Gijs is an Operating Partner and joins Forbion from Roche, where he has served as a member of the Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) leadership team since 2019.
In his role as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Immunology, CVM, Infectious Diseases, and Ophthalmology Discovery and Early Development, he drove transformative initiatives that enhanced R&D productivity, strengthened cross-functional collaborations, and supported strategic acquisitions, including the integration of metabolic disease specialist biotech, Carmot Therapeutics.
Before transitioning to the biopharmaceutical industry, Gijs earned his MD and PhD from the University of Amsterdam Medical Center and completed specialized training in internal medicine and gastroenterology at leading institutions in Amsterdam, Geneva, and Leiden. He served as a board-certified gastroenterologist and Professor of Experimental Gastroenterology at the University of Amsterdam, where he led groundbreaking discovery and translational research in inflammatory bowel disease. Throughout his career, Gijs has co-authored over 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
With Forbion I have the opportunity to see the best ideas for drug discovery and development from across the globe. It’s exciting to be able to support those projects that have the biggest chance to move the field forward and make an impact on people’s lives.
