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Michael Zürcher, PhD EMBA

Founder & CEO

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Michael

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)

Karin Senn
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Karin Senn, PhD

Medical Director

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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.

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Bettina Schelbert, EMBA

Commercial Director

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Bettina

About Bettina

Bettina's rigorous academic training in natural sciences is backed up by skills developed during her executive MBA, enabling Bettina to understand the pharmaceutical market from different angles. Over almost two decades of pharmaceutical marketing experience, Bettina has gained broad insights into areas such as hematology, oncology, rheumatology, dermatology and neurology. She joins Swizzard from Bristol Myers Squibb, where she worked as Strategy Lead Immunology & Senior Brand Manager.

 

Alongside her subject-matter insights, Bettina’s expertise spans go-to-market strategies, marketing and sales initiatives, market mapping and supply chain. With proven efficiency, a strong focus on strategy, and creative, out-of-the-box thinking, Bettina is known for delivering on project objectives.

 

“With a comprehensive range of services and broad client base, there’s always an exciting project at Swizzard,” says Bettina Schelbert. “I’m looking forward to sharing my industry insights and practical experience for the benefit of our clients.”

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Bruno Zimmermann, PhD EMBA

Member of the Board of Directors

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Bruno

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).

Jonas
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Jonas Mülchi

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors

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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.

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David Hoffmann

Corporate Secretary

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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.

Luc
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Luc Heller

Corporate Competence Center

Legal Leader

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About Luc

In 2017, Luc graduated from Alte Kantonsschule Aarau, where he focused on law and economics. During his time at school, he gained entrepreneurial experience through Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES) and completed certificates in advanced English and economics.

Luc further developed his English skills during a year-long exchange program in Melbourne, Australia, from 2014 to 2015.

Luc's economic thesis paper, which explored the desirability of Swiss Army Officers for companies in the private sector, earned him the advancement award from Neue Aargauische Kantonalbank.

After completing an internship at Farner Consulting AG, Switzerland's largest full-service PR agency, Luc began working part-time at the Public Relations & Farner Startup Desk while continuing his studies. His expertise includes public affairs, media relations, communication, event management, and partnership management.

Luc is currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in law at the University of Bern.

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Yves Heller

Corporate Competence Center

Digital Marketing Co-Leader

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Yves

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.

Joël
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Joël Heller

Corporate Competence Center

Research Leader

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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
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Mathieu Bitz

Corporate Competence Center

Digital Marketing Co-Leader

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About Mathieu

He completed his high school education at Alte Kantonsschule Aarau in 2019, where he majored in music and earned a certificate in French.

Following his graduation, Mathieu worked as a trainee at Farner Consulting AG, Switzerland's largest full-service PR agency. During his time at the Farner Startup Desk, he developed his expertise in public affairs, communication, event management, partnership management, and portfolio management.

Mathieu is a board member of the Tech Club at the University of St. Gallen. In this role, he is responsible for coordinating marketing activities related to the club's events. Furthermore, Mathieu has experience as a specialist instructor at the Swiss Military Marching Band's squad school.

Currently, Mathieu is pursuing a BA in Economics from the University of St. Gallen

Arne Holicki
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Arne Holicki

Corporate Competence Center

Business Technology Leader

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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.

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Julia Mühlethaler

Corporate Competence Center

Design Leader

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About Julia

Creative design is in Julia’s DNA, and she focused on fine arts – alongside her other passion, English – during her school career. After graduating from high school, Julia explored her talent further by completing a foundation year at the School for Design in Aargau. The course gave her broad insights into fonts and layout, color and composition, drawing and sketching, photography and video, computer-aided and manual design, culture and communication.

 

Alongside her work for Swizzard, Julia is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in visual communication at the FHNW Academy of Art and Design.

 

“I’m inspired to develop the Swizzard brand,” says Julia Mühlethaler. “I’m also looking forward to sharing my design skills and learning from others in the Corporate Competence Center.”

Julia
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