A global professional network empowering the Lebanese biosciences community
A significant number of individuals of Lebanese descent work in or for the biosciences industry around the world. Several have achieved key positions and identified an opportunity for a global platform to harness the strength of this growing community, and contribute to the success of the biosciences ecosystem.
Dr. François Nader and Khalil Barrage took the initiative to found Biosciences Lebanese International Network (Biolink.org), and incorporated it in 2022 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in New York.
Francois Nader, MD, MBA
Chairman
BenevolentAI
Francois Nader, MD, MBA
Founding Board Member
Francois is chairman of BenevolentAI, a board director of Moderna and Ring Therapeutics, and a senior advisor to Blackstone Life Sciences.
Previously, Francois was Chief Executive Officer of NPS Pharma. During his tenure, he transformed NPS Pharma into a leading global biotechnology company focused on delivering innovative therapies to patients with rare diseases. Before NPS, Francois was a venture partner at Care Capital. He also served on the North America Leadership Team of Aventis and its predecessor companies, holding several executive positions including senior vice president, integrated healthcare markets and North America medical and regulatory affairs. He led the global commercial operations at the Pasteur Vaccins’ division of Rhone-Poulenc.
Francois serves on the board of the Lebanese American University, the American Task Force for Lebanon, and as an advisor to LIFE Lebanon. He is the recipient of the Lebanese National Order of Merit, the Ernst and Young National Life Science Entrepreneur of the Year® award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Francois earned his French Doctorate in Medicine from St. Joseph University in Lebanon and his Physician Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee.
Khalil Barrage
Managing Director
Invus
Khalil Barrage
Founding Board Member
Khalil is a Managing Director at Invus, a New York-based global investment firm.
He joined Invus in 2003 and established the Public Equity Group, which he helms globally. Invus Public Equity focuses its investments in emerging innovative biotech companies. In addition to managing the Public Equity team, Khalil co-manages private biotech investments. He is a member of the board of ElevateBio, Sensorion, Valerio Therapeutics, Protagenic Therapeutics, and Orthobond.
Prior to joining Invus, he worked at The Olayan Group in New York, where he ran their U.S. equity portfolio for 15 years.
As part of his philanthropic engagements, Khalil serves on the Board of the Children of Armenia Fund, LIFE Lebanon, and Solving Kids’ Cancer.
He holds a BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut.
Francois Nader
Chairman
BenevolentAI
Francois Nader, MD, MBA
Founding Board Member
Francois is chairman of BenevolentAI, a board director of Moderna and Ring Therapeutics, and a senior advisor to Blackstone Life Sciences.
Previously, Francois was Chief Executive Officer of NPS Pharma. During his tenure, he transformed NPS Pharma into a leading global biotechnology company focused on delivering innovative therapies to patients with rare diseases. Before NPS, Francois was a venture partner at Care Capital. He also served on the North America Leadership Team of Aventis and its predecessor companies, holding several executive positions including senior vice president, integrated healthcare markets and North America medical and regulatory affairs. He led the global commercial operations at the Pasteur Vaccins’ division of Rhone-Poulenc.
Francois serves on the board of the Lebanese American University, the American Task Force for Lebanon, and as an advisor to LIFE Lebanon. He is the recipient of the Lebanese National Order of Merit, the Ernst and Young National Life Science Entrepreneur of the Year® award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Francois earned his French Doctorate in Medicine from St. Joseph University in Lebanon and his Physician Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee.
Khalil Barrage
Managing Director
Invus
Khalil Barrage
Founding Board Member
Khalil is a Managing Director at Invus, a New York-based global investment firm.
He joined Invus in 2003 and established the Public Equity Group, which he helms globally. Invus Public Equity focuses its investments in emerging innovative biotech companies. In addition to managing the Public Equity team, Khalil co-manages private biotech investments. He is a member of the board of ElevateBio, Sensorion, Valerio Therapeutics, Protagenic Therapeutics, and Orthobond.
Prior to joining Invus, he worked at The Olayan Group in New York, where he ran their U.S. equity portfolio for 15 years.
As part of his philanthropic engagements, Khalil serves on the Board of the Children of Armenia Fund, LIFE Lebanon, and Solving Kids’ Cancer.
He holds a BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut.
Habib Dable
Former President & CEO
Acceleron Pharma
Habib Dable
Founding Board Member
Habib is the former President & CEO of Acceleron Pharma, a company targeting leading-edge therapies for patients with serious and rare diseases, sold to Merck for $11.5B in 2021.
He currently serves as an Independent Board Director at Day One Biopharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: DAWN), Blueprint Medicines (NASDAQ: BPMC), Aerovate Therapeutics (NASDAQ: AVTE), and PepGen Inc. (NASDAQ: PEPG). He is also a part-time Venture Partner at RA Capital Management.
Prior to joining Acceleron in 2016, Habib was President of U.S. Pharmaceuticals at Bayer AG., where he held positions of increasing responsibility during his 22-year tenure.
Habib was recognized by Institutional Investor for three consecutive years (2019, 2020, 2021) as a top ranked mid-cap biotech CEO.
He was a board member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).
Habib received a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of New Brunswick in Canada.
Said Francis
Chief Business Officer
Moderna
Said Francis
Said Francis is Chief Business Officer of Moderna and General Manager of Individualized Neoantigen Therapy (INT) franchise, Inc. He is responsible for development of and execution on the company’s partnering strategy as well as the corporate strategic initiatives. He joined Moderna in 2013 as a Director of Corporate Development focused on establishing an ecosystem around Moderna’s mRNA platform and expanding the company’s technology portfolio by leading collaborations, licensing transactions, and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Moderna, Mr. Francis was a Senior Manager of mergers and acquisitions at Novartis, based in Basel Switzerland, where he drove the successful execution of multiple transactions for various business units. He started his career at J.P. Morgan Healthcare Investment Banking group in New York, where he advised pharma and medical device companies on corporate transactions.
He has deep experience in corporate strategy, growth strategy, business development and corporate governance, and has worked extensively with executive leadership teams both in public and private companies.
Mr. Francis holds an S.B. and M.Eng. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA from Harvard Business School (HBS).
Bernard Tannoury
Chairman & CEO
Benta Group
Bernard Tannoury
…
Khalil Barrage
Vice Chairman
Khalil Barrage
Founding Board Member
Khalil is a Managing Director at Invus, a New York-based global investment firm.
He joined Invus in 2003 and established the Public Equity Group, which he helms globally. Invus Public Equity focuses its investments in emerging innovative biotech companies. In addition to managing the Public Equity team, Khalil co-manages private biotech investments. He is a member of the board of ElevateBio, Sensorion, Valerio Therapeutics, Protagenic Therapeutics, and Orthobond.
Prior to joining Invus, he worked at The Olayan Group in New York, where he ran their U.S. equity portfolio for 15 years.
As part of his philanthropic engagements, Khalil serves on the Board of the Children of Armenia Fund, LIFE Lebanon, and Solving Kids’ Cancer.
He holds a BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut.
Zina Moukheiber
Executive Director
Zina Moukheiber
Zina advises startups on their communications strategy. She most recently led communications at Silicon Valley-based 500 Global, one of the most active venture capital firms in the world, where she built the communications function from the ground up. Prior to 500 Global, Zina was a journalist at Forbes, where she reported on tech companies. She initiated regular coverage of the biotech industry, penning cover stories on medical breakthroughs. Her blog, Healthworks, which chronicled the evolution of the health tech sector, attracted 2.5 million visitors. She was also the Editor of the Middle East edition of Forbes.
Zina is a co-founder of Social and Economic Action for Lebanon (SEAL). She holds an MA in international relations from New York University.
Francois Nader
Chairman
Francois Nader, MD, MBA
Founding Board Member
Francois is chairman of BenevolentAI, a board director of Moderna and Ring Therapeutics, and a senior advisor to Blackstone Life Sciences.
Previously, Francois was Chief Executive Officer of NPS Pharma. During his tenure, he transformed NPS Pharma into a leading global biotechnology company focused on delivering innovative therapies to patients with rare diseases. Before NPS, Francois was a venture partner at Care Capital. He also served on the North America Leadership Team of Aventis and its predecessor companies, holding several executive positions including senior vice president, integrated healthcare markets and North America medical and regulatory affairs. He led the global commercial operations at the Pasteur Vaccins’ division of Rhone-Poulenc.
Francois serves on the board of the Lebanese American University, the American Task Force for Lebanon, and as an advisor to LIFE Lebanon. He is the recipient of the Lebanese National Order of Merit, the Ernst and Young National Life Science Entrepreneur of the Year® award, and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Francois earned his French Doctorate in Medicine from St. Joseph University in Lebanon and his Physician Executive MBA from the University of Tennessee.