Staying Curious Across a Global Career

With a master’s degree in chemistry and biochemistry and more than two decades of experience in global pharmaceutical and biotech leadership, Michael Gay-Duchosal has built a career grounded in science—and shaped by constant change. Today, he serves as managing partner at BGDcompany and chief commercial officer at DECISIONFLOW, Inc., where he works at the intersection of life sciences, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.

But even with an accomplished résumé, Michael believes that staying relevant in science requires continual learning.

His first role was at MSD Pharmaceuticals, where he worked as a sales specialist for hospitals and private practices in Zurich. There, he gained early exposure to clinical environments and pharmaceutical commercialization—experience that would later inform his leadership roles.

He went on to join Servier, a global pharmaceutical company, where he spent nearly a decade in progressively senior roles. As senior marketing director based in Geneva, he oversaw product line development and launches, working closely with key opinion leaders and regulatory stakeholders.

“My job was really to prepare the field for the launch of a brand-new drug in Switzerland,” Michael explains. “And it worked quite well.”

That success led to a broader global mandate.

From Servier’s headquarters in Paris, Michael went on to serve as global business excellence and executive training director, supporting drug launches and commercial strategy across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Michael focused on what he describes as business excellence—ensuring scientific rigor, strategic clarity and operational readiness across diverse markets.

“You have to be sure that the local teams are fully ready,” he explains. “Every step, every action, every knowledge was acquired—ensuring that the strategy was clear, that they were involved in awareness and that the right target audience was identified.”

After several years in Europe, Michael and his wife moved to Brazil, where he became general manager at Versalife, based in São Paulo. There, he led strategic and technical initiatives to support long-term growth for pharmaceutical and biotech organizations in the region, including redefining the commercial strategy of a Brazilian pharmaceutical company following an acquisition.

This period further strengthened his interest in how science, data and strategy converge.

To regenerate all my knowledge about chemistry and biochemistry and so on. That’s when I found your program.

A move to the United States followed when his wife accepted a role at Genentech, bringing the family to the Bay Area. From the U.S., Michael continued to work internationally, managing projects remotely and taking on senior leadership roles in biotech and AI-driven innovation.

Despite this breadth of experience, Michael felt a pull back toward the fundamentals of science.

“After a while, I thought it was time to do something new,” he says. “To regenerate all my knowledge about chemistry and biochemistry and so on. That’s when I found your program.”

Why Berkeley—and Why Live Learning Mattered

Our Advanced Biosciences Program stood out immediately.

“Berkeley is really well known,” he says. “I took the Live Online classes, which was a plus because there was someone on the other side of Zoom. I could ask questions.”

While he had explored other online platforms, he found them limiting. “I was a bit frustrated with the Coursera classes because they were short—you couldn’t dive into much detail.”

Our program offered something different. “With UC Berkeley Extension, the classes are longer and are more in-depth,” he explains. “It was much more interesting and pretty flexible—the session was once a week.”

Michael entered our program with a clear goal: to stay current in a rapidly evolving scientific landscape.

“Knowing that despite being in the industry for so many years, I can still learn,” he says. “There’s still so many interesting things to learn about.”

Courses in stem cell science and oncology proved especially impactful. “They were very interesting and very important because they are very strong topics.”

Additional courses that have added to Michael’s skills set include Principles of Molecular Biology and Current Topics in the Biosciences.

Today, that knowledge directly informs his work at DecisionFlow exploring how AI can be linked with stem cell science—an intersection he describes as “pretty exciting.”

With UC Berkeley Extension, the classes are longer and are more in-depth. It was much more interesting.

A Milestone—and Advice for Future Students

Completing the program is an important personal and professional milestone.

“Having a connection between what I did at university and what I accomplished at UC Berkeley Extension is important,” Michael says. “To be able to demonstrate that I fully completed this program—it’s a great achievement and a high level of education.”

His advice to future students is candid. “Don’t underestimate the work,” he says. “Start working right from the start of the class.”

At the same time, he emphasizes the supportive environment. “Don’t be scared because the instructor and the way that the class is set up are there to encourage you,” he says. “Ask questions—the instructors are there to guide you.”

Reflecting on the experience, Michael sees the program as a reminder of the power of lifelong learning. “For me, it was a great reminder that I can still learn this material, to add to my knowledge,” he enthuses. “It was not an easy one, but a very good experience.”