JEAN MARIE RAYMOND, CEO OF PHARMACTIVE BIOTECH - INTERVIEW WITH WBM TOP 100 INNOVATION CEO

JEAN MARIE RAYMOND, CEO OF PHARMACTIVE BIOTECH PRODUCTS HAS BEEN SELECTED BY THE JUDGES OF WORLD BIZ MAGAZINE'S ANNUAL AWARDS TO BE A RECIPIENT OF THE TOP 100 CEOS IN INNOVATION AWARD 2021. THIS SELECTION FOLLOWS A STRINGENT PROCESS THAT EVALUATED OVER 40,000 NOMINEES TO SELECT THE EXCLUSIVE LIST OF 100 WINNERS.

"We firmly believe in innovation and research as fundamental pillars in the development of a good and high-quality ingredient. Innovation is the key driver behind our success."

Jean Marie Raymond studied marketing and information technology at the University of Wolverhampton and completed an Executive MBA at the Instituto de Empresas (IE) in Madrid. His professional career comprises nearly twenty years in the field of botanical and natural ingredients for food supplements. In 2006, he was awarded the National Top Sales Award by Actualidad Económica Magazine (Spain). Jean Marie is the founder of Pharmactive Biotech Products, SL (2009). It is a pioneering biotechnology company that produces high-quality saffron extract for mood, anxiety, stress, and sleep support. Currently, Pharmactive has more than 40 employees, with 7 clinical trials and several scientific publications, and produces the highest-quality extracts.

Share with us some major achievements by Pharmactive Biotech Products recently?

Important highlights from the last 12 months needs to include the investment in a new manufacturing plant dedicated amongst other products to the in-house production of our award winning Aged Black Garlic product, targeting improvement in cardiovascular health and lipid profiles. This is a process that is 100% developed in-house based on proprietary knowledge regarding aged black garlic. A winner for the coming years! In addition, over the past year Pharmactive has invested in several clinical studies, many of which are about to be published. One of the studies that has already published is our sleep study on Affron.

Share with us some innovation highlights at Pharmactive.

At Pharmactive Biotech Products, we firmly believe in innovation and research as fundamental pillars in the development of a good and high-quality ingredient. Innovation is the key driver behind our success. We are working on several clinical studies to reaffirm our premium ingredients in delivering the best and the highest quality ingredient to our customer. For example:

• Pharmactive was the 1st company to introduce saffron extract into the market for mood improvement.

• We are the first company that has performed a clinical study on teenagers using a commercial saffron extract.

• We are worldwide leaders in high-quality saffron and aged black garlic extracts, continually launching new botanical ingredients endorsed by science.

How are consumer demands trending in your industry and how is Pharmactive reacting to meet the evolving needs of the customers?

Consumer demands have changed in the wake of the pandemic. Consumers have started to give greater importance to mental health, eye health, and cardiovascular health, while also seeking natural solutions of high quality and that are scientifically proven.

Along these lines Pharmactive offers:

• Innovative ingredients backed up by our own scientific studies.

• Guaranteed cost-effectiveness with the minimum dosage and maximum benefit for consumers.

• Collaboration with certified laboratories to carry out additional externalized quality controls.

• Our official methodologies are extensively validated internationally.

• Ingredient standardization to utilize only biomolecules that truly deliver beneficial properties for health.

• Our own manufacturing plant (GMP-certified) and also our own warehouse.

• A controlled process from field to delivery.

Pharmactive is constantly improving on sustainability efforts in our company itself, most notably in our production process.

Share with us how Pharmactive prioritises sustainability in its sourcing strategy and production process.

Corporate social responsibility and sustainability form the core of our company, as we strive to provide high quality ingredients in a fully transparent and sustainable way by reducing the impact on the environment as much as possible. Naturally, we take the utmost care in our sourcing strategy in order to make sure our ingredients are produced in the most sustainable way. In the case of our signature products, Affron and ABG, we are known for our 100% vertically integrated production process, which enables us to guaranty the safety of our products from farm to fork. Apart from careful sourcing, Pharmactive also is constantly improving on sustainability efforts in our company itself, most notably in our production process. We are proud to have launched our AFF On Cool Tech production process, guaranteeing we use the gentlest means of extracting actives from our products without the use of any harmful chemicals.

Share with us your wider vision for your industry.

Our industry is in a constant state of growth, where the presence of extracts is very widespread. The need to innovate and to offer real alternatives with high-quality standards is becoming more and more evident and necessary in the sector, which is increasingly composed of extracts without scientific studies that guarantee their efficacy or assure their origin and quality. That is why our vision is to grow to be the company of reference in the biotech market, by offering natural products with high technological components as a real alternative to traditional medicine. We are also located in one of the epicentres of research nutrition, so that we closely collaborate with leading scientists to boost our R&D capabilities and to generate new business

Please share your understanding of great leadership?

Not all situations require the same type of leadership style. Great leaders adapt to their surrounding environments and empower the team to succeed together. A great leader possesses a clear vision, is courageous, has integrity, honesty, humility and clear focus. Great leaders help people reach their goals, are passionate about developing the emerging leaders around them, constantly work to improve their emotional intelligence, and know that strong team culture is the foundation for accomplishing the mission.

Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L. is a privately-owned Spanish company that develops, and manufactures differentiated natural ingredients supported by scientific evidence. Pharmactive makes these innovative ingredients available to other companies in the Nutraceutical, Pharmaceutical and Veterinary Industries for marketing and distribution.

For more information, please visit www.pharmactive.eu