PARIS (Reuters) - Sanofi's board said on Wednesday it had unanimously decided to oust the French drugmaker's chief executive, Chris Viehbacher, and asked Chairman Serge Weinberg to take the helm until a successor is found.
"The board confirms its commitment to continuing the strategy and the international expansion of the group based on research and innovation and its growth platforms," Sanofi's board said in a statement.
Sanofi shares fell 4 percent after the announcement.
(Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by James Regan)
Serge Weinberg (born in 1951) is Founder and Chairman of Weinberg Capital Partners, an investment firm.
<!-- Unsourced image removed: thumb|Serge Weinberg -->Weinberg started his career as a civil servant in the French administration (1976–81), before becoming « Chef de cabinet » (private principal secretary) to the Budget Minister (Laurent Fabius, 1981–82). Then, he held several management positions at FR3 and Havas.
In 1990, after three years as General Manager with investment bank Pallas Groupe, he joined the Pinault Group as CEO of . Next, he was appointed CEO of Rexel (1991–95). From 1995 to 2005, he served as Chairman of the Management Board of PPR, the largest non-food retailer in Europe and the third largest multi-brand luxury goods company in the world.
Weinberg is also Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Accor Group, and a Director of Schneider Electric, Fnac, Artémis and Gucci. He is a member of various governmental advisory boards.
Serge Weinberg was trained as a Civil Servant after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Paris and from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. He studied at the École nationale d'administration, the French School for Civil Service.
Other activities
He once may have been a member of the Trilateral Commission.
In 2010, he is not currently a member of the Trilateral Commission.
Currently, he has a high profile position as interim CEO and Chairman of the Appointments and Governance Committee and of the Strategy Committee of Sanofi, a large Paris based pharmaceutical firm known for its prescription products such as Lantus insulin.
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Weinberg Capital Partners SAS
 Weinberg Capital Partners SAS Investment ManagersFinance Weinberg Capital Partners SAS (WCP) is a private equity firm founded in 2005 by Serge Weinberg and Philippe Klocanas. The firm is headquartered in Paris, France. | Chief Executive Officer |
