LSIPR 50 2018: Christopher Viehbacher

Name: Christopher Viehbacher

Organisation: Gurnet Point Capital

Position: Managing Partner

With more than a quarter of a century’s worth of experience in the biotech and pharmaceuticals industries, Christopher Viehbacher is a valuable member of the healthcare sector.

Aside from his current position as managing partner of healthcare investment fund Gurnet Point Capital, Viehbacher is a member of the board of biopharmaceutical company PureTech Health and is chairman of Vedanta—part of the PureTech portfolio.

Gurnet Point Capital, which has an initial capital allocation of $2 billion, invests across all stages of product development right through to commercialisation. It is built on the belief that early technologies must demonstrate a clear commercial case that benefits patients and the healthcare system as a whole.

During his career, Viehbacher has co-chaired, with Bill Gates, a CEO roundtable focusing on neglected diseases. The roundtable led to more than 1.3 billion people being treated for neglected diseases free of charge.

He is the former chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a non-profit that works to develop and implement initiatives that reduce the risk of cancer.

Viehbacher has also served as chairman of the board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in Washington, DC and, at the World Economic Forum at Davos in 2013, he co-chaired an initiative with industry, public health and government stakeholders to establish a global charter for healthy living.

During his six-year tenure as CEO of biopharmaceutical company Sanofi, the company completed more than $30 billion of acquisitions, including the acquisition of Genzyme.

Prior to joining Sanofi, Viehbacher spent 20 years with GSK, where he was president of GSK North America. Viehbacher was also a member of the board of directors of GSK in London and co-president of GSK’s portfolio management board.

He has served on various advisory groups at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University and Queen’s University in Ontario. Viehbacher has received the Pasteur Foundation Award for an outstanding commitment to safeguarding and improving health worldwide.