Chris Viehbacher Explained

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

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

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

Viehbacher is married and has three children.[3]

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20130430065741/http://www.forbes.com/profile/christopher-viehbacher/ Christopher Viehbacher – Forbes
  2. Web site: Sanofi - Christopher A. Viehbacher . October 29, 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141029141126/http://en.sanofi.com/investors/corporate_governance/corporate_management/bio_viehbacher.aspx . October 29, 2014 . Sanofi
  3. http://www.ceoroundtableoncancer.org/christopher-a-viehbacher Christopher A. Viehbacher | CEO Roundtable on Cancer
  4. News: Ex-Sanofi CEO talks about his new $2 billion investment fund. 2017-09-13. en-US.
  5. News: Gurnet Point Capital nears deal to acquire drugmaker Innocoll: sources. April 4, 2017. Reuters. 2017-09-13.
  6. Web site:
  7. https://archive.today/20130410164122/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=505307&ticker=SNY Christopher Viehbacher: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek
  8. Web site: Drugmaker Sanofi Fires CEO Chris Viehbacher. . 2020-07-19.