Chris Viehbacher

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 is currently Managing Partner of Gurnet Point Capital, a healthcare venture capital and private equity fund backed by Ernesto Bertarelli and his family.[4][5]

Early life

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.[6][2][3]

Career

Viehbacher started his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.[6][2][3] In 1988, he joined GlaxoSmithKline, where he worked for the next twenty years, including in France for ten years.[6][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 [7]. Viehbacher has been Managing Partner of US-based healthcare investment fund Gurnet Point Capital since 2015.[8]

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 Board of Visitors of the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.[2]

Personal life

Viehbacher is married and has three children, including a son.[3]

References

1. Christopher Viehbacher - Forbes
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Sanofi
3. 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. Christopher Viehbacher: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek
7. "Drugmaker Sanofi Fires CEO Chris Viehbacher". Retrieved 2020-07-19.
8. "Subscribe to read". Financial Times. Retrieved 2017-11-17.

Business positions
Preceded by Gérard Le Fur	CEO of Sanofi 2008–2014	Succeeded by Olivier Brandicourt