with all due respect for Dr. P , as far as I know he hasn't run a drug company lab, filed for clinical trials for drugs, been a part of a BLA process for drugs, etc.so you would still be getting a "newbee" as your CMO learning on the drug side of the business; not the diagnostic side which he is doing with his own business.
Aother phallacy I have been seeing on boards lately is that good pharna CEOs have a science backround . Thats a myth. go look at the backgrounds of the top 10 largest pharma companies and see what their CEOs did for a living before they were put in the CEO seat... The CEO who was head of the pharma company i worked at years ago came out of the Finance department.