Swiss Biotech Success Stories

An independent jury of experts annually selects the laureates of the Swiss Biotech Success Stories.

Luca Bolliger

President of the jury
Vice President Swiss Biotech Association

Undergrad at ETH in Zürich with Master in Immunology. PhD at the Biocenter in Basel in biochemistry, and then Member of the Basel institute for immunology. Followed by Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd as a Global discovery portfolio manager. Further as Fundamental analyst at BT&T asset management, and as a freelance consultant. Established Biopolo Ticino where he also participated in the creation of the Swiss marketing platforms Swiss Biotech and Swiss Medtech. Then Director Business Development at Actelion, and NovImmune.

Patrick Aebischer

Entrepreneur
Former President of EPFL

MD (1980) and a Neuroscientist (1983) at the Universities of Geneva and Fribourg in Switzerland. Faculty positions at Brown University and the University of Lausanne prior to joining EPFL.He has received numerous honors, including the Robert Bing Prize of the Swiss Academy of Medicine and the Pfizer Foundation Prize for Clinical Neurosciences. He is a member of the scientific committee of the Italian Institute of Technology and a member of the Singapore Biomedical Sciences International Advisory Council. Prof. Aebischer is a member of the Board of Lonza, Nestlé and Logitech and a founder of three biotech companies. He chairs the Novartis Venture Fund and is a Senior Partner of NanoDimension-III.

Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Tolremo

Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual is one of Tolremo’s scientific founders and experts in the field of drug resistance in cancer therapy. She is a biomedical scientist and biochemist by training at the University of Fribourg and the ETH Zurich. Stefanie holds a Ph.D. in Molecular and Translational Biomedicine from ETH Zurich. She led the team of scientists who discovered novel molecular mechanisms that can be exploited to prevent the development of resistance to cancer therapies.


Gabrielle Gache
Head of Business Development (EMEA)
Santen Pharmaceutical

Gabrielle joined Santen in June 2022, as Head of Business Development EMEA bringing a wealth of experience that she acquired throughout her career in commercial and business development roles with Pfizer, Vifor and OM Pharma, as well as having created and run her own business development consultancy. Gabrielle has a proven track record in finalising multiple licensing deals, developing commercial partnerships, leveraging alliance management opportunities and managing M&A reviews and processes.

Between 2015 and 2022, Gabrielle chaired the Board of the Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group (Swiss HLG) and is currently a board member of the Swiss HLG and the International Partnering in Life-Science Society (IPLS).

Gabrielle holds an Executive MBA from HEC Paris, is of German nationality and has lived in Switzerland since 2009.


Seraina Gross

Business journalist
Handelszeitung

Seraina Gross has been working as a journalist for almost 30 years. She held positions at several newspapers including Tages-Anzeiger and Basler Zeitung as a political reporter, head of department and correspondent in Geneva. In 2015 she joined Handelszeitung, a Swiss business weekly, as a senior reporter covering the life sciences industry. Seraina studied literature and history in Zurich and Basel. In addition, she holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Marketing Management and Business Development from the University of Basel.


Chandra P. Leo

Investment Advisor Private Equity
HBM Partners

Over 25 years experience in the Venture Capital Industry. PhD ETH Zurich in Natural Sciences and Industrial Engineering. Previously in management functions at Innoventure, Credit Suisse, Apax and Vontobel. Board member of Westmed and Reha Technology.


Daniela Marino

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
Cutiss

Daniela Marino is CEO and co-founder of Cutiss AG, a spin-off of the University of Zurich, that was awarded as #TOP1 Swiss start-up 2020. Daniela received her MSc in Biotechnologies from the University of Milan in 2005 and her Ph.D. at the ETH Zurich in 2009. During her postdoctoral studies at the Tissue Biology Research Unit in Zurich, she specialized in tissue engineering of skin and gained expertise in project management and product development. Daniela’s professional mission is to provide a real solution to patients suffering from severe skin defects.


Jürg Zürcher

Independent biotechnology leader and expert


Thomas Staffelbach
Secretary of the jury
TS Kommunikation

Thomas Staffelbach is an experienced communications director, former head of communications and investor relations of several listed and private companies. Thomas is passionate about innovation and the people behind it. For almost 15 years, he has been advising biotech and pharmaceutical companies to position the medical and commercial potential of their innovations.