Founder, CEO
Fernando Silva
• VITia, Founder & CEO
• Founded Sanantia
• Novartis Vaccines Head of Mexico & Latin America Growth Emerging Markets
• Merck Serono Business Unit Head of Oncology (Mexico)
• MBA, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
• VITia, Founder & CEO
• Founded Sanantia
• Novartis Vaccines Head of Mexico & Latin America Growth Emerging Markets
• Merck Serono Business Unit Head of Oncology (Mexico)
• MBA, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
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Experience
Sanantia
Founder
Novartis
Employee
Merck KGaA
Employee
Founder
Employee
Education
About
Achievements
- Drive my company through the Mexican Peso crash crisis in 1994 at a very young age
- Turnaround of Oncology Business Unit at Merck tripling sales in two year span
- Getting my name among the authors of a methanalysis article by lead investigator Guillermo Ruiz Palacios, only to have it later removed to avoid conflict of interest with my employer
- Being funded by Mexican Government for Sanantia, my previous venture and being awarded as Entrepreneur of the year runner-up by Expansion magazine
Q&A
What's your favorite non-business book?
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
If money were not an issue, what would you be doing right now?
Exactly what I'm doing now, except for taking a little more vacations with my wife, and sometimes our children too! :-)
What words of advice would you give your younger self?
Be patient
What's the most creative thing you've ever done?
In my past life, led a team to design leatherwear using pre-hispanic motifs to export to Spain.
In healthcare, advisory board meetings with top-notch doctors breaking all protocols to foster new ideas and camaraderie in a very respectful environment
Which founders or startups do you most admire?
Lorenzo Servitje, founder of Bimbo Group, the largest bakery in the world
What's your super power?
Perseverance, I'm not afraid of change nor adversity
What's the best way for people to get in touch with you?
Just call my mobile
What words of wisdom do you live by?
Everything happens for a reason, every problem has a solution. Don't be afraid
What aspects of your work are you most passionate about?
Working with people, leading teams to outrun our competitors and find optimal solutions to our customers
What was the most impactful class you took in school?
As an undergrad, Mass Transfer Operations with Alberto Bustani. At business school, Valuations with Sugato Bhattacharyya (had to look him up to get the spelling right!)
What's something you wish you had done years earlier?
Start playing tennis, started at 12 and made it to the varsity team, wish I had started at 6
What's an obstacle you've overcome?
Drive my leatherwear company through the Mexican Peso crash crisis of 1994, more recently turnaround the losing Oncology Business Unit at Merck into a profitable operation
What's the most useful business-related book you've ever read?
I loved Jerry Porras' Built to Last
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