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Chris Viehbacher

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chris Viehbacher (born 1960) is a German-Canadian businessman.[1][2][3] He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sanofi and Chairman of Genzyme until 29 October 2014.[1][2][3] Viehbacher then worked with Gurnet Point Capital, a healthcare venture capital and private equity fund backed by Ernesto Bertarelli and his family.[4][5]

He joined Biogen as President and Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors in November 2022.[6]

Early life

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Chris Viehbacher was born on March 26, 1960.[3] He graduated from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.[2][3] He is a certified public accountant, and he speaks French, German and English.[7][2][3]

Career

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Viehbacher started his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.[7][2][3] In 1988, he joined GlaxoSmithKline, where he worked for the next twenty years, including in France for ten years.[7][2] Until October 29, 2014, he served as CEO of Sanofi and Chairman of Genzyme.[2][3] He was fired by unanimous decision of the board of directors in 2014.[8] In 2022, Viehbacher joined Biogen as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Viehbacher was Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America from December 2010 to April 2012.[1][2][3] He has been Chair of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer since February 2011.[2][3] He is a member of The Business Roundtable and the International Business Council.[2] He sits on the Board of Directors of Research America and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.[1] He will serve as President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations from June 2013 onwards.[1][2]

In 2003, Viehbacher became a Knight in the Legion of Honour.[2] In 2012, he received the Pasteur Foundation Award.[2] He sits on the Northeastern University Board of Trustees and the Board of Visitors of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.[2]

Personal life

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Viehbacher is married and has three children.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Christopher Viehbacher – Forbes
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Sanofi - Christopher A. Viehbacher". Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014. Sanofi
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Christopher A. Viehbacher | CEO Roundtable on Cancer
  4. ^ "Ex-Sanofi CEO talks about his new $2 billion investment fund". Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  5. ^ "Gurnet Point Capital nears deal to acquire drugmaker Innocoll: sources". Reuters. April 4, 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-13.
  6. ^ https://investors.biogen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/biogen-names-christopher-viehbacher-president-and-chief. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Christopher Viehbacher: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek
  8. ^ "Drugmaker Sanofi Fires CEO Chris Viehbacher". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
Business positions
Preceded by CEO of Sanofi
2008–2014
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Michel Vounatsos
CEO of Biogen
2022–Present
Succeeded by
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