Leadership Team

Dr. Marcus Michel serves as President and CEO of R+D Automation, bringing 25 years of international experience in plant engineering and process technology to the role. Before joining R+D, he held leadership positions across companies including GEA Group, Thyssen-Krupp, and Haldor Topsoe, managing sales and production teams while driving strategic and operational growth. Marcus holds a doctorate in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Clausthal and executive MBAs from London Business School and IMD Lausanne, bringing both deep technical expertise and global business leadership to R+D’s mission of delivering best-in-class automation solutions for the life sciences industry.

Eric Holmes has spent over 25 years with R+D Automation, joining the company in 1998 and now serving as Chief Technical Officer. In this role, Eric sets the technical direction across R+D’s entire engineering organization, upholding the engineering rigor that R+D’s life sciences clients depend on. As CTO, Eric bridges deep technical expertise with company-wide leadership, driving the innovation behind R+D’s custom automation solutions.

Tony DeBartolo joined R+D Automation in 2015 as an intern in Controls Engineering, gaining hands-on experience with the company’s automation systems before moving into a sales role in 2021. Now serving as Vice President of Business Development, Tony builds and grows relationships with R+D’s life sciences clients, leading the company’s efforts to win new business and expand into new markets. His background in controls engineering gives him a unique ability to bridge client needs with R+D’s engineering team, translating what clients need into the custom automation solutions R+D delivers.

Jeff Duchrow joined R+D Automation in 2024 as Vice President of Finance and Administration. He brings more than 20 years of experience in accounting, financial planning and controllership, including leading global finance teams across North America, Europe and Asia and overseeing finance, treasury, IT, payroll and HR for manufacturing organizations ranging from global publicly traded corporations to mid-sized privately held companies. Jeff’s background in project accounting, budgeting, internal controls and ERP implementation supports R+D’s continued growth.

Craig Fowles joined R+D Automation in 2018 as a mechanical builder and now serves as Vice President of Operations. He leads R+D’s manufacturing organization, including the mechanical and electrical build teams and the fabrication team, and oversees procurement. Craig also helps advance R+D’s use of AI by building internal dashboards that help drive company performance.