Working for a start-up is challenging but ensures you develop your knowledge and experience

Name: Sohei Fukuyama
Current position: Director of Business Development, In-Cell-Art
Degree earned at Audencia: MBA 11
Other degrees: Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences, Japan (2005)
Nationality: Japanese
Residence: Nantes - France 

Professional path
Starting out as an In-Cell-Art intern while at Audencia in 2011, Sohei is now Director of Business Development at In-Cell-Art – a small start-up biopharmaceutical company founded by a Nobel laureate. “Our mission is to deliver DNA or RNA inside a cell,” Sohei explains. “If it’s just injected into your body, it won’t be incorporated into the cell, so it needs a specific delivery system. You can develop vaccines and many other things this way.”
Before attending Audencia, Sohei worked in marketing and client management with one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in Japan. But he wanted the chance to think more broadly and have a greater impact.
“I always ask myself if I should be specialist or generalist,” he notes, jokingly comparing himself to his “more focused” sister, who had known she wanted to be a veterinarian since childhood. “But I prefer to know many different things, rather than just one field.” That’s what brought him to Audencia’s MBA programme.
Sohei’s current position is wide-ranging. His territory covers North America, Continental Europe and Asia, and his responsibilities require detailed knowledge in science, business and economics. “My primary responsibility is to discuss this technology with possible partners and manage the scientific projects, but I am also involved in budgeting, finance, licensing, etc.”
This breadth is challenging. As his client partners are all specialists, Sohei must continually develop his knowledge and experience, but this helps drive him.
When thinking about the future, Sohei notes that he has established many collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies and sees a lot of potential for what can be done from the inside.

Passions
Outside of work, Sohei is passionate about house dance, dancing competitively and performing internationally. “Dancing helps me find a way to express my emotion and balance myself as a person and a professional.”
He’s also passionate about pharmaceutical and medical science and learning about other cultures.

Most memorable experience in France
“When I received my work permit to stay in France. It took almost one year. Very happy!”

Advice to international students looking to work in France
“Without having the degree and experience from Audencia, I wouldn’t be here. The internship was key.” Sohei still vividly remembers all the paperwork he had to submit – and all the help he had from his co-workers.

Staying in touch with Audencia
Sohei stays in touch with many of his classmates. In fact, two years ago, he went to Colombia to visit a few of them. He also gets together with friends