Seasoned leaders for five startups

TOPADUR Pharma AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical startup developing first-in-class drugs for ageing diseases, has appointed current board member Pascal Brenneisen as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He is succeeding Reto Naef, who will concentrate on his role as President to support the company strategy and on the preparation for an IPO. He will support the new CEO and take over as Chief Operating Officer (COO) during the transition.

Pascal Brenneisen is an entrepreneurial, strategic, and commercial leader with over 30 years of experience building businesses and delivering sustainable results across Europe and Asia pharmaceutical and healthcare value chains. Previously, he held leadership positions as General Manager and Regional Head in biopharmaceutical companies, including Accord Healthcare, Novartis, Sandoz, and Shire and served as a Board member and co-founder of several emerging companies, including Bottneuro.

Qaptis appoints new CFO
Based in Lausanne, Qaptis is building a CO2 capture solution to retrofit heavy vehicles and help the freight industry to reach its climate goals. To strengthen its management team, the startup has welcomed Marie Tournant to assume the role of Chief Financial Officer. Marie brings a wealth of experience in finance, having worked in investment banking, corporate companies, and startups. Her passion for sustainability makes her a valuable addition to the team. She will support the startup in scaling operations while maintaining financial stability. Marie will have a part-time role at Qaptis while continuing as Manager of Finance at Barry Callebaut Group. «Qaptis is at the forefront of the carbon removal industry, and I am excited to be a part of a team that is making a tangible impact on the environment. With my experience in finance, I am eager to help the company grow and achieve its mission», Marie.

Hicham El Bonne joins aixigo as CTO
Founded in 2019, Aixigo provides the world’s fastest API-based Wealth Management Platform for creating individual, innovative and profitable wealth management services. The startup has welcomed Hicham El Bonne as Chief Technology Officer. El Bonne is a FinTech enthusiast and an end-to-end product leader with 17 years of experience in a global FinTech environment. After starting his career in FinTech at Ortec Finance, first as a consultant and later as an analyst, he quickly moved into a product leadership role. For the past 11 years, he was the Head of Product & Engineering for Ortec’s software solution for investment performance and risk analysis. Heading up product management and software engineering, he helped Ortec to establish itself as a leading solution in the market.

Anapaya creates the role of Chief Product Officer
ETH spinoff Anapaya is a commercial provider of SCION technology (“Scalability, Control, and Isolation On Next-Generation Networks”). Ist solutions provide organizations around the globe with a way to transport critical business data securely and transparently across the network, sending information between corporate sites, trusted partners, and cloud providers. The startup has created the new role of Chief Product Officer and filled it with Dario Colacicco in the driver’s seat. He will lead the company’s product strategy and oversee the development of core products such as Anapaya Core, Gate and Edge. During his eight-year tenure at Sunrise, he oversaw all major customer projects and was responsible for ensuring exceptional customer success. Before his time at Sunrise, Dario worked at top companies like Ascom, Connectis, and SPIE, where he managed large teams and built up various organizations. In addition to Dario’s appointment, Anapaya has recently expanded its team with ten new specialists, including senior engineers, sales experts, and marketing professionals.

Nezasa appoints Gregor Rothin as Sales Director DACH
Travel startup Nezasa provides the travel industry with outstanding itinerary-generating technology drawing from a robust partner network that offers great products. With Gregor Rothin, Nezasa has gained in-depth knowledge of the German-speaking tourism industry. His career demonstrates a proven track record in identifying new market potential and growing businesses. With previous positions at lastminute.com, Travelzoo, SunnyCars and Midnightdeal, Gregor knows the tools that tour operators and agencies need to sell successfully in the long term. He now brings his expertise to Nezasa to drive regional partnership development and expand Nezasa’s technology to travel brands.

(RAN)
Photo L-R: Pascal Brenneisen, Marie Tournant, Hicham El Bonne, Dario Colacicco, Gregor Rothin