam Girdhar is divisional CEO of Ascential Medical & Life Sciences. A business leader with 25 years of operational and strategic experience, Girdhar has managed complex life science tools and medical devices businesses. He has a proven track record fostering growth and cultivating top-tier organizations and will work towards positioning Ascential Medical & Life Sciences for lasting success. Before joining the Ascential team, Girdhar spent seven years with Thermo Fisher Scientific, most recently serving as vice president and general manager of PCR Platforms and Genetic Testing Solutions. Prior to that, he was instrumental in building Thermo Fisher’s Clinical Vertical in the Genetic Sciences Division, as well as establishing the company’s leadership position in COVID testing. He also spent nine years at Baxter Healthcare where he held multiple leadership positions including vice president of marketing for Clinical Nutrition and Fluid Systems businesses and led strategic initiatives for the Medication Delivery Division. Girhar has experience as a management consultant providing marketing, sales and strategy solutions to pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology companies.

Ellen Scipta

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer at Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, Ellen Scipta brings over two decades of experience leading financial strategy, business transformation and operational excellence across the medical technology, diagnostics, consumer and consulting sectors. She plays a pivotal role in driving financial and organizational strategy in alignment with Ascential’s growth objectives and has a proven track record of uniting teams under her unwavering commitment to integrity, value and excellence.

Prior to joining Ascential, Ellen served as Managing Director at Riveron Consulting, where she led strategic financial transformations for clients across industries, including interim CFO roles and the launch of new performance management service lines. She also held CFO positions at Fresh Vine Wine and Intricon Corporation, where she led complex restructurings, guided IPO/post-IPO transitions, and supported strategic M&A decisions.

Earlier in her career, Ellen held progressive leadership roles at Bio-Techne Corporation, where she was instrumental in scaling the company’s finance function during a period of rapid growth. She also held finance and strategy roles at CHS Inc., Best Buy, Target Corporation, and PwC.

Ellen holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University. Recognized as a Notable Woman in Manufacturing by Twin Cities Business and nominated CFO of the Year by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, Ellen is also a Deloitte Board Readiness Program alumna and an active member of the Financial Executives International Twin Cities Chapter.

Vinod Mirchandani

Chief Technology Officer

As Chief Technology Officer at Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, Vinod develops and deploys a comprehensive technology strategy to drive customer success and company growth. He identifies emerging trends and leverages technology to tackle the most challenging problems where the cost of failure is high, playing a pivotal role in fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration across the organization.

With robust leadership and operational experience, as well as a passion for innovation and customer-centric solutions, Vinod has a deep understanding of healthcare’s rapidly evolving technology landscape. Before joining the Ascential team, he spent 18 years at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he helped transform the company’s R&D organization. Most recently, he served as vice president of internal innovation and supported the Chief Scientific Officer to promote internal innovation and collaboration efforts. Prior to that, he was vice president of R&D. His distinguished career spans more than 40 years, with progressive roles in R&D at renowned companies such as Xerox, Applied Biosystems and Johnson & Johnson. He holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Science degree in Technology Management from NTU.

Vinod is committed to supporting Ascential’s customers with streamlined workflows, reduced costs and increased speed to market to improve and save lives.

Chris Cowen

Chief Commercial Officer

As Chief Commercial Officer at Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, Christopher Cowen leads global commercial strategy and execution, driving growth and expanding the company’s presence in the medical and life sciences markets. He oversees sales, marketing, business development and customer engagement to accelerate innovation adoption and strengthen client partnerships.

A transformative leader with a deep understanding of the medical and life sciences landscape, Christopher brings over 30 years of experience to the role. Most recently, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at Alveo Technologies. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific, including Vice President of Global Commercial for the Genetic Science Division, and at Life Technologies, where he led sales efforts in the Eastern United States and Canada. A seasoned global sales and marketing leader, Christopher is known for inspiring teams and delivering outstanding results in complex and competitive markets.

Christopher holds a degree from Rutgers University and is recognized for his ability to align commercial goals with scientific innovation, fostering sustainable growth in the life sciences industry.

Georgette Dulworth

Chief Legal Officer

Georgette is a results-driven, legal and business executive leader with over 30 years of broad corporate legal and HR experience. Before BPG, Georgette served as the Chief Human Resources Officer at ELMS, as Vice President, Legal at Dematic, and held senior roles at FCA Group (now Stellantis) and MSX International, among others. She also co-owned Tech-Line Automation, a controls engineering services business. Georgette began her career as an Associate Attorney at Clark Hill PLC. She holds BA in Corporate Finance and Juris Doctor degrees from Wayne State University. Georgette and her husband, Dan, have four daughters, two dogs and a cockatiel. She loves celebrating her Mexican culture and is happiest when with her family at their cottage in northern Michigan. Her favorite quote is: “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” – Frida Kahlo

Todd Martensen

Chief Strategy Officer

As Chief Strategy Officer at Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, Todd Martensen leads the company's strategic direction and long-term growth initiatives by fostering innovation, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and investments while unlocking new market segments and growth areas. Before becoming Chief Strategy Officer, Todd was responsible for all aspects of Ascential’s commercial team as the company’s Chief Commercial Officer.

Todd has a strong background in sales and management, particularly in the medical sector. He started their career at Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson Company, where he served as Director for a decade. Todd then worked at B.Braun as Vice President of Sales, overseeing multiple divisions and managing a large team. He later joined Alveolus as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, contributing to the company's significant growth. After Alveolus was acquired by Merit Medical Systems, he continued to serve as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Todd later held leadership positions at Danaher Corporation and KLOX Technologies Inc., where he was responsible for managing global business operations. Most recently, he worked at Benchmark Electronics, Inc. as Vice President of the Medical Sector, handling the company's medical business globally.

Melissa Detamble

Chief Human Resources Officer

Melissa is a highly tenured Human Resources professional with over 28 years experience across a range of manufacturing and industrial companies. Prior to Ascential, she was CHRO at PLZ Corp, and prior to that, held senior positions at Inventus Power and Plymouth Tube Company. Melissa has a BA degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from Lewis University. Melissa is passionate about Veteran’s causes and serves on the Board of a local non-profit, Naperville Responds to Veterans. She also champions women’s development in the manufacturing field and serves on the National Board of the Women in Manufacturing Education Foundation. She is recently an empty nester, with her 3 kids all away at college in varying parts of the world. In this next chapter of her life, she enjoys staying active and has taken on some new forms of exercise, including boxing! Her favorite quote is: “Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been” Jimmy Buffett

Ray Kime

Senior Vice President, Operations

As Senior Vice President of Operations at Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, Ray Kime oversees end-to-end operational strategy with a focus on optimizing processes and enhancing customer service. With more than 20 years of valuable industry experience, Ray combines deep operational expertise with a strong commitment to ensuring that Ascential Medical & Life Sciences is well-positioned to help its customers navigate complex challenges and bring products from ideation to scale.

Throughout his career, Ray has driven operational excellence through a blend of strategic insight and hands-on leadership. He is passionate about fostering employee engagement and developing company morale and retention – all while prioritizing the end customer and achieving bottom line improvements.

Prior to joining Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, he held senior operational roles at companies including Mobella, Tribus Aerospace Corporation, Oerlikon and Honeywell Aerospace. Ray holds a bachelor's degree in business management from the Indiana Institute of Technology.

Steve Laninga

Managing Director, Devices

As Managing Director, Devices at Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, Steve Laninga is responsible for leading the Device Business Unit by driving a culture focused on quality and continuous improvement that enables the company to provide exceptional customer service and grow. A business manager with experience in strategic planning, operations and high-performance team leadership, Steve possesses the technical skills and business acumen needed to build infrastructures for growth, cost optimization and lean transformation.

He has supported his team by elevating Ascential Medical & Life Sciences’ quality systems, implementing a new ERP system and preparing for commercial growth.

With more than two decades of experience, Steve has supported the introduction of new products and significantly grown capacity throughout his career. Before joining Ascential Medical & Life Sciences, he served as Vice President of Operations for Lifecore Biomedical. Prior to that, he worked at Perrigo Co., where he started as a Senior Industrial Engineer and worked his way up to Vice President of Operations. Steve holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan.

Elliot Shelton

Managing Director, Instruments and Devices

Elliot Shelton is the Managing Director of the Instruments and Devices business unit at Ascential Technologies, where he leads a global team delivering innovative solutions across applications such as DNA, RNA, and protein analysis, cell and gene therapy, molecular diagnostics, and sample preparation. With more than 20 years of experience in life sciences, Elliot is known for driving business transformations and leading complex, cross-functional programs.

Before joining Ascential, Elliot held leadership roles at Thermo Fisher Scientific and Akoya Biosciences. At Thermo Fisher, he most recently served as General Manager for high-throughput COVID-19 testing solutions, spearheading rapid development and global deployment efforts that enabled tens of millions of tests. At Akoya, he led product and marketing, transforming the organization and helping launch its flagship spatial biology platform.

Elliot holds a Master of Engineering and a BS in Bioengineering from UC San Diego, and an MBA with highest honors from Golden Gate University. He has also completed executive education at the Wharton School. Outside of work, Elliot is a marathon runner, lifelong learner, and proud father of four.

Raghu Behara

Managing Director, Automation BU

A seasoned business leader with more than 25 years of operational and strategic experience, Raghu has managed complex automation, life sciences and technology businesses across global markets. He brings a proven track record of building and leading high-performance teams and fostering organizational growth. Throughout his career, he’s gained a unique combination of technical depth, strategic thinking and operational execution that drives significant value.

Raghu joined Ascential in August 2025 from Switzerland-based automation startup Bionomous, where he served as Chief Business Officer and led a turnaround strategy for the company. Prior to that, he spent 11 years at Festo, an industrial automation leader, where he held multiple senior leadership roles and was instrumental in establishing Festo's North American Life Sciences division while also growing the company’s global liquid handling product line into a market-leading offering.

Prior to Festo, Raghu provided strategic expertise in organizational transformation and operational improvement at McKinsey & Company. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade at AMD. Raghu holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Dartmouth College.