Sofinnova Partners Appoints Mats Eklund as Partner and Chief Operating Officer

Sofinnova Partners (“Sofinnova"), a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London, and Milan, announced today the appointment of Mats Eklund as Partner and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Eklund will be taking over the helm of Sofinnova’s corporate services team from Monique Saulnier, a Managing Partner. Ms. Saulnier, who is retiring after 40 years with Sofinnova, will remain at the firm for a transition period until the second half of 2023.

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Mr. Eklund has 25 years’ experience in finance. His appointment reflects the strengthening of the firm’s management and corporate functions as it pursues its expansion across the entire value chain of life sciences investments.

Mr. Eklund most recently served as a Senior Advisor to two fund managers, NREP, a real estate fund manager with €15 billion in assets under management (AUM), and Sprints Capital, a venture capital and growth capital investment company with €1B in AUM. At NREP, he played a leading part in the acquisition of a German credit platform and in building the foundation for NREP’s credit business.

Before that, Mr. Eklund was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Triton, a Northern European private equity and credit investment firm with €16 billion in AUM. He was responsible for the corporate services teams, risk management, portfolio monitoring and ESG and served as a Director of the Boards of the Triton Alternative Investment Fund Manager and General Partner Companies. In addition, he worked closely with the Investor Relations team, supporting fund formation, capital raising and key investor relationships. During his time as Triton’s COO, Mr. Eklund also served as Head of WestPark Management Services, a company dedicated to providing services to Triton’s portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Triton, Mr. Eklund was with GE for almost 14 years. His most recent role there was as Chief Financial Officer for GE Capital EMEA, M&A and Private Equity. Mr. Eklund holds a master’s in economics and financial administration from the School of Business, Economics and Law at Gothenburg University, Sweden.

Antoine Papiernik, Chairman and Managing Partner of Sofinnova Partners, said: “Mats’ arrival fits perfectly with our desire to further strengthen our corporate services organization. He brings a strong and varied set of skills to support the expansion of our European platform of strategies.”

Mr. Eklund commented: “I am delighted to join Sofinnova Partners at this pivotal time for life sciences investing. I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to develop our platform of funds, and I am grateful to Monique, who has a deep knowledge of the VC world and Sofinnova’s history, for staying on during the transition period.”

Ms. Saulnier said: “After four decades with Sofinnova, I am beginning my long goodbye with pride in my heart. The last few years of expansion have been a fascinating end to an exhilarating journey. I will retire in 2023 with the assurance that my legacy is in good hands with Mats.”

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About Sofinnova Partners
Sofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage. The firm actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact our collective future.

Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over €2.5 billion under management. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.com.

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Contact information

Bommy Lee
Head of Communications
Sofinnova Partners
blee@sofinnovapartners.com
+33 (0) 6 47 71 38 11

North America
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Kate Barrette
kbarrette@rooneypartners.com
+1 212 223 0561

France
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Anne Rein
anne.rein@strategiesimage.com
+33 (0) 6 03 35 92 05