Jean-Christophe Pointeau Returns to Pfizer as President of China Operations and Joins Global Leadership Team

By | Dami

On the evening of August 5, Angela Hwang, Group President of Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group, announced a major personnel appointment to employees, appointing Jean-Christophe (JC) Pointeau as President of Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group China. Based in Beijing, he will report directly to Angela Hwang, Group President of Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group, and join the Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group Global Leadership Team.

JC is a senior executive well-known to colleagues in China's pharmaceutical industry. His career began at the UK branch of Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, which later merged with Hoechst to form Aventis, one of the predecessors of Sanofi—but that's a digression.

In a sense, Pfizer could be considered JC's former employer. In 1997, Peng Zhenke left Rhône-Poulenc Rorer to join Parke-Davis (later merged into Pfizer), serving as Senior Product Manager for Lipitor.

However, he is best known among Chinese pharmaceutical professionals for his later tenure at Bristol-Myers Squibb China and Sanofi China.

In 2000, Peng Zhenke joined Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, was transferred to the China market in 2011, and served as President of Bristol-Myers Squibb China until 2014, stepping down at the end of that year.

On March 3, 2015, Sanofi announced the appointment of Peng Zhenke as General Manager of China Business Operations, effective April 15, 2015. During his tenure at Sanofi, Peng also served as Chairman of RDPAC. On March 1, 2019, Peng was reassigned as Head of Sanofi Genzyme Europe. He left Sanofi at the end of 2020 to become a founder and partner of the healthcare consulting firm INNOVie.

According to Dami, Peng Zhenke will officially assume the position of President, Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group China, effective September 1. The outgoing President of Pfizer China, Pierre Gaudreault, will return to his role as President of Emerging Markets Asia.