When: March 17th, 2005

Where: Olin 

Time: 9 a.m.

Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO of Novartis AG, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical corporations, addressed the Babson community Thursday, March 17, 2005. Dr. Vasella’s presentation, “Global Citizenship and International Business,” was a topic in which he has considerable first-hand experience. He is the first CEO of Novartis and formed the company through the merger of international healthcare giants Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy in 1996.

Since being named Chairman and CEO in 1999, Dr. Vasella has seen the company through additional changes that reflect the global evolution of the industry. The introduction of Novartis on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: NVS), and the relocation of the company’s research headquarters from Switzerland to Massachusetts was a significant step in securing the United States as the pharmaceutical and healthcare brain trust of the world.

The new $250 million Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research is located on the site of the former Necco Candy Factory Headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This redesigned and renovated building houses over 400 advanced research positions across 255,000 square feet of laboratory and office space. Novartis’ reach does not end in Cambridge, however. The company employs over 78,000 people in 140 countries worldwide and claimed revenues of US $28.2 Billion in 2004, an increase of 13.6% from 2003.

In addition to his focus on biomedical research in metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and infections, Dr. Vasella has used his position at Novartis to establish the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, a division dedicated to exploring the secrets of the human genome. Dr. Vasella has been recognized for his work in the industry and his passion for medical research is echoed in Novartis’ mission statement, “To discover, develop, and successfully market innovative products to cure diseases, to ease suffering, and to enhance the quality of life.”

Dr. Vasella not only brings his global expertise in biomedicine to Babson, but also his experience as a member of the PepsiCo Board of Directors and DaimlerChrysler’s Chairman’s Council. He is also on the Council for the World Economic Forum and on the Board of Directors for INSEAD and IMD.

Event sponsors, The W.F Glavin Center for Global Management, the Division of History and Society, the Life Science Affinity Group, Babson Executive Education, Babson Entrepreneurial Exchange, and European Business Group, are excited to bring such an impressive player in global business to Babson College.

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