Carole Deffez began her career at the Institute for International Research, where she headed the Healthcare Division from 1997 to 2000, before joining Spencer Stuart as Life Sciences Senior Associate. In 2006, she became Head of the Life Sciences practice at Leaders Trust, an international executive search firm. In 2010, she joined Heidrick & Struggles as a Partner before co-founding Way Wise in 2014, a consulting firm specialized in management and corporate governance issues. In September 2015, she joined Heidrick & Struggles again as a Partner.

Carole Deffez graduated of the IEP Toulouse in Political Sciences and subsequently earned a post-graduate degree in Business Administration from IAE. She attended the University of Missouri, Columbia in the United States for one year before completing her Masters’ degree in Marketing Management at ESSEC (Paris).

Céline Fantin, graduated from EM Lyon and KEDGE, began her career at KPMG and spent 10 years auditing listed companies in the health and new technology sectors. She then joined bioMérieux Group (In Vitro Diagnostics) until 2017 as VP Internal Audit, Risks and Compliance, where she created these activities and carried out consulting missions in strategy, crisis management and transformation; activities that she also developed within Institut Mérieux, in the biotechnology sector. She is currently Chairman of Fantinnov SAS, a consulting firm specializing in strategy, transformation, and investment for executives of family-run companies and startups. Céline Fantin is also a director of the listed company ORAPI Group (professional hygiene), Chairman of the Audit Committee, and a member of the Risk Committee and the CSR Committee.

Michel Picot, an HEC graduate, also started his career in audit at Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. before holding several executive positions in the industry, including Deputy CEO of Vivendi Telecom International until 2004. He is currently Chairman of Advest SAS, a strategy, management and investment consulting firm specializing in technology companies. Michel Picot is also a director of Eurobio Scientific (formerly Diaxonhit), a publicly traded biotechnology company specializing in diagnostics. He is a member of the Investment Committee and the Risk and Audit Committee of Invensys Pension Scheme and is also a member of the Advisory Boards of Bpifrance under the ETI Accelerator programs.

Dr. Peter Lichtlen was Chief Medical Officer at Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. until the company’s acquisition by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals earlier this year and has 18 years of leadership experience in the field of biotechnology.
Prior to joining Sucampo, Dr. Lichtlen was at ESBATech AG (acquired by Alcon/Novartis in 2009), which he joined in 2000. At ESBATech, Dr. Peter Lichtlen served as Medical Director/Head Clinical Research and Development and was a member of its senior management team, from 2004 to 2010. Dr. Peter Lichtlen also co-founded Numab AG, a Swiss biotechnology company that develops antibody-based therapeutics, where he remains a member of the Board of Directors and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Peter Lichtlen also currently serves on the scientific advisory board of Apidel SA, a drug delivery company.

Dr. Peter Lichtlen is a member of the Swiss Medical Association (FMH) and the Swiss Association of Pharmaceutical Professionals (SwAPP), the author of various peer-reviewed articles, and the holder of several patents.

Dr. Peter Lichtlen earned a Bachelor’s Degree in business administration, and doctorate degrees in medicine and molecular biology at the University of Zurich.