Mark Lievonen

Biography:
Mark Lievonen is President of Sanofi Pasteur Limited and a member of the company’s North American Board of Directors. Sanofi pasteur researches, develops and manufactures vaccines for Canadians and for export to global markets.

Mr. Lievonen has been with the company since 1983. He started in the treasury department and was promoted to Corporate Vice President, Finance, in 1988. Since 1990, Mr. Lievonen has held a number of senior management positions, including responsibility for the company’s commercial operations.

Prior to his appointment as President in March 1999, Mr. Lievonen was Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Oncology Business Unit. He was responsible for the strategy and funding of sanofi pasteur’s Cancer Vaccine Program and the global marketing and sales of its cancer immunotherapeutic products.

Mr. Lievonen holds a BBA in accounting and an MBA in finance and marketing from the Schulich School of Business, York University. He is a Chartered Accountant and received his designation in 1981 while working with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr. Lievonen is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Oncolytics Biotech Inc. and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. He was a member of the Board of the Ontario Genomics Institute where, he served as Chair from 2004-2008. He has also served on a number of industry boards and councils such as BIOTECanada, where he was Chair from 2000 to May 2003, and on the BIOCouncil, an advisory group to the Government of Ontario in biotechnology. He was Chair of the Steering Committee for the BIO 2002 International Conference which was held in Toronto in June 2002. Mr. Lievonen is a member of the Board of Governors of York University and serves on the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation Board. He also served as a member of the United Way of Greater Toronto Cabinet chairing the Health Care Division.

Mr. Lievonen was the recipient of a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medallion in 2002 and was named a Chevalier de l'Ordre National de Mérite by the government of France in 2007. He was elected as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2009.

Abstract:
Mr. Lievonen’s presentation will focus on Canada’s potential to be a leader in the biotechnology and healthcare economy. He will touch briefly on the evolution of sanofi pasteur in Canada as an example of leadership in the knowledge economy and what is possible through collaboration and innovation. From this industry perspective, Mr. Lievonen will provide suggestions on how government policy can be shaped to encourage innovation and help turn Canadian science into commercial successes.