Meet Our Team
INDIGO Biosciences is led by a dedicated team of professionals with extensive and diverse experience in various aspects of the life sciences, business management, and operations.
Management
Fred Marroni
President & CEO
Fred Marroni, INDIGO’s CEO, is a successful entrepreneur with more than 25 years of executive management and engineering experience. His career has spanned multiple industries, technologies, and organization stages including turn-around management of an Internet technologies company that had 100% growth of a $15 million business unit within 24 months. His attention to details, team motivational skills and operational experience were key factors in this accomplishment.
His expertise ranges from being the founding executive of several companies to senior management of a Fortune 1000 business. He has led efforts in merger and acquisitions and contract negotiations. For the past 10 years, he has focused on evaluating and funding early stage life science companies.
Dr. John (Jack) Vanden Heuvel
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Vanden Heuvel is one of INDIGO’s founders and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer. He is a recognized expert in the field of nuclear receptor biology and toxicology with over 100 peer-reviewed publications. In addition to his role as CSO at INDIGO, Dr. Vanden Heuvel is a Professor at Penn State University where he is the Program Coordinator of the undergraduate Toxicology Program, a Professor of Molecular Toxicology, and leads an extramurally funded research program.
Dr. Bruce A. Sherf
Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Sherf joined INDIGO Biosciences in 2008 as Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Sherf, who has worked in the biotechnology industry since 1994, has particular expertise in cell-based reporter assay design and optimization, product development, and high-throughput screening applications for drug discovery. As CTO, he oversees INDIGO Biosciences’ product development, manufacturing, and technology transfer initiatives, as well as directing all Contract Services related activities.
Board of Directors
Steve Carpenter
Director
Steve Carpenter serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business teaching Entrepreneurial Finance and as the Program Administrator for the Garber Fund providing venture investment experiences for MBA students.
Mr. Carpenter has served as a director or board observer on more than ten company boards since 2008. Mr. Carpenter has 18 years of experience with Life Sciences Greenhouse Investments providing seed-stage investments in promising life sciences companies in Pennsylvania.
In his most recent role as Senior Vice President, Mr. Carpenter provided guidance and support to portfolio companies, evaluated early-stage companies for prospective investments, and managed the organization’s accounting and finances.
Prior to joining LSG Investments, Mr. Carpenter served more than 20 years in a variety of management and engineering positions, primarily leading operation start-ups and new product launches. Mr. Carpenter earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Penn State University where his academic concentration was on venture capital, entrepreneurship, and finance.
Donald C. Belt
Director
Mr. Belt is President/Sr. Managing Partner of AGSM, LLC and AGSM II, LLC. He currently serves on the following boards: TWorks, INDIGO Biosciences, Inc, Westmoreland Advanced Materials, Inc, and Green Gorilla. Mr. Belt brings over 40 years of experience from executive capacities at True Value, ServiStar, and General Electric in addition to being a CEO/owner of MRODirect, McGhee & Co. and Chesapeake Holding Corporation and active on the Charter Oak Church Council.
Mark McLoughlin
Director
Mr. McLoughlan has four decades of healthcare industry experience and recently served as Executive Vice President for Avantor (formerly VWR International) and held the position of SVP & President, Americas Laboratory and Distribution Services from 2012 to 2018 for VWR International. During his tenure as President at VWR International, Mr. McLoughlin was responsible for the entire P&L of the Americas $3B manufacturing, distribution, and services business.
He was directly involved in multiple strategic acquisitions and led the integrations of these businesses into the Americas portfolio. Prior to being appointed President, Mr. McLoughlin led the Category Management function for VWR and was responsible for strategic and tactical marketing functions.
Prior to joining VWR, Mr. McLoughlin held positions as the SVP of Scientific Products Distribution for Cardinal Health, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Cardinal Health, and led the global Critical Care manufacturing business unit for Mallinckrodt.
Brad Harmon
Director
Mr. Harmon currently works for Sanofi Pharmaceuticals as the Head of Market Development for the $6B+ Sanofi U.S. Diabetes franchise. He has worked for Sanofi since 1988 and has shown a steady progression in responsibility and advancement throughout various divisions within the organization.
Mr. Harmon’s uniquely diverse pharmaceutical background has allowed him to obtain several Sr. level positions, including Sr. Director of Market Access Operations, Head N.A. Medical Affairs Operations, Head of Aventis Medical Liaisons group, and N.A. Medical Affairs Chief of Staff.
Mr. Harmon’s marketing experience spans across both anti-Infectives and diabetes disease areas. During his career, he has developed extensive product launch experience while serving on 15 product launch teams. He has held leadership positions in Commercial, Medical Affairs, and Marketing.
Mr. Harmon has earned an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Springfield College and an MBA from Rutgers University School of Business.
Chris Novak
Director
Mr. Novak has over 20 years of investment banking and strategic advisory experience, working as a trusted advisor with his clients to successfully lead more than 100 transactions including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, equity and debt capital raises, public listings, recapitalizations, international and strategic advisory / value-creation engagements.
He has worked with clients ranging from emerging innovators to multi-nationals. He has created immense value for his clients across a broad range of industries and stages, leveraging both his expertise and relationships with decision-makers at family offices, venture capital firms, private equity firms, and large corporations.
Mr. Novak is FINRA registered representative, a Managing Director with CoView Capital, a Partner with Roadmap Advisors, a CFA Charterholder, and a frequent speaker on M&A, raising capital, valuation, and strategy.
Fred Marroni
President & CEO
Fred Marroni, INDIGO’s CEO, is a successful entrepreneur with more than 25 years of executive management and engineering experience. His career has spanned multiple industries, technologies, and organization stages including turn-around management of an Internet technologies company that had 100% growth of a $15 million business unit within 24 months. His attention to details, team motivational skills and operational experience were key factors in this accomplishment.
His expertise ranges from being the founding executive of several companies to senior management of a Fortune 1000 business. He has led efforts in merger and acquisitions and contract negotiations. For the past 10 years, he has focused on evaluating and funding early stage life science companies.