Dr. Välimaa has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, surgical, and medical device sectors. Dr. Välimaa is CEO of Vactech, which is developing developing transformative solutions for patients living with Type 1 Diabetes, Celiac Disease, Asthma, and Allergy, and working to prevent a wide range of illnesses caused by enteroviruses. He is also the Founder and leader of ValoXion Consultancy.
Välimaa specializes in guiding products from early innovation through to commercial production, with a proven track record of turning new pharmaceutical and medical device ideas to + 40 best-selling global products. He has successfully secured funding for various initiatives and facilitated the integration of new technologies and product development ideas into the pipeline.
Before Vactech, Dr. Välimaa held leadership roles 12 years at Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., global leader in ophthalmology. He led European operations of Global Alliances & Collaborations, Global Research & Development Strategy and Global Project Management.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Välimaa led BioneXt Tampere Investment Program, exceeding 270 M€, where he contributed to the advancement of biotechnology, medical devices, and tissue engineering. He also served as Development Manager at Bayer AG (former Schering AG), where he was responsible of leading Polymer Chemistry and Materials R&D Laboratories – Centre of Excellence for Drug Delivery Systems in three different locations. These laboratories helped drive the development of long-acting drug delivery systems, including the Mirena® contraceptive, a blockbuster product with global success and over 1 billion EUR sales.