Chris Viehbacher (born 1960) is a German-

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

businessman.Christopher Viehbacher – Forbes
/ref> SanofiChristopher A. Viehbacher , CEO Roundtable on Cancer
/ref> He served as the Chief Executive Officer of

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 200 ...

and Chairman of Genzyme until 29 October 2014. Viehbacher then worked with Gurnet Point Capital, a healthcare venture capital and private equity fund backed by Ernesto Bertarelli and his family. He joined Biogen as President and Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors in November 2022.

Early life

Chris Viehbacher was born on March 26, 1960. He graduated from Queen's University in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, Canada. He is a certified public accountant, and he speaks French, German and English.Christopher Viehbacher: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek
/ref>

Career

Viehbacher started his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. In 1988, he joined GlaxoSmithKline, where he worked for the next twenty years, including in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

for ten years. Until October 29, 2014, he served as CEO of Sanofi and Chairman of Genzyme. He was fired by unanimous decision of the board of directors in 2014. 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. He has been Chair of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer since February 2011. He is a member of The Business Roundtable and the International Business Council. He sits on the Board of Directors of Research America and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. He will serve as President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations from June 2013 onwards. In 2003, Viehbacher became a Knight in the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. In 2012, he received the Pasteur Foundation Award. He sits on the Northeastern University Board of Trustees and the Board of Visitors of the Fuqua School of Business at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

Personal life

Viehbacher is married and has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viehbacher, Chris Living people 1960 births Queen's University at Kingston alumni German businesspeople in the healthcare industry Canadian businesspeople GSK plc people Sanofi people Knights of the Legion of Honour Duke University people