Ernesto Bertarelli (born 22 September 1965) is an Italian-born Swiss businessman and philanthropist.
In November 2012, the family’s wealth was estimated at US$14.8 billion by Bloomberg. According to Forbes, Bertarelli has an estimated net worth of $8.3 billion, as of March 2015.
Biography
Born in Rome, his family moved to Switzerland in 1977. He graduated from Babson College in 1989, and earned an MBA at Harvard Business School in 1993.
Career
His grandfather founded Serono, a pharmaceutical company that moved from Rome to Switzerland. Bertarelli became CEO in 1996 and, along with his sister Dona, inherited ownership in 1998 on the death of his father. Changing the company’s focus from pharmaceuticals to biotechnology, revenues increased from $809 million in 1996 to $2.8 billion in 2006. The company gained fame from its discovery of a natural hormone used in the treatment of female infertility, and its treatments for multiple sclerosis and growth hormone deficiency.
Bertarelli and his family sold the company to Merck KGaA of Germany in January 2007 for US$13.3 billion, forming the new company Merck-Serono. His family split an estimated $9 billion stake at that time, which added to previous share sales when the company floated on the NY stock market in 2001, which is now invested mainly through their Waypoint Capital investment vehicle. Bertarelli currently co-chairs – with his sister Dona – the Bertarelli Foundation which focuses on marine conservation and life sciences research.
- Ernesto Bertarelli inherited biotech giant Serono, maker of the multiple sclerosis drug Rebif, following his father’s death in 1998.
- With his sister Dona, he expanded the company to $2.4 billion in revenues before selling it to Merck for over $13 billion in 2007.
- Ernesto and Dona co-chair the Bertarelli Foundation, which focuses on marine conservation and life sciences research.
- The family’s Waypoint Group has investments ranging from commercial real estate in London to drug companies.
- He also owns the superyacht Vava II.
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