Meet Our Leaders
Mark B. Hassenplug
Board Chair & Chief Executive Officer
Background
Mark B. Hassenplug is a life sciences executive and consulting leader with deep experience across regulatory compliance, quality systems, supply chain, and transaction support in high-scrutiny environments. He previously led MAETRICS, a regulatory and compliance consulting firm focused on the life sciences sector. In addition to his role as Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of PHALANX8, he is Board Chair and Managing Partner of Gryphon Citadel, a global management consulting firm he founded to deliver real change through clear strategy, operational innovation, and people-focused leadership.
Earlier in his career, he served as Global Life Sciences Advisory and Supply Chain Leader at EY, shaping advisory strategy and leading complex transformation and performance-improvement initiatives for life sciences clients. Throughout his career, he has guided major remediation efforts, supported executive teams through compliance recovery and operational stabilization, and advised on life sciences M&A programs, including diligence and asset fitness assessments to evaluate readiness, risk exposure, and value-creation potential. His professional background includes senior leadership roles at Kearney, BearingPoint, KPMG, PwC, and EY
Mark brings extensive international experience, having worked across 47 countries on five continents. His time living and working as an expatriate in Canada, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria informs a pragmatic, culturally grounded approach to leadership and advisory work in complex global environments.
Representative Clients
Mark has worked with executive teams across global life sciences and related regulated sectors. Representative clients include Bayer, Beckman Coulter, Bristol Myers Squibb, CSL Behring, DePuy Synthes, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis, Pall Corporation, Pfizer, Sanofi, Zimmer Biomet, and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Mark is frequently sought out to share perspectives on compliance, enterprise transformation, and strategic execution in complex operating environments. His insights have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Alto Nivel, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, Elsevier Business Intelligence, Financial Post Magazine, and multiple Chinese business publications. He also writes for Gryphon Citadel ViewPoint, providing ongoing thought leadership on issues relevant to executive teams navigating regulatory pressure, operational change, and value creation.
Education
MBA, Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University
BA, State University of New York College at Potsdam
Paolo Prisco
EMEA Region Leader
Background
Paolo Prisco serves as Managing Partner for EMEA at Gryphon Citadel, leading strategic initiatives and operations throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Born in Italy and based in Switzerland, Paolo’s global perspective is shaped by extensive experience living and working in Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and India.
Paolo’s career spans executive leadership in the industry and top-tier management consulting. He began in financial leadership roles at a leading Italian chemical enterprise and a major French oil company, then joined KPMG Consulting and EY, where he advised global corporations and international organizations on large-scale transformation initiatives. Throughout his career, he has become a sought-after advisor to senior executives navigating growth, complexity, and change across markets in Europe, North America, and Asia.
With deep operational insight and multicultural fluency, Paolo specializes in leading enterprise-wide transformation programs that deliver measurable impact. His work spans finance optimization, post-merger integration, strategic realignment, business transformation, talent development, regulatory compliance, and technology-enabled work.
Recognized for his strategic acumen and ability to lead high-performing teams, Paolo fosters cultures of excellence and resilience. His leadership style blends intellectual versatility with a strong instinct for developing talent, accelerating performance, and achieving ambitious goals in fast-changing global environments.
Representative Clients
Paolo’s primary focus across life sciences, chemicals, and consumer products has enabled him to advise many of the world’s leading organizations.
Corporate Clients include: Adidas, BASF, Bayer, Cipla, Eli Lilly, Endo-Par Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Johnson & Johnson, Lever Industrial, Merck KGaA, Nestlé, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi Aventis, and TEVA.
International Organizations include: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), the United Nations Secretary’s Office, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Paolo is an active thought leader who frequently speaks at international business conferences and contributes editorial perspectives to Italian and global media outlets. His work focuses on leadership, strategy, and enterprise transformation in complex global environments.
In addition to his corporate engagements, Paolo collaborates with LUISS University and the Rome Business School, and has previously lectured at Bocconi University (Milan and Mumbai), the Politecnico di Milano, and John Cabot University. Across these academic contributions, he remains committed to bridging practical leadership experience with educational advancement.
Education
International Economic Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
Thomas P. Scurria
Chief Financial Officer
Tom Scurria is a seasoned finance and operations executive with a unique blend of strategic financial acumen, operational leadership, and entrepreneurial experience across diverse business sectors. Over the course of his career, he has developed and executed long-term financial strategies, optimized capital structures, and guided complex organizations through periods of growth, transformation, and market volatility. His experience includes managing sophisticated financial vehicles such as a $450 million retirement plan master trust and overseeing interest-rate hedging strategies following a leveraged buyout involving $1 billion of debt at ARAMARK. Tom currently serves as an executive advisor to a medical device company and previously served as interim CFO for a project management professional services firm.
Tom brings deep expertise in corporate finance, FP&A, treasury, capital planning, and business development, complemented by a proven record of multi-unit operational leadership. During his tenure at ARAMARK, he led nationwide retail operations, generating more than $130 million in annual revenue, securing over $80 million in new business, and tripling divisional profitability.
As an entrepreneur, Tom played a central role in building and financing a multi-location restaurant franchise group, overseeing financial strategy, legal matters, and administrative operations. His ability to combine financial discipline with practical operational insight has been a consistent driver of long-term growth and sustained value. He maintains a disciplined focus on cash-flow management and value maximization.
Tom excels in roles where finance and operations intersect - applying analytical rigor, strategic foresight, and collaborative leadership to build resilient, high-performing organizations.
