Hugo Sigman (born 1 January 1944) is an Argentine psychiatrist and business mogul. He is the founder, CEO and –jointly with his wife, biochemist Silvia Gold— the only shareholder of Grupo Insud, a business conglomerate with a presence in the fields of pharmaceuticals, agroforestry, cinema, nature and design.

Early life, education and psychiatry

Hugo Sigman was born in Buenos Aires,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

on 1 January 1944. He graduated from the medical school of the

University of Buenos Aires The University of Buenos Aires ( es, Universidad de Buenos Aires, UBA) is a public university, public research university in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Established in 1821, it is the premier institution of higher learning in the country and one o ...

in 1969. The same year, he finished his studies in social psychology at the university under

Enrique Pichon-Rivière Enrique Pichon-Rivière (June 25, 1907 – July 16, 1977) was a Swiss psychiatrist naturalized Argentine, considered one of the introducers of group psychoanalysis in Argentina and generator of the group theory known as ''Grupo operativo'' (Ope ...

. Sigman completed his residency at Aráoz Alfaro Hospital in

Buenos Aires Province Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

. In 1970, he joined the Psychiatry Service of Policlínico Lanús as a resident. He continued his career, first as Chief of Residents, and then as founder and director of the Psychiatric Emergency Unit at the same hospital. In 1976, Sigman fled to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

following the Argentine coup d'état. He worked at the Psychiatry Service of Hospital Clínico de Barcelona.

Business career

In 1978, Sigman and his wife, biochemist Silvia Gold, received a loan of US$400,000 from his father-in-law, Roberto Gold, a businessman in the pharmaceutical industry in Argentina. The couple co-founded Chemo Group, a chemical-pharmaceutical company, and the first company in what would later become Grupo Insud. In the 1980s, Sigman and his family moved back to Argentina, where he developed his existing businesses and developed new work areas.

Life sciences

Sigman's professional career relies especially on

Human Sciences Human science (or human sciences in the plural), also known as humanistic social science and moral science (or moral sciences), studies the philosophical, biological, social, and cultural aspects of human life. Human science aims to expand our ...

, where, through Insud Pharma (also known as Insud Group), he has developed three companies: * Chemo: a company that produces active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms (FDFs) to 1,200 pharmaceutical companies around the world, with 15 manufacturing R&D centers * Exeltis: a company that offers female health products in more than 40 countries * mAbxience: a biotech company created in 2008, which produces biosimilar medicines In 2011, Sigman founded, together with other renowned biotechnology companies, the Argentine Chamber of Biotechnology, with the aim of strengthening the public-private collaboration in

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 ...

and encouraging its development in the region. The Public-Private Consortium for Research and Development of Innovative Oncology Therapies, developed the first therapeutic vaccine against lung cancer,

Racotumomab Racotumomab (trade name Vaxira) is a therapeutic cancer vaccine for the treatment of solid tumors that is currently under clinical development by Recombio, an international public-private consortium with the participation of the Center of Molec ...

(Vaxira), introduced in 2013. Inspired by that model, other partnerships were made with institutions like

Universidad Nacional de Quilmes The National University of Quilmes ( es, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, UNQui) is an Argentine national university and the most important one in the Quilmes area. The National University of Quilmes was founded on October 23, 1989. Located in Be ...

Universidad Nacional de San Martín Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

, Roffo and Garrahan Hospitals,

Academia Nacional de Medicina The Academia Nacional de Medicina (ANM) is the Brazilian national academy of medicine. The academy was founded during the Brazilian imperial period on 30 June 1829, under the name of ''Sociedade de Medicina do Rio de Janeiro''. On 8 May ...

, and several foreign universities. Approximately 250 researchers work at the partnerships supported by the Group, doing basic and applied research; 100 of them are dedicated to the development of products for treating cancer.

Agribusiness

In 1998, he started agricultural and forestry activities in different locations of Argentina, focused on genetic improvement and sustainable production, with companies Garruchos, devoted to farming and cattle-raising; Pomera, ranked as the top Argentine-capital forestry company; and Cabaña Los Murmullos, a cattle breeding ranch. Sigman is also a shareholder of Bioceres, an Argentine

company focused on agricultural production. This company developed a gene that enables the production of wheat, corn and soybean resistant to draughts and soil salinity, and has licensed its products to the USA, France and India. In Argentina's veterinary industry, Grupo Insud partners with Biogénesis Bagó, an animal vaccine production company authorized by the government of China to build a plant in that country.

Communication and art

Sigman co-founded the filmmaking company Kramer & Sigman Films ( K&S Films) with

Oscar Kramer Oscar Kramer (25 May 1935 – 7 April 2010) was an Argentine film producer. He was born in Buenos Aires. He worked in the cinema of Argentina when he was young. In the 1970s he lived in Antwerp, Belgium, where he worked in the diamond industry ...

in 2005. They had previously collaborated on the 2004 film ''

El perro ''El perro'' (English: ''Bombón: El Perro'' and ''Bombón: The Dog'') is a 2004 Argentine-Spanish drama film, directed by Carlos Sorín, and written by Sorín, Santiago Calori, and Salvador Roselli. The picture features Juan Villegas and Walter D ...

''. The company has produced the films '' On Probation'' (2005), ''

Chronicle of an Escape ''Chronicle of an Escape'' ( es, Crónica de una fuga), also known as ''Buenos Aires, 1977'', is a 2006 Argentine historical drama film directed by Israel Adrián Caetano. The screenplay is written by Caetano, Esteban Student, and Julián Loyola, ...

'' (2006), ''

Los Marziano ''Los Marziano'' is a 2010 Argentine comedy drama film co-written and directed by Ana Katz and starring Guillermo Francella, Arturo Puig, Mercedes Morán and Rita Cortese. The story centers on a reunion between two brothers after a long period of e ...

'' (2010), ''The Last Elvis'' (2012), ''Seventh Floor'' (2013), '' Wild Tales'' (2014), '' The Clan'' (2015), '' The Summit'' (2017), and ''

Heroic Losers ''Heroic Losers'' ( es, La odisea de los giles) is a 2019 Argentine heist film co-written and directed by Sebastián Borensztein, based on the novel ''La noche de la Usina'' (''The Night of the Heroic Losers'') by Eduardo Sacheri, who also co-wro ...

(2019). Through Grupo Insud, Sigman participates in cultural companies in Argentina and Spain such as the Southern Cone edition of ''

Le Monde diplomatique ''Le Monde diplomatique'' (meaning "The Diplomatic World" in French) is a French monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs. The publication is owned by Le Monde diplomatique SA, a subsidiary com ...

'', the Latin American version of ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'', and Capital Intelectual, which includes a line of publications in Spain under the publishing brand Clave Intelectual. Sigman is an art and culture enthusiast. Between 2010 and 2013, he was a member of the Advisory Council of the National Fine Arts Museum of Argentina. He is a member of the Board of Patronage of

Museo Reina Sofía Museo may refer to: * Museo, 2018 Mexican drama heist film *Museo (Naples Metro) Museo is a station on line 1 of the Naples Metro. It was opened on 5 April 2001 as the eastern terminus of the section of the line between Vanvitelli and Museo. O ...

, in Madrid, Spain. Additionally, the venue of Grupo INSUD in Buenos Aires (the traditional Díaz Vélez Palace), built in 1907 and recently restored, has won several architectural awards and has been declared a protected heritage site of Buenos Aires City.

Mundo Sano foundation

Sigman's father-in-law, Roberto Gold, created the non-profit Mundo Sano Foundation in 1993. By the late 1990s, Silvia Gold chaired the foundation, which has funded projects in Argentina, Spain and Ethiopia addressing

neglected tropical diseases Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of tropical disease, tropical infections that are common in low-income populations in Developing country, developing regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They are caused by a variety ...

(NTDs) including Chagas,

dengue Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic ...

and

soil-transmitted helminths The soil-transmitted helminths (also called geohelminths) are a group of intestinal parasites belonging to the phylum Nematoda that are transmitted primarily through contaminated soil. They are so called because they have a direct life cycle whic ...

Awards

* In 2008, he received the Merit Diploma at the

Konex Award Konex Foundation Awards, or simply Konex Awards, are cultural awards from the Konex Foundation honouring Argentine cultural personalities. History and purpose Konex Awards are granted by the Konex Foundation, created in 1980 in Argentina. The pur ...

s, in the "Innovative Entrepreneurs" category. * In 2009, Sigman took part in the 15th Conference of the

Argentine Industrial Union The Argentine Industrial Union ( es, Unión Industrial Argentina, or, UIA) is the leading industrial employer federation and advocacy group in Argentina. The UIA is a member of the International Organisation of Employers. History Early developmen ...

, and was guest speaker representing Argentina at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and Columbia Universities. * In 2011, jointly with Silvia Gold, he received an award from Asociación de Dirigentes de Empresa (ADE) in the "Agroindustry" category. * In September 2011, Sigman was guest speaker at the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

held in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. His lecture was about the manufacturing of vaccines and biotechnological products in Argentina. ''The Sinergium Biotech model of integration for the production of vaccines and biotech products involves technology transfer, export potential and the creation of 320 jobs,'' said Sigman. * In 2012, he was a speaker at the Global Investment Forum, organized by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

. He presented the state-of-the-art productive investment model based on partnerships with other pharmaceutical companies and public entities. * In 2013, at the 11th International Symposium on AIDS, organized by Fundación Huésped, he was recognized for the achievements of the Research, Development and Innovation Consortium presented by his companies. * In 2013, the Endeavor Foundation named him the "Model Entrepreneur" for his values and track record. * In 2015, Sigman received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award, from EY consulting firm (Ernst & Young) in Argentina. * In 2018, he received his 2nd Merit Diploma at the

s, this time in the "Industry Entrepreneurs" category. * In 2019, he received the Trajectory Award for the Rural supplement of the ''

Clarin Clarin or Clarín may refer to: Geography *Clarin, Bohol, a municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines *Clarin, Misamis Occidental, a municipality in the province of Misamis Occidental, Philippines * River Clarin, a river in Ireland Media ...

'' newspaper during the 133rd Rural Exhibition.

Personal life

Sigman is married to biochemist Silvia Gold. Together, they were ranked the sixth wealthiest people in Argentina by ''Forbes'' magazine in 2020, with a net worth of US$2 billion. Sigman has three sons—Leandro, Mariano, and Lucas. He is Jewish and a fan of the River Plate football club.