Leadership Lab 🔪- Dissecting life science success stories

In this episode of leadership lab, Maurice Thornton speaks with Christopher Hertz, Founder and Managing Director of Piomic, about what it really takes to build a medtech startup. Christopher shares his journey from molecular biology at ETH Zurich to co-founding piomic, a company working in advanced wound care. What started as a nine-month “let’s see if this works” idea became a much longer journey...

In this episode of Leadership Lab, Maurice Thornton speaks with Tiago Nunes, SVP Clinical Development at Mirum Pharmaceuticals, about rare disease, clinical development, patient-centred trials, and the career turns that shaped his path. From Rio de Janeiro to Europe, from medicine and GI research to pharma and biotech, Tiago shares an honest look at finding the right fit, learning from feedback, a...

What if the reason you are not standing out is not lack of experience, but lack of clarity? Career coach Catherine Leduc joins Maurice Thornton to explore personal branding, networking, career drift, and what it really takes to stand out in today’s life sciences job market. *** In this episode of leadership lab , they discuss why career growth is not just about selling yourself better, but underst...

As part of our Podcasthon initiative, we sat down with Mathias Terheggen, Head of Partnerships and Philanthropy at ETH Foundation , to talk about a question many people ask before giving: does my contribution really make a difference? In this conversation, Mathias shares how donations help create real opportunities for future scientific talent, why every contribution matters, and how support can h...

AI is making CVs look better than ever — but is it actually making hiring easier? In this episode of leadership lab , Maurice sits down with Jana Herman , Chapter Lead for Integrated Workforce Strategies at Roche (Basel), to break down what’s changing in recruitment right now — and what isn’t. Jana shares why candidates are currently the biggest winners from AI, how hiring teams handle huge applic...

Hiring people who are better than you isn’t just good leadership — it’s the point. In this Season 2 opener of Leadership Lab, Maurice sits down with Annick Whyte , Commercial Delivery and Adoption Lead , to unpack what leadership looks like when the pace is fast, the stakes are high, and AI is changing the rules. Annick shares why the real unlock isn’t “better prompts” — it’s vibe coding : buildin...

Meet Armend Håti — Kosovo-born, Norway-raised bioengineer who turned an early patent into ClexBio. We talk about being a “young” biotech founder, the US spark that flipped his mindset, why his first industry role was (surprise) in krill, paying patent bills out of pocket, fundraising nerves, and the big move from Oslo to Zurich to surround the science with the right talent. We finish with a compac...

From Red Bull to Swiss MedTech — Adrian Hunn on leadership, curiosity, and building Swiss innovation. From marketing energy drinks to leading the Swiss MedTech association — Adrian Hunn’s career proves that leadership lessons can come from anywhere. In this episode of leadership lab , host Maurice Thornton dives into Adrian’s story — from his early love of team sports and military service, to a de...

From law to biotech CEO — Franz-Werner Haas shares how vision shaped his career and leadership journey. From rural Germany to biotech boardrooms — Franz-Werner Haas’s career is anything but linear. A law graduate who started out in the fishing industry, he went on to lead CureVac during COVID and today serves as CEO of LimmaTech Biologics. In this Leadership Lab conversation with Maurice Thornton,...

From table tennis to VP HR — Agata Baranowska 's bold journey through global pharma leadership. Agata shares how a childhood of constant moves built her adaptability — and how she turned early opportunities into a global HR leadership career . Maurice Thornton explores Agata’s path from PwC to senior roles at Amgen, Alexion & Takeda, and her decision to join Galderma’s mission to become th...

From figure skates in Boston to biotech boardrooms in Basel—Sarah Holmes-Klotz never took the obvious route. Now Head of Global HR at Santhera Pharmaceuticals, she joins host Maurice Thornton to talk about long-distance love, career pivots, resilience, and what it really takes to lead HR at a publicly traded life sciences company. Expect honest insights on relocation, rejection, reinvention—and wh...

How do you turn legal into a true business leadership function? In this episode of Leadership Lab , we follow the journey of Marc Bauer , Head of Legal, EMEA at argenx. From his first exposure to law in a small German firm, to building legal teams that drive strategy at Europe’s largest biotech, Marc has made legal his constant—even as his career evolved into broader leadership roles. He shares pr...

Daniela Marino on bioengineered skin, bold leadership & skin in space This week on The Leadership Lab , we meet Daniela Marino , CEO and co-founder of Zurich-based CUTISS — a pioneering techbio company growing personalized human skin to transform burn care and reconstructive medicine. She shares: Her early love of science - thanks to a surprise anatomy book How a research project evolved into...

Before leading the Swiss Biotech Association, Michael Altorfer was a kid who struggled to focus and avoided making big decisions. What changed? A 7-month solo trip that reshaped how he saw the world—and himself. In this episode of Leadership Lab , Michael opens up about how traveling helped him find direction, build confidence, and develop a leadership style rooted in curiosity, perspective, and p...

🎙️Michelle Bridenbaker began her journey as a biologist with a double major in science and theatre set design . After moving into the medtech industry as a Surgical Sales Rep , she felt something was missing. Driven by empathy and purpose, she made a bold move—going back to school to become a nurse . That experience continues to shape every leadership role she holds today. Now, Michelle is: 🌍 Glo...

Daniel J. Mulle r took an unconventional approach to success—he followed what came naturally to him and mastered it. What started as a simple strategy to avoid distractions in school led him to a fun-filled thesis project, a PhD, and ultimately, a career dedicated to enabling others. Throughout his academic journey at the ETH Zurich, Daniel founded multiple organisations and collaborated with vari...

Who says you need a plan to succeed? Certainly not Adrian Cuadra. Starting as an HR Coordinator with no clear roadmap, Adrian let curiosity take the wheel—and it worked. In less than 10 years, he moved from an entry-level role to becoming Alexion's Swiss and Austria Country Director, crossing paths with marketing, commercial, and more along the way. His secret? A fearless approach to asking, “What...

From dreaming of a career in sports to leading biotech companies like LimmaTech and GlycoEra , and now excelling as a Partner at Pureos Bioventures , Veronica Gambillara Fonck’s journey showcases instinct, courage, and remarkable success. In this episode of Leadership Lab , Maurice dives into the personal moments and professional milestones that shaped Veronica’s inspiring path. Learn how she navi...

🎙️ Step into the Leadership Lab with Maurice , where we uncover the personal stories shaping today’s life science leaders. In each episode, leaders from biotech, pharma, medtech, and digital health share the moments that defined their careers. By exploring their personal journeys, we gain deeper insights into the mindsets, challenges, and life lessons that drive their professional success. 👉🏻 Cu...