Mayda C. Mercado, MA Kite Pharma

Mayda Mercado is a Biopharmaceutical and  Cell & Gene Therapy Quality (GxP) Executive with over 28+ years of experience. She started at Smith-Kline Beecham-Clinical Reference Laboratories working in the areas Microbiology, Hematology , Immunology and Management. Then worked for Johnson & Johnson (Ortho Biologics, Centocor, and Jansen) in various leadership and managerial roles in management of QC Laboratories, Compliance, and Supply Chain. Then, she moved to Pfizer (Wyeth) to manage  Biologics Quality Product Leaders, and Site Parenteral Quality Site Head. These experiences increased her knowledge of Global Regulatory Requirements and Operational Excellence transformation. She then moved to Merck to lead the Global Biologics Quality Network of sites where she managed commercialization and approval of key Biologics. Then she moved to start up facilities with a focus on Biosimilars; TPI & PFENex to lead and build the Quality Organization and CMC-Regulatory. She then joined Kite, a Gilead Company as an ED, Quality Site Head, and most recently advanced to a corporate role as Executive Director, Global Quality and Compliance in Santa Monica, California.

Mayda earned a Masters in Business Administration from University of Phoenix, a Bachelor in Medical Technology from University of Kentucky and a Bachelor in Biology from Interamerican University