Management Team

Taros is led by a management team with a profound experience in pharmaceutical, chemical and biotechnology industry

Our company’s mission is to provide long-term value to our customers through cutting-edge and innovative chemistry-based technologies. We provide the global marketplace with creative, holistic and cost-effective solutions of the highest quality, reliability and integrity. Our multidisciplinary employees are inspired to provide exceptional value to our customers’ R&D processes by anticipating hurdles and foreseeing cost and lead time reductions, thereby facilitating their competitive and “early to market” advantage.

Dr. Dimitrios TZALIS – Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Dimitrios holds a PhD from the University of California, San Diego, a M.Sc. in Chemistry from University of Chicago, and a M.Sc. in Biology from Ball State University, Muncie, USA. After a postdoc at the Philips University Marburg, Germany, he founded Taros in 1999 and has since been active as a serial biotech entrepreneur. As a Project Executive and Head of Chemistry, he led the chemistry activities of the EUR 196 million drug discovery platform „European Lead Factory“ (ELF). Dimitrios is the author of more than 15 publications and holds 4 patents.

Dr. Alexander PIECHOT – Chief Operating Officer

Alex received his Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen in the field of total synthesis of natural compounds in 1999. He joined Taros in 2000 as the Head of Laboratory involved in medicinal chemistry projects and scaffold synthesis. Along with his work as representative for scientific issues at Taros he developed TarosGate®, a unique project management and electronic lab journal software that covers all chemistry and administrative aspects regarding synthesis campaigns. Alex was promoted to COO of Taros in 2004.

Youri R. MESMOUDI – Executive Vice President

With a dual degree in Business Administration from the European School of Business (ESB) in Reutlingen and the Centre d’Études Supérieures Européennes de Management (CESEM) in Reims, Youri brings a wealth of expertise in business strategy, commercial leadership, and international market expansion. Youri joined Taros Discovery in 2011, bringing his extensive commercial acumen to complement the company’s deep scientific expertise. As a key driver of business expansion, he plays a pivotal role in shaping Taros’ strategic vision, strengthening partnerships, and delivering tailored chemistry solutions to life sciences, biotech, and medtech clients worldwide. Since 1993, he has held senior management positions across industries, focusing on General Management, Finance, Business Development, and Marketing at leading companies such as Mercedes-Benz, NSM-Löwen, and Arvato-Bertelsmann. His ability to steer organizations through strategic growth, optimize business performance, and lead high-performing teams has been a key factor in his success. A seasoned entrepreneur, Youri co-founded and successfully scaled an IT company specializing in web software solutions, selling over 10,000 content management licenses across the D-A-CH region. His strong track record in digital transformation, sales channel optimization, and innovative product development positions him as a leader in commercial strategy and business growth. At Taros, Youri is dedicated to fostering innovation, driving sustainable growth, and leveraging technology to elevate the company’s impact in the chemistry research and manufacturing landscape.

Rema Menon Tzalis – Vice President

Rema Menon-Tzalis earned her B.A. (Honors) in Psychology at Jesus and Mary College – University of Delhi, completed her MBA in Marketing at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and graduated with distinction on the Dean’s List with a Master of Arts in Public Relations at Ball State University, USA. Her international academic journey and diverse cultural experiences have shaped her people-centered leadership style and continue to influence her work in building strong teams and organizational culture. Since 1999 she has been with Taros Chemicals in Dortmund, where she serves as Vice President Human Resources and Partner. Her work has been pivotal in establishing Taros as a forward-looking employer in the highly specialized chemical research sector, introducing modern HR processes, building comprehensive learning and development programs, and fostering a culture of innovation, inclusion, and collaboration.

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Medicinal chemistry

Drug Discovery

Taros’ international and multidisciplinary team has more than 180 years of pharmaceutical R&D experience. Collectively as a team, we worked on more than 120 biomolecular…

Performance chemicals

Material Science

We create performance chemicals to enhance new materials, plastics, coatings, dyes & inks, cosmetics, flavors and many more research and industrial applications…

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As a leading CRO in Europe, Taros provides comprehensive drug discovery chemistry services for large Pharma and Biotech corporations as well as for Research Institutes and Academia

Our experienced chemists practice a pragmatic culture and customer-centric approach in order to exceed project expectations and, despite challenges, bridge very narrow timelines. They are trained to consider economic, safety and ecological boundaries and conditions laid out for all stages of the project.