Alexis Capelle, ESSEC student and leader of tomorrow in BioTech

The Global Biotech Revolution organization at the University of Cambridge has selected Alexis Capelle, an ESSEC Master in Management student, as one of 100 “Leaders of Tomorrow” in BioTech. As a result, he will participate in the “Voices of Tomorrow Competition”, a project competition to respond to the challenges of this growing sector.

 “I am very honored and proud to have been selected by this prestigious organization. It is a sign of international and intergenerational recognition in the biotechnology community.” Selected from a pool of over 700 candidates, Alexis Capelle has been designated as a leader of tomorrow by the Global Biotech Revolution organization at the University of Cambridge, which aims to promote emerging talents in biotechnology. His hybrid profile made him stand out amongst the candidates: a student in the ESSEC Master in Management and working on a doctorate in pharmacy, Alexis is also in a work-study program with Servier, working as a Business Development & Licensing Analyst. He also co-founded the student association ESSEC Life Sciences (see box).

 “The biotech sector is fascinating and constantly changing. A solid scientific base is necessary to decipher the cutting-edge technologies in use, and integrating managerial skills is critical today to understand the underlying economic mechanisms. After a doctorate in pharmacy, the ESSEC Grande Ecole was an obvious choice for me in order to obtain the necessary skill set to successfully navigate this ever more complex environment.”

A challenge in the Biotech sector

This scientific honor comes with a new challenge for Alexis. He will also participate in the “Voices of Tomorrow Competition”, a project competition done in teams. Each team is formed of several “Leaders”, to propose solutions to a problem in the biotech industry.

 “Our team is composed of a passionate and dynamic group of researchers, engineers, and young entrepreneurs, coming from across the world (Italy, Singapore, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, the USA). More than 50 nationalities are represented in this competition! The issue for our project is to fill the gaps of academic research with commercially viable and beneficial solutions for patients, all the while guaranteeing the training of the next generation of life science entrepreneurs, regardless of their geographical origin. We are supported throughout our project by a mentor, a young Irish serial entrepreneur who has created more than 60 Biotechs. It is an unprecedented and unique opportunity to provide a solution to a problem that has always been of personal interest to me”.

Each project will be presented at the Gap Summit 2020, held at the University of Cambridge from March 29th to April 2nd, in the presence of several experts in the health sector. An interesting challenge for Alexis before his upcoming departure for the USA: “This competition gives me the chance to work with an exception team on one of the most exciting projects of my life, and I am really looking forward to participating in Gap Summit 2020 on the famous premises of one of the most beautiful universities in the world! This conference will be the ideal springboard for me before the presentation of my thesis and the start of my professional career. Servier has offered me the opportunity to join its American subsidiary, newly created in Boston, to support its external growth in the world’s largest pharmaceutical market, the United States”.