Meet Raj Puri – Chief Commercial Officer at Argonaut
What’s a day in the life of a CCO at Argonaut?
“Every day is truly different than the last one,” Raj Puri says with a laugh. He is responsible for Business Development across our two business units, Life Sciences Diagnostics (LSDx) and Drug Product Development (DPD), as well as Project Management. On any given day he might be at a conference, meeting with clients, reviewing proposals, negotiating contracts or working with the team on qualified leads. “It’s a blend of listening, planning, and moving fast—keeping the pipeline healthy while making sure ongoing programs have what they need.”
How does your work support Argonaut’s mission?
“While it may take more time up front, setting clear expectations with our clients in our proposals, contracts and project management trackers ultimately saves time and helps set a solid foundation for a trusting relationship.” Developing, refining and implementing these tools is a critical part of Raj Puri’s mandate to solidify Argonaut as an elite CDMO.
Raj Puri takes a long-term view of client relationships. “The goal is to do right by the client and the patient,” he says. “Sometimes that means we’re not the best fit—and when that’s the case, we’ll say so and point them to a service provider who is. In the long run, doing the right thing builds trust and leads to better outcomes for all parties.”
What makes your role meaningful to you?
“It’s the chance to play a critical role in bringing new breakthrough medical treatments to patients,” Raj Puri shares. “The scope in a CDMO is much broader than a biotech company. Rather than having just two or three assets, we are working on 15-20 projects.” He also reflects on his opportunity to work with partners that are open to suggestions, and how they come together to tackle problems.
“The goal is to do right by the client and the patient”
How did you get here?
Raj Puri started his career in regulatory role, earned an MBA, and moved into marketing and business development leadership. He co-founded a CDMO and later sat on the buyer side as SVP of Manufacturing before joining Argonaut. “Seeing both sides—provider and sponsor—shaped how I think about scope, timelines, communication, and deal structure. I chose Argonaut because of our focused and talented team which are all rowing in the same direction.”
What’s your philosophy on client partnerships?
“Think beyond one project,” Raj Puri says. “The benefits aren’t always symmetrical and ideally, the relationship shouldn’t be transactional. If we execute well and communicate clearly, we earn the next program. That continuity reduces contracting time, onboarding effort, and technical ambiguity for both sides.”
What do you value about the team and culture at Argonaut?
“We add headcount thoughtfully and listen to ideas from everywhere,” he notes. Raj sees his leadership style as manager-as-coach: “Clear roles, honest feedback, and momentum. When you empower people and remove friction, they do their best work.”
“It’s the chance to play a critical role in bringing new breakthrough medical treatments to patients”
Life outside work
Family, travel, and sports keep Raj grounded. He also coaches basketball and sees a direct parallel to leadership. “You want to see athletes / people develop and learn new skills to be able to make decisions on their own. Teaching people how to perform consistently over time, interact with teammates and effectively manage pressure are other parallels between sports and business.”
What advice would you give to someone pursuing a career at a CDMO?
“There really are no shortcuts,” Raj Puri says. “The only thing you will take with you through your career is your name, so you want to be sure to do the right thing for both the client and the company. It is a long-term game and building trust with whom you work with is one of the critical elements.”
What excites you next about Argonaut?
“I am really excited about our new facility at our Carlsbad campus where we have installed a new high throughput filling line and isolator.” Raj goes on, “It’s coming very quickly but has been almost three and a half years to get to this point. We expect to be in GMP production in Q1 of next year and it really is due to the experience of our team that we can bring it on-line so quickly.”
“I am really excited about our new facility at our Carlsbad campus where we have installed a new high throughput filling line and isolator.”
Argonaut is your trusted CMO partner for aseptic fill-finish, IVD and life science applications, and drug-device combination products (DDCP). Our highly experienced team delivers flexible, responsive manufacturing solutions with complete product configuration, formulation, kitting, QC/QA, and supply-chain management. With extensive regulatory expertise ensuring high standards, and a dedicated program manager driving transparency and clear communication, Argonaut keeps your programs on track from start to finish.
Discover how Raj Puri and the Argonaut staff can elevate your manufacturing processes—reach out to us today to learn more!
