Erik Tambuyzer (born 1949) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

bio-engineer and businessman. He is Chairman of the Board of the Flemish Center for Medical Innovation (CMI).

Education

Tambuyzer holds a

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...

in bio-industrial sciences from the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

, (

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Career

Having started his professional career at

Baxter Healthcare Baxter International Inc. is an American multinational healthcare company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat kidney disease, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. The compan ...

(Baxter-Travenol in Europe) in 1977, Tambuyzer pursued his career six years later at Innovi NV (

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium), a technology management and consultancy company. He also worked as a consultant on

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

for minister-president

Gaston Geens Gaston C. S. A. Geens (10 June 1931 – 5 June 2002) was a Belgian politician and minister-president of Flanders. Geens received a Master in Law from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven as well as a licentiate of economy. In 1961 Geens, togeth ...

of the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, a ...

. In 1985 he made the business plan and co-founded, together with

Hugo Van Heuverswyn Hugo Van Heuverswyn (born 1948) is a Belgian molecular biologist, biotech Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular anal ...

, the healthcare biotech company

Innogenetics Innogenetics N.V. (now Fujirebio Europe N.V.) was an international in vitro diagnostics (IVD) company, with headquarters in Ghent, Belgium. Founded in 1985, the company developed and marketed IVD testing solutions as well as OEM raw materials. The ...

NV (

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

, Belgium), of which he was General Manager until 1992, at which time he joined Genzyme. He was Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs for

Genzyme Genzyme was an American biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since its acquisition in 2011, Genzyme (also known as Genzyme Transgenics Corp or GTC Biotherapeutics) has been a fully owned subsidiary of Sanofi. In 2010, Genzyme ...

Europe and International, and a member of the European Management Committee of Genzyme Corporation until 2010, when he joined the Flemish Center for Medical Innovation (CMI). Tambuyzer is a founding Board member and past Chairman of

EuropaBio EuropaBio ("The European Association for Bioindustries") is Europe's largest and most influential biotech industry group, whose members include leading large-size healthcare and industrial biotechnology companies. EuropaBio is located in Brussels, ...

, the European Association for Bioindustries, and founder of the Ethics Working Group of this Association, as well as the Chair of the joint EBE/

EFPIA The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) is a Brussels-based trade association and lobbying organisation, founded in 1978 and representing the research-based pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Throug ...

-EuropaBio Orphan medicines Task Force. He is also Vice-Chair of EPPOSI, the European Platform for Patients' Organizations, Science & Industry. He published on policies regarding orphan medicines and advanced therapies in Europe and internationally, on the European Clinical Trial Directive, and on the impact of biotechnology on healthcare systems.

Sources

Global biotech speakers

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tambuyzer, Erik Flemish businesspeople Living people KU Leuven alumni 1949 births Technology company founders Biotechnologists