Credit Suisse Hires Biotech Executive for Health-Care Banking

(Bloomberg) -- Credit Suisse Group AG hired Eric Francois as a managing director in its health-care investment banking group focused on the biotechnology sector. 

He’ll join Credit Suisse in New York on Nov. 22, reporting to David Kostel, global head of the health-care investment banking group, according to a memo to staff Wednesday. A spokesman for the Zurich-based bank confirmed the contents of the memo.

Francois was most recently chief financial officer at Scynexis Inc., a Jersey City, New Jersey-based biotech firm that develops anti-infective medicines where he spent about six years. Earlier in his career, he worked as an equity capital markets banker at Lazard Ltd.

“This hire demonstrates the critical importance of our life-sciences franchise and will help us continue to build on the momentum we have generated over the last year,” Kostel wrote in the memo. During that time, Credit Suisse has led initial public offerings for AbCellera Biologics Inc., Candel Therapeutics Inc., Atai Life Sciences NV, Absci Corp., Pyxis Oncology Inc. and Prometheus Biosciences Inc., he said.

Credit Suisse’s health-care group also advised Merck & Co. in its $11.5 billion takeover of Acceleron Pharma Inc. -- the biggest biotech deal announced this year -- and advised on 23andMe Holding Co.’s merger with a special purpose acquisition company, among other deals. 

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