About Michael
In the role of the General Manager, Michael set up the Swiss affiliate from scratch at Portola Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he was the European Launch Leader for an orphan disease asset at Celgene and built and managed business units at Celgene and AbbVie. Michael held various management positions at Roche and Essex/MSD and spent several years as a management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. Michael holds a Master of Science in medical microbiology and a PhD in immunology from the University of Bern. He completed training programs at the HSG, INSEAD and the LBS and holds an Executive MBA in General Management from the University of Zurich.
Motto: If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” (A. de Saint-Exupéry)
About Karin
Karin holds a PhD in Biology from ETH Zurich and worked for several years in postdoctoral research, first at the Department of Experimental Immunology, University Hospital Zurich, and then at the Department for Gene Therapy and Molecular Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
In 2004, Karin moved into her first industry role and has since occupied various commercial and medical positions for companies such as Abbott, Daiichi Sankyo and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma. Experienced in several therapeutic areas, her scientific focus spans indications in infectious disease, cardiology and neurology. Most recently, Karin has been working as Medical Science Liaison Manager for AstraZeneca, contributing her medical expertise for the launch of a Critical Care antidote and building advocacy through scientific exchange with key stakeholders.
Her proven track record in the medical field and links to public and private stakeholders in Switzerland put her in an excellent position to help Swizzard’s clients achieve launch readiness from the medical perspective. Besides driving medical engagement initiatives with key opinion leaders, Karin will support Swizzard’s customers with the medical aspects of their go-to-market strategies.
About Bruno
Throughout his career, Bruno has applied his rigorous academic background in various knowledge-driven roles, including as current Head of Spent Fuel and Waste Management at Axpo Power, Switzerland’s largest energy provider. Comfortable in positions of responsibility, Bruno has also previously served as Head of Nuclear Fuels at a power plant. He holds a PhD in physics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich) and an executive MBA.
Besides consistently generating solid business results, Bruno has a strong track record in leadership, change management and efficient organization. Bruno is an experienced board member, and currently serves as Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Laboratory for Nuclear Materials at Paul Scherer Institute. Previously he was Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the pension fund PKE.
Motto: A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds (Francis Bacon).
About Jonas
Jonas has a degree in Economics (major) with Business Administration and Law (minors) from the University of Bern. He has around 20 years’ experience in the financial sector, both in industry and in regulatory roles. Jonas draws on experience from various international assignments, including in Asia, the UK and the US, where he went on secondment to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, New York.
Jonas currently works for the State Secretariat for International Finance. As senior policy advisor, he is involved in developing the legal frameworks for large financial institutions.
Previously, Jonas worked at the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) for eleven years, where he was responsible for the oversight of Swiss too-big-to-fail banks. During his time there, he gained a broad understanding of the regulatory landscape in banking and the requirements on risk management and corporate governance.
In his nine-year tenure at Credit Suisse he worked his way up to the role of Vice President. Jonas led teams of different sizes with a focus on capital requirement calculation and reporting.
About David
David has an extensive education, including an MBA in Pharmaceutical & General Management and an LLM inInternational Business Law, to complement his strong scientific background in health and neuroscience.
After several years in strategy consulting, David joined Celgene, a biopharmaceutical company and leader in the space ofoncology and hematology, in 2016. As Compliance Officer, he held a range of responsibilities and was also in charge ofmanaging key commercial products including the launch of the highly scientific CAR-T cell therapies at Bristol MyersSquibb. Recently, David joined Blueprint Medicines, leading the international commercial operations of this US Biotechwhich is in the process of entering the European market.
About Luc
Luc is a graduate of Alte Kantonsschule Aarau in 2017, where he focused on law and economics and gained initial experience in entrepreneurship through Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES). At school, he also completed certificates in advanced English and economics.
Luc honed his English skills during an exchange year in Melbourne, Australia, in 2014/2015
He won the advancement award of Neue Aargauische Kantonalbank for best economic thesis paper. His thesis was about the military system and private sector and focused on the question of whether Swiss Army Officers are still desirable for companies in the private sector.
Following an internship at Farner Consulting AG, Switzerland’s largest full-service PR agency, Luc now works part time (alongside his studies) in the Public Relations & Farner Startup Desk. His expertise spans public affairs, media relations, communication, event management and partnership management.
He is currently studying law at Bachelor level at the University of Bern.
About Yves
Yves attended the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau, graduating in 2019 with a focus on economics and certificates in Latin, French, English and economics. He was also an active participant in Young Enterprises Switzerland (YES).
Yves won the advancement award of Neue Aargauerische Kantonalbank for best economics thesis 2019. His paper was entitled “Startups and their key factors: comparison of the startup communities in Switzerland and Israel.”
Yves previously worked as a trainee in corporate development at Kantonsspital Baden where he gained insights into process and project management, communications and the KSB Health Innovation Hub.
Yves is currently studying for a BA in Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen.
About Joël
Joël went to school at Alte Kantonsschule Aarau. He graduated in 2019 with a major in economics and received certificates in English, economics and entrepreneurial skills. He also took part in Young Enterprises Switzerland (YES).
Fluent in English, Joël spent an exchange year in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 2016/2017.
Joël worked as a trainee at the architectural office Husistein & Partner AG in Aarau, gaining insights into Project Development and Design Architecture.
He is currently studying at ETH Zurich where he participates in the BA program in Architecture.
Mathieu Bitz
Corporate Competence Center
Digital Marketing Co-Leader
Email:
About Mathieu
Mathieu completed his high school education at the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau in 2019 with major in music and a certificate in French.
He then worked as a trainee at Farner Consulting AG, Switzerland’s largest full-service PR agency. During his time on the Farner Startup Desk, Mathieu focused on public affairs, communication, event management, partnership management and portfolio management.
He has experience as a specialist teacher in the squad school of the Swiss Military Marching Band.
Mathieu is currently studying for a BA in Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen.
About Arne
Arne is currently studying Computer Sciences at ETH Zurich but already has several years of international experience as an IT field service consultant for Alexion Pharma Germany GmbH in Munich. Besides pharma, he also has industry experience in fintech. A true tech enthusiast, Arne has picked up a wide range of computing skills since first becoming interested in the topic in childhood. His expertise in on-site troubleshooting, SEO, data analytics and general IT support is complemented by his natural service mindset.
“I am excited to build Swizzard’s IT infrastructure and work for a company that feels like a start-up but is backed by decades of experience in the Swiss pharma market,” says Arne Holicki, who will lead Business Technology at Swizzard internally and advise on strategic digital projects for customers.