VOWST Divestiture: Leading IT Workstream for Pharmaceutical Product Sale

Context

Following Nestlé Health Science's acquisition of VOWST (the first FDA-approved oral microbiome therapeutic), I led the IT workstream for this landmark pharmaceutical divestiture. As the largest asset divestiture in company history, this complex 8-month transition involved 15 distinct IT workstreams, ~70 systems (including a dozen validated GxP systems), and 4 US facilities. As the portfolio lead on the divesting side, I coordinated across multiple teams to define, track, and deliver all IT-related obligations under aggressive timelines and regulatory scrutiny.

Challenge

• Leading IT workstream for pharmaceutical divestiture of groundbreaking FDA-approved microbiome therapeutic
• Coordinating 15 parallel IT workstreams with complex interdependencies
• Leading 6 program managers while maintaining operational excellence across all workstreams
• Ensuring FDA compliance throughout the transition of validated GxP systems
• Managing stakeholder expectations across two distinct organizational cultures
• Executing the transition with minimal disruption to ongoing commercial operations
• Operating under tight contractual timelines with limited resources

Approach

1. Due Diligence & Team Formation: Led due diligence activities with Nestlé Health Science and assembled a specialized team of 6 program/project managers, IT SMEs, and CSV leads to execute 15 parallel IT workstreams.
2. Work Stream Organization: Established 15 distinct IT workstreams organized into three major parallel work streams: Data Migrations, System Conveyance, and Infrastructure Handoffs across 4 US facilities.
3. Governance & Reporting: Established comprehensive tools and governance frameworks for project/program reporting, escalations, and cross-functional alignment to ensure seamless coordination across all 15 workstreams.
4. Leadership Support: Directly supported our CIO in monthly joint leadership readouts with Nestlé Health Science, providing executive visibility into progress, risks, and dependencies across all IT aspects of the transition.
5. Team Leadership: Directed 6 program/project managers and facilitated weekly progress meetings while serving as the primary point of contact for all IT-related aspects of the transition.

Result

• Successfully transitioned pharmaceutical asset (VOWST) within contractual timelines
• Achieved zero downtime across all 70+ systems during transition
• Delivered zero compliance findings during FDA-regulated system transitions
• Reduced transition costs by 15% through strategic vendor management and resource optimization
• Led 15 IT workstreams to 100% on-time delivery
• Managed 6 program managers with zero staff turnover during high-pressure transition
• Created reusable transition frameworks that became the company template for future M&A activities

Skills Demonstrated

• Large-scale M&A program leadership
• Multi-workstream coordination and governance
• Pharmaceutical regulatory compliance management
• Cross-organizational stakeholder management
• Team leadership and program management
• Strategic vendor and cost optimization

Lessons Learned

• Early governance frameworks prevent scope creep in complex transitions
• Clear workstream organization enables parallel execution
• Regulatory compliance must be built into every process
• Executive visibility drives accountability and success
• Reusable frameworks accelerate future M&A activities