“BioMarin stands on the precipice of a gene therapy revolution, and this is a dream come true,” said Robert A. Baffi, Ph.D., retired president of Global Manufacturing and Technical Operations, at a ceremony announcing the renaming of our gene therapy manufacturing facility in his honor and the launch of his new book on how to achieve manufacturing success.

The new building name—Robert A. Baffi Gene Therapy Manufacturing Facility—commemorates more than two decades of extraordinary contributions by Dr. Baffi before his retirement from BioMarin in 2020. A visionary leader for our Technical Operations organization and company more broadly, Dr. Baffi guided BioMarin through many of the most important advances in our 25-year history, from expanding our state-of-the-art core facilities in Novato, to purchasing our Shanbally facility in Ireland, to turning a Novato office building into a full cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) gene therapy manufacturing facility

“In addition to our patients, Robert has impacted the people at BioMarin as a mentor, a colleague and a friend. Making a Habit of Quality: How Technical Operations Paved the Way for BioMarin’s Success.” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer JJ Bienaimé said this at the naming celebration, where he also announced the launch of Dr. Baffi’s new book,

In the book, Dr. Baffi details the critical role of the Technical Operations organization in BioMarin’s evolution—growing from a start-up with one groundbreaking rare disease therapy to a world leader in transforming lives through genetic discovery. With his willingness to take calculated risks, passion for innovation and commitment to patients, Dr. Baffi shares the story of how his leadership style helped to inspire the “TOPS” team to constantly reach for more, in service of the people who depend on our pioneering treatments around the world.

“I appreciate you all,” Dr. Baffi said to the many colleagues in attendance at the ceremony. “I’m immensely proud to have worked with you to achieve some awesome accomplishments, and, quite frankly, I enjoyed the hell out of every minute of it.”

Read the book “Making a Habit of Quality: How Technical Operations Paved the Way for BioMarin’s Success,” on our website by clicking here.