- Christoph Westphal
-
Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., co-founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals in 2004 with David Sinclair and served as Chief Executive Officer until April 2010.[1] Dr. Westphal also founded the Longwood Founders Fund [2] and is currently the President of SR One, the corporate venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).[3]
Contents
Current Position
Westphal is the President of SR One, which is a GSK venture capital firm that invests globally in emerging life science companies. Dr. Westphal is a Founder and General Partner of the Longwood Founders Fund, a venture capital fund based in Boston. In addition, he serves as the Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Sirtris.
Dr. Westphal also serves as the Scientific Advisory Board Chair for the Healthy Lifespan Institute,[4] a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about the aging process and advancing research that can help us live longer and healthier lives.
Westphal currently serves on the Board of Directors for Alnara Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,[5] the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School and the Board of Overseers of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Westphal has been the lead or senior author on several patent applications and scientific papers in journals, including Cell, Nature and Nature Genetics.[6]
Background
Westphal is a serial entrepreneur in the biotech space,[7] who has a host of biotech companies to his name. Westphal has been recognized for his rare ability to combine cutting-edge science with business acumen.[8]
In 2004, Westphal co-founded Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, which is developing new drug candidates that target the sirtuins, a recently discovered family of enzymes that appear to control aging to treat diseases of aging including Type 2 diabetes, inflammatory disorders and cancer. In 2007, Westphal led the company through its initial public offering, resulting in recognition by the Boston Globe as one of the Globe 100 top companies that year.[9] In June 2008, GSK acquired Sirtris for $720 million.[10]
Dr. Westphal also founded the Healthy Lifespan Institute.[11]
Westphal has been featured on 60 Minutes with Morley Safer,[12] CNN’s Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta,[13] an ABC News Special hosted by Barbara Walters,[14] and as the subject of a Fortune cover article.[15] In April 2010, Fortune named Westphal one of either Fortune Visionaries, along with Academy Award winning director James Cameron and Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi.[16]
Prior to his role at SR One, Westphal served as the Senior Vice President of GSK’s Centre of Excellence for External Drug Discovery (ceedd).[17]
Westphal was previously co-founder and CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, (NASDAQ: ALNY), Momenta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: MNTA) and Acceleron Pharma. He was also co-founder of Concert and Alnara. Prior to establishing Sirtris, Westphal was a general partner at a venture fund and a consultant with McKinsey & Company.
Westphal earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University; and he graduated with a B.A. summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University.
In 2002, he was named to the MIT Technology Review TR100 as one of the top 100 innovators in the world under the age of 35.[18]
Personal life
Westphal has visited over 130 countries and plays the cello. He is also fluent in English, German, Spanish and French.
Honors
- Stevie Award for Executive of the Year from The 2009 American Business Awards [19]
- 2009 E-3 Public Company Science & Technology Company Executive Award at the annual Emerald Investment Forum [20]
- 2008 Outstanding Individual of the Year Award at the annual Laguna Biotech CEO Meeting [21]
- 2008 Corporate Leader Award of Distinction from the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) [22]
- Recognition in the Pharmaceutical Executive “45 Under 45,” 2008 [23]
- Recognition in the PharmaVOICE 100, a list of the 100 most inspiring people in the life-sciences industry, 2008 [24]
- Mass High Tech All Star Award in 2007 [25]
- Ernst & Young’s New England Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Biopharmaceutical category in 2006 [26]
- Named one of Fortune's Fortune Visionaries in 2010 [27]
References
- ^ Sirtris Scientific Advisory Board
- ^ "Sirtris Founders Build New Venture Capital Fun, Keep Mum" Xconomy, February 12, 2010
- ^ SR One website - Team Bios
- ^ Healthy Lifespan Institute
- ^ Alnara Pharmaceuticals website
- ^ Sirtris publications
- ^ Profile of Christoph Westphal, Pharmaceutical Executive, June 2008
- ^ Profile on Christoph Westphal, PharmaVOICE, July/August 2008
- ^ “Young and Restless,” Boston Globe, May 20, 2008
- ^ “Glaxo to Buy Sirtris in Bet On Antiaging Research,” Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2008
- ^ "Former Sirtris Execs Ordered to Stop Selling Resveratrol Dietary Supplement Online". Xconomy website. http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2010/08/13/report-former-sirtris-execs-ordered-to-stop-selling-resveratrol-dietary-supplement-online/. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
- ^ “Wine Rx,” 60 Minutes, May 24, 2009
- ^ “Unlocking the secrets of aging,” CNN’s Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, April 23, 2009
- ^ “Can You Live to Be 150?” ABC News Special hosted by Barbara Walters, April 1, 2008
- ^ “Drink wine and live longer,” Fortune, February 23, 2007
- ^ "The Fortune Visionaries" Fortune, April 2010
- ^ Center of Excellence for External Drug Discovery website
- ^ "2002 Young Innovators Under 35". Technology Review. 2002. http://www.technologyreview.com/tr35/?year=2002. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
- ^ American Business Awards, Management Categories – 2009 Honorees
- ^ “Corporate Leaders Receive Ninth Annual Emerald Asset Management ‘E-3 Awards,’” Emerald Asset Management press release, February 6, 2009
- ^ “Sirtris CEO Christoph Westphal Selected by Biotech CEOs as Outstanding Individual,” Sirtris press release, October 16, 2008
- ^ “Corporate leaders Honored for their Contributions to Research on Aging and Diseases of Aging,” American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) press release, October 2, 2008
- ^ “45 Under 45: The Change Generation,” Pharmaceutical Executive, June 1, 2008
- ^ “Who’s on the List?” PharmaVOICE 100, PharmaVOICE, July/August 2008
- ^ List of Mass High Tech All-Stars 2007
- ^ “Sirtris Pharmaceuticals CEO Christoph Westphal Wins Ernst & Young New England Entrepreneur of the Year Award,” Sirtris press release, June 6, 2006
- ^ "The Fortune Visionaries" Fortune, April 2010
Categories:- American chief executives
- Living people
- TR35 winners
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