Brian Kohr to Resign as CEO and Remain on CSafe’s Board of Directors
CSafe Global (“CSafe” or the “Company”), a leading global provider of cold chain packaging solutions to biopharmaceutical and life science companies, airlines and freight forwarders, today announced that Jeff Pepperworth a healthcare and supply chain industry veteran with decades of relevant leadership experience, has been named as its new Chief Executive Officer. The appointment follows Brian Kohr’s decision to resign as President and CEO to allow him time to pursue other interests that were set aside while building a successful global business. Mr. Kohr will continue to serve on CSafe’s Board of Directors.
“I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished at CSafe and would like to thank the entire CSafe team, made up of so many talented employees with whom I have had the sincere pleasure to work alongside,” said Mr. Kohr. “Building on CSafe’s remarkable track record of innovation and achievements to date, and looking toward the next set of growth opportunities still ahead, CSafe is well positioned for the future. I have every confidence that Jeff will help drive the company to its next level of success to become the global market leader while continuing to provide the best possible products and services to our customers and partners. I look forward to continuing to contribute to the mission of CSafe as a member of the Board of Directors.”
Prior to joining CSafe, Mr. Pepperworth served as President of the Healthcare division for Inmar, Inc. (“Inmar”), a leading provider of technology-driven pharmacy returns management and third-party pharmacy management solutions. During his tenure at Inmar, Mr. Pepperworth also served as President of their Supply Chain division, where he was responsible for overseeing all of Inmar’s supply chain and healthcare-related services. Before that, Mr. Pepperworth served as Senior Director of Materials Management at Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Pepperworth also has held several senior leadership positions at UPS, including Senior Vice President of Global Logistics and Distribution, Vice President of Central U.S. Operations and Vice President of Transportation.
“I am honored and especially excited by the opportunity to lead this great company,” said Mr. Pepperworth. “With a team comprised of some of the industry’s most experienced professionals, CSafe is uniquely positioned to continue to expand its global network of partners, service centers, support staff, sales representatives, and distributors. I look forward to working with Brian, the Board, and the rest of the CSafe team as we continue to enhance our existing product offerings and identify new cold chain packaging solutions to better serve our biopharmaceutical and life science customers’ evolving needs, while leveraging our global capabilities, outstanding solutions, and incredible customer service.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeff as CEO, a leader who brings a wealth of healthcare and supply chain experience in a wide range of executive roles. Jeff will lead a company that is producing record revenue and earnings right now, and we fully expect that his enthusiasm and experience will propel CSafe to even greater heights,” said Joshua Nelson, Managing Director of Thomas H. Lee Partners. “We also thank Brian for his thoughtful leadership as CEO, and sincerely appreciate his vision as he helped build CSafe into one of the world’s leading experts in cold chain packaging solutions. In addition, we are pleased that Brian will continue to serve on our Board of Directors as our partner in this investment, allowing CSafe to continue benefiting from his experience and knowledge of the industry.”
About Jeff Pepperworth
Mr. Pepperworth brings more than 20 years of executive experience in the healthcare and supply chain industry, having most recently served as President of the Healthcare division for Inmar, Inc., a leading provider of technology-driven pharmacy returns management and third-party pharmacy management solutions. During his tenure at Inmar, Mr. Pepperworth also served as President of their Supply Chain division, where he was responsible for overseeing all of Inmar’s supply chain and healthcare-related services.
Prior to his leadership roles at Inmar, Mr. Pepperworth served as Senior Director of Materials Management at Cleveland Clinic, where he was responsible for managing the supply chain network that supports the organization’s hospitals, regional medical practices, family health centers, and ambulatory surgery centers.
Mr. Pepperworth also has held several senior leadership positions at UPS, including Senior Vice President of Global Logistics and Distribution, Vice President of Central U.S. Operations and Vice President of Transportation. He is experienced in Total Quality Management, ISO9002, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Warehouse Management and Logistic Systems, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
About CSafe Global
Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CSafe Global (“CSafe”) is a market-leading provider of cold chain packaging solutions to biopharmaceutical and life science companies, airlines, freight forwarders, and 3PLs. The company produces, leases, and services temperature-controlled, active containers which maintain high-value and temperature-sensitive biopharmaceutical cargo at precise temperatures for extended periods of time – often in extreme external conditions. CSafe also sells a broad suite of passive containers to life science, healthcare, government, military, and international disaster relief organizations. For more information, please visit the company’s website at https://csafeglobal.com/.
About Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.
Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (“THL”) is a premier private equity firm investing in middle market growth companies, headquartered in North America, exclusively in four industry sectors: Healthcare, Business & Financial Services, Consumer & Retail, and Media, Information Services & Technology. Using the firm’s deep domain expertise and the internal operating capabilities of its Strategic Resource Group, THL seeks to create deal sourcing advantages, and to accelerate growth and improve operations in its portfolio companies in partnership with management teams.
Since its founding in 1974, THL has raised over $22 billion of equity capital, acquired over 140 portfolio companies and completed over 360 add-on acquisitions which collectively represent a combined enterprise value at the time of acquisition of over $200 billion.