Health – Folks

Marcelo Morales

Hometown: Chile
Place of Residence: Spokane
Occupation:CEO of Jubilant HollisterStier Contract Manufacturing & Services

Marcelo Morales, who speaks English, French, and Spanish, brings a global perspective to Spokane.

He is CEO of Jubilant HollisterStier Contract Manufacturing & Services, a pharmaceutical company that employs 620 people here. Its customers are located around the world.

“Commercially, we don’t do a lot of business in Spokane; however, all of our employees live here,” he says. “We have a lot of dedicated people. Our people are fantastic. They value living here. They obviously want to have vibrant lifestyles.”

The company has and needs a skilled workforce.

“The fact that there’s five colleges in this area is a tremendous advantage,” Morales says. “Four of them have very established sciences for what we need. Having grads who want to stay in this area is a real plus for us.”

Morales also is responsible for Jubilant HollisterStier’s operations in Montreal and Salisbury, MD. He expects the company to have “brisk growth” over the next five to 10 years.

While he was born in Chile, Morales spent his formative years in Toronto, Canada, where he received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s of business administration.

After graduating, Morales helped set up primary-care medical clinics in the Toronto area, which were funded both publicly and privately, a relatively new concept in Canada at the time. Morales also began consulting with companies in a variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals. This led him to join Deloitte & Touche LLP, the big professional services firm, where he served as Canadian industry segment leader for the company’s life-sciences practice. The work introduced him to Jubilant Life Sciences, the India-based parent company of Jubilant HollisterStier.

Jubilant hired Morales to manage its facilities here and elsewhere from Spokane. He moved here from Toronto—a city of 6 million people—with his wife and children in 2008.

“The lifestyle is very appealing here,” Morales says. “There is a good balance between the amenities that you would see in a big city and a small-town lifestyle.”

It also is in proximity to outdoor activities his family enjoys, such as skiing, golf and riding bikes.

He also has lived in Latin America, California, Chicago and Philadelphia.

“Spokane does have elements of what you expect to see in those large cities—nightlife, arts and culture. It’s also a very manageable city. It’s easy to get around. It’s close to very pretty and very appealing areas of the country, mountains, near lakes … not far from Yellowstone, not far from Glacier, not far from Canada,” he says. “It’s a lifestyle destination.”