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Founder / Operator·Pharma Services

Salim Haffar

Chief Executive Officer at PCI Pharma Services

Philadelphia, PA (PCI Pharma Services HQ) / New York City metro area

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Why they matter

As CEO since 2018, Haffar tripled PCI's revenue and led it through three PE ownership transitions, making him the key contact for CDMO diligence or sponsor conversations.

Background

Salim Haffar has served as CEO of PCI Pharma Services since 2018, joining from AptarGroup where he was President of Aptar Pharma and previously Co-President of the Valois Group, with earlier experience as SVP EMEA at Capsugel. He holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from McGill University and has lived and worked across Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and the U.S. Under his leadership PCI has roughly tripled revenue and headcount, growing from ~2,300 to ~7,500+ employees and expanding from 25 to 38+ GMP sites across seven countries.

Notable deals

  • 2018
    Appointed CEO of PCI Pharma Services, succeeding Bill Mitchell (who became executive co-chairman)
  • 2020
    Led PCI through Kohlberg & Company's and Mubadala's acquisition of a majority stake from Partners Group
  • 2025
    Secured new strategic investment from Bain Capital, co-led with existing investor Kohlberg and reinvestment from Mubadala, to fund PCI's next growth phase

Call-prep brief

Background

  • CEO of PCI Pharma Services since 2018; previously President of Aptar Pharma (AptarGroup) and SVP EMEA at Capsugel.
  • Chemical engineering degree, McGill University; multicultural career across Europe, Middle East, Canada, and the U.S.
  • Under his tenure, PCI roughly tripled revenue and headcount (~2,300 to 7,500+ employees) and grew from 25 to 38+ GMP sites in 7 countries.

Current Focus

  • Executing PCI's transformation into a global, integrated CDMO spanning drug development, sterile fill-finish/injectables, high-potency manufacturing, and packaging.
  • Deploying new sponsor capital (Bain Capital, July 2025) toward organic capacity expansion and inorganic (M&A) growth.

What He Cares About

  • Customer experience and integrated, end-to-end supply chain solutions for biopharma clients.
  • Positioning PCI in high-growth segments: biologics, specialized/injectable drug delivery, high-potent manufacturing.

Recent Moves

  • July 2025: Bain Capital co-led a new strategic investment alongside existing backers Kohlberg and Mubadala.
  • 2020: Steered PCI through Kohlberg/Mubadala's acquisition of a majority stake from Partners Group.

Sensitivities

  • Company has changed/added PE sponsors multiple times since 2018 (Partners Group → Kohlberg/Mubadala → Bain Capital co-investment) — approach ownership/exit-timeline questions carefully.
  • Competitive intensity is rising in biologics fill-finish/CDMO capacity; avoid framing as a market PCI dominates uncontested.

Questions to Ask

  1. With Bain Capital's July 2025 investment, what's the near-term M&A pipeline and priority geographies/capabilities?
  2. How is new capital being split between sterile fill-finish/injectables capacity build-out versus bolt-on acquisitions?
  3. How does PCI differentiate its integrated CDMO model as biologics/injectables competition intensifies?

Outreach draft

Subject
Perspective on PCI's CDMO Growth Strategy
Hi Salim, I'm [Name] with [Firm]. We've been following PCI Pharma Services' transformation into a global biologics and injectables CDMO with real interest — the growth trajectory since Kohlberg and Mubadala's investment, and now Bain Capital's involvement this year, stands out in a crowded contract manufacturing space. We're doing focused work on the CDMO sector and would value 20-30 minutes of your perspective on where capacity, M&A, and customer demand are heading for integrated drug development and manufacturing platforms like PCI's. Happy to work around your schedule. Would you be open to a call in the next couple of weeks? Best, [Name]

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