In Memory of Dr. Romeo Paioni – 2012

We pay this tribute to Dr Romeo Paioni who joined our board after retiring  from Novartis Basel in August 2011 and enthusiastically promoted our cause within the industry where he was deeply respected and admired both as an advocate for innovative science and better practices in the pharmaceutical world.

Romeo Paioni was Head of Scientific and External Affairs of Novartis Pharma Development from 2000 to August 2011. Previously, since the merger of Ciba-Geigy with Sandoz to Novartis in December 1996, he was Head of Novartis Preclinical Development and Project Management, Basel Operations.

From 2001 to 2007 Romeo Paioni represented Novartis in the Board of EuropaBio (the European Association of Bioindustries) in Brussels, in the European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA) in Paris and was Vice-President of the BioValley Basel Society, where he was among the founding members in 1998. Since 2002 he is also President of the Novartis Foundation, formerly Ciba-Geigy Jubilee Foundation, supporting young scientists and research projects in Switzerland.

Romeo Paioni joined Ciba-Geigy in 1973 and has held positions of increasing responsibility within several therapeutic and technology areas such as Cardiovascular, Nervous System, Inflammation, Bone Metabolism, Allergy, Immunology and Biotechnology. From 1990 to 1997, he was Head of Pharma Research for Ciba-Geigy in Basel, Switzerland.

Romeo Paioni studied chemistry at the University of Basel, Switzerland and holds a summa cum laude Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Bern, Switzerland. From 1969 to 1973 he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow with Nobel Laureate Prof. Robert B. Woodward, first at the Woodward Research Institute in Basel and subsequently at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., USA.

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