Founders

Jean-Paul Clozel - CEO, Member of the Board, and Founder

Jean-Paul Clozel is a cardiologist educated in France, with further training in pharmacology and physiology at the University of Montreal, Canada, and the University of California, San Francisco. After eleven years as a clinician, he decided to move to applied research. During his 12 years at F. Hoffmann-La Roche, he was responsible for the selection of the first T-channel blocker. He also participated in the characterization of renin inhibitors as well as several endothelin receptor antagonists such as bosentan and clazosentan. Overall, the group he was heading discovered seven compounds that entered clinical trials.

During his 25-year-career in cardiology, he has published widely in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. At the same time, his passion has remained unchanged: being involved as closely as possible in bringing innovative medicine to "his" patients. He has developed various, novel experimental models allowing the differentiation of these drugs, work honored with the 1997 Hoffmann-La Roche Research Prize. In 2007 he was nominated professor at the Collège de France in Paris, France (Chair of Technical Innovation).

At the end of 1997, he founded Actelion, together with his wife, Martine, and work colleagues and friends Walter Fischli, Thomas Widmann and André J. Mueller. First mainly focusing on Research and Development, he became CEO of the company to bring Actelion to the public in April 2000.

Martine Clozel - Senior Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery Pharmacology and Pre-clinical Development, Chief Scientific Officer, Founder

Martine Clozel, a pediatrician specializing in neonatal intensive care, has an MD degree from Nancy University, France, and received further training in physiology and pharmacology from McGill University, Montreal, and the University of California, San Francisco.

During her 11 years at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, she initiated the research project on endothelin and endothelin receptor antagonists which led to the discovery and clinical development of bosentan (Tracleer®), tezosentan (Veletri™), clazosentan and other molecules. Her group has published over 130 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of endothelial function, endothelin and endothelin receptor antagonists. In 1997 she was awarded the Hoffmann-La Roche Research Prize for her achievements in the field of endothelin research.

In 1997 Martine co-founded Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, where she is Senior Vice President, Head of Drug Discovery (Pharmacology and Preclinical Development). At the beginning of 2009, to further strengthen the medical perspective throughout Actelion's discovery process and to provide additional scientific input in the development process, Martine was nominated by the Board of Directors to additionally take on the role of Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Walter Fischli - Senior Vice President, Academia Relations, Founder

Dr. Walter Fischli was educated as a biochemist at the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, with further training at the Addiction Research Foundation/Stanford University in Palo Alto, USA. During his subsequent 15 years at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, he worked in research and led various drug discovery projects. In 1993 he received the Hoffmann-La Roche Research Prize.

In 1997, Walter co-founded Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, where he built up the Biology department and complemented the other two drug discovery departments around Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology headed by Thomas Weller and Martine Clozel, respectively. Since July 1 2009 he handed over his position to Beat Steiner and is now responsible, as Senior Vice President, for Academia Relations.

André J. Mueller - Founder

With two degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business Administration from INSEAD, André Mueller started his career with CIBA Ltd and Sandoz (now Novartis), where he held a number of managerial positions in the strategic planning and finance divisions both at headquarters and in the US.

After seven years with Sandoz, André moved to Biogen, becoming VP of Finance and Administration and then CFO. As CFO he was responsible for several financing rounds, including Biogen's IPO. Four years later, he became a Founding Partner and Director of Investments for Genevest, the first Swiss venture capital organization.

In 1997, André was a member of the founding team of Actelion and served as CFO until 2003.

Thomas Widmann - Founder

A cardiologist educated at Heidelberg and Paris in Medicine and Computer Science with further training at the University Hospital in Geneva, Thomas Widmann later spent seven years at the University of California, San Diego, as Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cardiovascular Associate. During his nine years at F. Hoffmann-La Roche, he was responsible for the worldwide clinical development of the company's cardiovascular portfolio, which included eight large projects at various stages of development (Phase I to NDA). He was chairman of F. Hoffmann-La Roche's cardiovascular strategy team and led an international cardiovascular development team of over 60 people in Europe and the US. In 1996, he founded Hesperion, a company that focuses on clinical development and consulting. Due to his continuing interest in strategic R&D and other management topics, he has also attended business courses at INSEAD.

As founding member of Actelion, he was Actelion`s first Chief Executive Officer and then held the position of Vice Chairman of the Board until spring 2003. Tom continues to work in close association with the Actelion senior management.