Ginkgo Automation Appoints Brian O'Sullivan as Head of Commercial to Accelerate External Growth

Rhea-AI Summary

Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) has appointed Brian O'Sullivan as Head of Commercial for Ginkgo Automation to accelerate external growth. O'Sullivan, formerly from HighRes Biosolutions, will oversee all revenue-generating functions including sales, business development, and marketing.

The appointment comes as Ginkgo Automation expands from internal R&D support to serving external clients with its RAC (Reconfigurable Automation Cart) hardware, Catalyst scheduling software, and remote monitoring services. O'Sullivan brings extensive experience in commercial leadership, having successfully grown HighRes's operations globally and held senior positions at Agilent Technologies, Velocity11, and Beckman Coulter.

Positive

• Strategic expansion from internal R&D to external client services
• Appointment of experienced commercial leader with proven track record in scaling operations globally
• Development of comprehensive automation solution combining hardware and AI-ready software

Negative

• None.

Seasoned life‑science executive to spearhead global go‑to‑market strategy as Ginkgo Automation scales external sales across biopharma, techbio, and new science‑driven markets while continuing to support internal programs.

BOSTON, Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced the appointment of Brian O'Sullivan as Head of Commercial for Ginkgo Automation. Brian joins Ginkgo Automation from HighRes Biosolutions, where he led their commercial efforts.

In his new role, Brian will oversee all revenue‑generating functions, including sales, business development, channel partnerships, marketing, and customer success, at a pivotal moment for Ginkgo Automation. Over the past year, the business unit has quickly evolved from supporting Ginkgo's internal R&D to providing its modular RAC (Reconfigurable Automation Cart) hardware, Catalyst scheduling and orchestration software, and remote monitoring and error resolution services to external clients. Ginkgo Automation now serves a rapidly expanding customer base across biopharma, diagnostics, and national laboratories.

"Brian has consistently built top-performing commercial teams that translate advanced technology into clear customer value," said Will Serber, GM, Ginkgo Automation. "His expertise in developing and executing capex and software solutions, executing large automation transactions, and his robust network across the life sciences market uniquely positions us to scale globally and maximize the power of our platform."

At HighRes, Brian built the commercial organization from the ground up, dramatically grew annual bookings, established key strategic alliances across leading industry segments, and spearheaded the company's expansion into Europe and Asia Pacific. Prior to HighRes, he held senior commercial leadership roles at Agilent Technologies, Velocity11, and Beckman Coulter advancing growth across small molecule and biologic applications. Brian received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

"Ginkgo Automation pairs best‑in‑class hardware in a novel design with an AI‑ready software stack that closes the loop between experiment design and data generation – exactly what scientists need to accelerate discovery," said Brian O'Sullivan. "I'm thrilled to join this talented team and empower customers to reimagine what's possible in their labs."

Brian will be based in Emeryville, CA and report directly to Will Serber. His immediate priorities include expanding Ginkgo Automation's commercial reach, strengthening relationships with enterprise clients, and accelerating market adoption of its innovative solutions.

Ginkgo Automation capabilities can now be deployed at your site. Find out more about our RACs and Catalyst automation software here or at automation.ginkgo.bio

GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com

GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com

About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone.  Ginkgo R&D Solutions delivers customizable R&D packages—such as protein engineering, nucleic acid design, and cell-free systems—giving partners a comprehensive way to accelerate innovation across therapeutics, diagnostics, & manufacturing. Ginkgo Automation sells modular, integrated laboratory automation so scientists can spend their days planning and analyzing experiments rather than pipetting in the lab.  Ginkgo Datapoints uses Ginkgo's in-house automation to generate the large lab data sets to power your AI models.  Ginkgo Biosecurity is building and deploying the next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of Ginkgo's cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to realize near-term and long-term cost savings associated with our site consolidation plans, including the ability to terminate leases or find sub-lease tenants for unused facilities, (ii) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, including with respect to our solutions and tools offerings, (iv) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (v) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (vi) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vii) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs and Codebase assets, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, (x) the product development, production or manufacturing success of our customers, (xi) our exposure to the volatility and liquidity risks inherent in holding equity interests in other operating companies and other non-cash consideration we may receive for our services, (xii) the potential negative impact on our business of our restructuring or the failure to realize the anticipated savings associated therewith and (xiii) the uncertainty regarding government budgetary priorities and funding allocated to government agencies. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on February 25, 2025 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com

GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com

 

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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

FAQ

Who is the new Head of Commercial at Ginkgo Automation (NYSE: DNA)?

Brian O'Sullivan has been appointed as Head of Commercial, joining from HighRes Biosolutions where he led commercial efforts.

What are the main products offered by Ginkgo Automation?

Ginkgo Automation offers RAC (Reconfigurable Automation Cart) hardware, Catalyst scheduling and orchestration software, and remote monitoring and error resolution services.

What markets does Ginkgo Automation (DNA) serve?

Ginkgo Automation serves a rapidly expanding customer base across biopharma, diagnostics, and national laboratories.

What are Brian O'Sullivan's immediate priorities at Ginkgo Automation?

His immediate priorities include expanding commercial reach, strengthening enterprise client relationships, and accelerating market adoption of Ginkgo's innovative solutions.

What is Brian O'Sullivan's background and experience?

O'Sullivan has held senior commercial leadership roles at HighRes Biosolutions, Agilent Technologies, Velocity11, and Beckman Coulter, with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University.