Christopher A. Viehbacher: Sanofi CEO

Christopher A. Viehbacher was born on March 26, 1960.  He holds German and Canadian nationalities. Christopher graduated from Queens University (Ontario – Canada). A certified public accountant he speaks French, German and English.

Christopher began his career in finance at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He then joined GlaxoSmitKline (GSK) in 1988. During the next 20 years with GSK he gained wide international experience in Europe, the U.S. and Canada. His last position at GSK before joining Sanofi was President, Pharmaceutical Operations North America. Christopher was also a member of the board and Co – Chairman of the Portfolio Management Board.

In December 2008 he became CEO of Sanofi and has since held the position. Christopher is a Board member and is also a member of the Strategy Committee. In February 2011, Sanofi acquired Genzyme of which he is also the Chairman.

Christopher was awarded a knight of the French Legion of Honor in 2003 for his commitment to public health and business. For his leadership role within the pharmaceutical industry he was awarded the prestigious 2012 Pasteur Foundation Award.

With headquarters in Paris, France Sanofi is a global healthcare leader with 110,000 employees, with net sales of €34. 95 billion in 2012.