Q&A with Dr. Volker Wagner-Solbach
Head of Scale up, Supply Chain & Procurement at Insempra

Hi Volker, tell us a little about your background

I studied chemistry in 1985 at LMU in Munich, followed by my PhD at TU Munich working for Solvay S.A. I founded my first company in 1996 dealing with surplus chemicals and used machinery. I sold the company in 2006 and went on to become a consultant in the chemical field.

For the last 10 years, I have mainly been an employee at companies like Bayern Innovativ, Metadynea Austria, AVA Biochem and AMsilk. AMSilk is where I met Insempra’s Founder Jens Klein in his role as CEO, where we were able to successfully scale the business.

What is your role at Insempra?

I am head of scale-up, supply chain and procurement, which means I look for the right partners to scale up Insempra’s production and help to convert lab processes to industrial processes.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
My favorite thing ever is success! It’s a challenge to scale biotech production and it’s incredibly rewarding to be able to watch the business grow, by understanding and satisfying customer needs. I’m very much a people person, so I really enjoy being in contact with people all over the world and learning about their needs and collaboratively finding the right solutions.

What are you most proud of in your career so far?
I think I’m most proud of the industrialization of the production of biotech spider silk for the cosmetics business of AMSilk which was sold to global market leader Givaudan in 2019. One of the key success drivers was the accomplished industrial upscaling. We achieved this within two years of working for AMSilk, where I was able to use my strengths in scaling-up businesses to lead us to success. Otherwise, I’m a firm believer, that success lies in the future and I am eager to see what the team and I can achieve with Insempra. 

Which company values resonate with you the most?
I am motivated by seeing and making true change happen. Insempra’s mission to scale better, more sustainable ingredients on an industrial level, is making circular economy a reality and will substantially influence the regenerative revolution in the way businesses produce.

What’s unique about working for our organization?
As a sports guy, I’m always up for a challenge! Insempra’s vision is challenging as well as inspiring. The business’s positioning as a platform company that offers scale-up as a service internally, is a unique approach within the biotech industry.

What’s the most exciting thing you are working on right now?
Currently, I’m working on scaling up our lipids production, and working with selected production partners to see the levels we can achieve. It’s great to see our production capabilities growing and I’m excited about the potential this has.

Thanks, Volker! 
If you have any questions for Volker, reach out to him on LinkedIn

Posted by Nicole Laurence