Le Business: Life Sciences Abroad, Why Boston?

At The French Library Get Directions

For the second event in our special business series, we will compare the French and American healthcare systems and how they define research and investments in the biomedical environment. This round table will also explore if France can adapt to an era of customized medical treatments and why so many French pharmaceutical groups elect Boston as their American headquarters.

Moderated by Jennifer Schunemann, President of JCS Consulting and Founder and Past President of The Goodwin Group International.

Co-presented with the French American Chamber of Commerce of New England.

Student (valid student ID must be presented at check-in)

For Members

$10

For Non-members

$20

About the Moderator

Jennifer Schünemann is a publisher, mentor, and proven, successful entrepreneur in the world of international medical publishing. Her early contributions include work on an international HIV/AIDS research project at the Harvard School of Public Health, and heading the international business development department at the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. She started her first company at age 32. In 2014, she sold The Goodwin Group International to the world’s 5th largest journals publisher (SAGE Publications Inc.). At the time of sale, Ms. Schünemann’s hallmark publication, MD Conference Express, reached more than 1 million medical practitioners in more than 95 countries, in 16 languages. This unique project pioneered a completely new way of communicating pre-published data from international medical conferences, and was named the official publication of 23 of the most prestigious medical societies in the world – including the European Society of Cardiology and the American Diabetes Association.

Ms. Schünemann speaks four languages, and has traveled to 52 countries. She holds a dual Bachelor’s of Arts Degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and has studied and lived abroad in Paris, France where she took courses at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po). She is a Chairman Circle member of the French Heritage Society, and a member of the American Friends of Lafayette.

About the Panelists

Aude Ouensanga is a Manager at Alira Health. She joined the company’s Paris office in 2012 and its Boston office in 2015. Aude managed dozens of market access, commercial due diligence, corporate strategy and M&A projects for US, EU and Japan based clients in MedTech and Pharma. She advised both start-ups and multi billions corporations in their business development. Prior to joining Alira Health, Aude had been a M&A Analyst at BNP Paribas Corporate & Investment Banking for the chemicals sector and a Strategy Analyst at Novartis Pharma. Aude holds a degree from French Grande Ecole EM Lyon Business School where she specialized in Finance and Strategy and is a registered investment banker in the US, holding FINRA Series 79 and 63 certifications.

Stephane Kowalczuk is a seasoned financial controller with broad global and functional leadership experience in the bio-pharma industry. Over the last 15 years, stephane has developed a strong expertise in R&D portfolio funding and prioritization, OPEX optimization, Business solutions design and implementation. Stephane relocated from the Netherlands to Boston in 2013 and is currently the Head of Finance for Medical Affairs at Sanofi-Genzyme.

Thomas Marchand is a 35 years old French entrepreneur living in Boston, who co-founded BIOMODEX in 2015 after a successful exit in the service industry. He has been elected the French-American entrepreneur of the Year 2016 and is regularly invited at the Babson College (#1 ranked entrepreneurship MBA) as a guest for the Entrepreneurial finance program. Thomas is committed to providing new tools to physicians to better prepare and rehearse surgical procedures in order to improve clinical outcomes.

Le Business, a Series

Forty years ago, Général Georges Doriot took the helm as President of the French Library. French-born Doriot is regarded as a pioneer of venture capitalism, a legendary Professor Emeritus of the Harvard Business School, and one of the founders of l’Institut Européen d’Administration des Affaires, which is consistently ranked as one of the best business schools in the world.

In honor of his legacy, the French Library / Alliance Française of Boston and Cambridge and The French American Chamber of Commerce of New England proudly present a special series dedicated to French and American perspectives on business—from startups, healthcare, and biotech, to cross-cultural challenges in a global economy.

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