Catherine Dunand

About Catherine Dunand

Catherine Dunand is a French business leader and board director with a strong track record in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and corporate governance. She graduated from École Centrale de Lyon, holds an MBA from INSEAD, and earned a non-executive director certification from Sciences Po / IFA. This academic background combines engineering rigor, business leadership, and formal governance training. Her career began in major pharmaceutical groups, including Roussel Uclaf, Hoechst Marion Roussel, now part of Sanofi, and Servier. In those organizations, she held senior roles such as Head of International Marketing and CEO of international geographic profit centers. She also worked on mergers and acquisitions as well as reorganization projects, building deep expertise in strategy execution, international operations, and business transformation. She later served as CEO of several small and mid-cap companies, where she led two successive leveraged buyouts. That experience strengthened her credibility in value creation, restructuring, and leadership in complex ownership environments. Afterward, she moved into strategy and governance advisory work, taking non-executive roles with family-owned businesses, listed companies, and private equity funds. In 2016, she co-founded Cemag Invest, a family office focused on investing in healthcare and technology SMEs, and she serves as its CEO. This investment platform reflects her long-standing interest in innovation, growth companies, and sector-specific value creation. At Advicenne, Catherine Dunand plays a significant governance role as a board member. She has served as chair of the audit committee since 2017 and is also a member of the remuneration committee. In these roles, she contributes to financial oversight, risk control, and board-level supervision of a listed biopharmaceutical company focused on rare renal diseases. Her profile is particularly relevant in a company operating at the intersection of drug development, market access, and regulated growth. Beyond Advicenne, she has chaired the board of Diabeloop SA since 2020 and has been president of the U.S.-based SFFP foundation dedicated to women’s health since 2019. Overall, her career reflects a blend of pharmaceutical leadership, governance expertise, investment experience, and support for innovative healthcare businesses.