Stephan Zeler

About

CFO and Board Member with 20+ years of international experience across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa - leading finance, strategy and operations across biotech, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.

I specialise in building and scaling organisations across greenfield, brownfield, and joint venture structures. I have led large-scale transformations, secured and managed $B-range funding, and driven operational and financial performance across listed multinationals and sovereign-backed ventures.

From establishing Lifera (a PIF-backed biotech CDMO in Saudi Arabia) to restructuring Takeda’s APAC business and integrating joint ventures across China, Asia and the Middle East, I focus on delivering measurable value, risk control, and long-term growth.

Key career highlights:
• Set up biotech JV Lifera in KSA - funding, CDMO deal, built backoffice / finance functions from the ground up
• Delivered in value at Takeda via divestitures, out-licensing, and JV buyouts; drove 10% margin uplift across $900M APAC portfolio
• Turned around JV in China for Novartis - SOX / compliance remediation and JV integration
• CFO for Novartis Middle East - led ERP upgrade across 10 countries, renegotiated distribution contracts, delivered 5pp margin uplift
• Supported multiple greenfield/brownfield expansions and refinancing initiatives
• Served as AdBoard member for aizon.ai

Industry exposure includes Biotech, Pharma, Healthcare, Genomics, Manufacturing, and Speciality Care.

Global experience: Asia | China | UAE | Saudi Arabia | Europe | Africa

EU citizen, PR Saudi, OnePass in Singapore