BELS Brief Chats #3 – Dr David Pyott

Dr David Pyottportfolio board member, philanthropist, and former CEO & Chairman of Allerganwas destined for an international life which led to him live in 10 countries and work in 7. He shares his journey, from growing up in India and becoming fluent in Marathi, to attending Edinburgh University and London Business School, to becoming CEO of Sandoz Nutrition in Switzerland, to moving to California where he spent 17 years growing then-50-year-old Allergan as its third CEO.  David and his board famously fought a “battle royale”, staving off a predatory acquirer before engineering a lucrative shareholder exit with Allergan’s $66 billion sale to Actavis.  David now splits his time between sunny Orange County and skiing in the Colorado Rockies while tending to his blossoming portfolio of corporate boards and philanthropic efforts. He shares his admiration for the UK which he considers to be a wonderful place where large and small companies can pursue their scientific goals.

“BELS really has something major to contribute. This is a really great forum that, for almost at no cost, is just lying at everybody’s feet to be used.”