bit.bio appoints Dr Emma Pepperell as Chief Executive Officer
Cambridge, UK — 12th June 2026: bit.bio, the Cambridge-based human cell programming company, has today announced the appointment of Dr Emma Pepperell as Chief Executive Officer. Dr Pepperell, who previously served as the company’s VP Commercial, succeeds Przemek Obloj, who has decided to step down from the role after leading the company through a significant period of growth and development.
Przemek joined bit.bio as Chief Financial Officer in 2024, before taking on the CEO role during the company’s 2025 strategic refocus. During this period, bit.bio completed its transformation into a dedicated cell programming and manufacturing platform and secured a $50 million Series C in January 2026, led by M&G Investments, to support the company’s next phase of commercial growth. The Board thanks Przemek for his significant contribution and leadership during this transition period and wishes him all the best in his next chapter.
Dr Emma Pepperell holds a DPhil in Clinical Laboratory Sciences from the University of Oxford. Prior to joining bit.bio in 2024, she spent a decade at Abcam building expertise in scaling commercial operations in fast-growing life sciences businesses.
As bit.bio’s VP Commercial, Dr Pepperell has expanded the company’s ioCells portfolio and built the commercial infrastructure that underpins the business today. A combination of stem cell science expertise and commercial execution positions her well to lead bit.bio through its next phase of growth.
"It is a privilege to be appointed as CEO at such an exciting stage in bit.bio’s journey,” said Dr Pepperell. “We are setting a new standard in biology by delivering consistent, defined human cells at scale, providing researchers worldwide with human-relevant models needed to advance disease research, drug discovery and development. Having worked closely with our customers, partners and exceptional team since 2024, I look forward to building on the strong foundations already in place as we scale our platform and expand access to our technology worldwide."
Outgoing CEO, Przemek Obloj, said: “It's been an honour to lead bit.bio over the past two years, and I'm grateful to our talented team, customers, partners and investors who have contributed to the company's progress. As the pharmaceutical industry rapidly evolves to adopt computational methods and models into the core drug development, I look forward to seeing bit.bio continue to grow and expand the impact of its technology.”
David Prior, Chairman, added: "Emma is an outstanding leader with a rare combination of scientific expertise, commercial acumen and deep understanding of bit.bio's technology and customers. Since joining the company, she has played a pivotal role in shaping our commercial strategy and accelerating growth. The Board is delighted to appoint her as CEO and looks forward to working with her as bit.bio enters its next phase of development and societal impact.”
“We would like to thank Przemek for his leadership and contribution to bit.bio over the last two years, and look forward to building on the strong foundations established during this period.”