Our team

Frank Kumli has worked at Basel Area Business & Innovation since 2019.

Previously, Frank Kumli worked ten years for Ernst & Young in various global and local functions. Before that, he headed the business development efforts for health ingredients at Lonza and as Director of Marketing & Sales at Carbogen Amcis accompanied its development from start-up to a multinational enterprise.

Frank Kumli completed his PhD in organic chemistry at the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium) and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Colorado State University (US), a Sales Management degree at the University of St. Gallen (CH) and an Executive MBA at the University of Rochester (USA/CH).

Ursula Costa has been working for the Basel Area Business & Innovation since 2022.

Previously, she worked in different roles in the field of neurorehabilitation, ranging from clinical practice, academia, and med-tech, where she held global roles. She brings extensive experience in patient experiences and working with different stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem.

Ursula Costa studied Physical Therapy and completed her master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Barcelona. Her focus is on staying up to date and has completed her education with certifications in the fields of Change Management, UX/UI, healthcare economics, business, digital marketing, and Agile Methods.

Cécile Tardy-Srinivasan has been working for Basel Area Business & Innovation since 2021.

Previously, she worked at big pharma companies like Novartis, where she held various roles at country, regional and global levels. She brings a background in finance from working with EY. As a healthcare innovation consultant, she focuses on patient centricity and co-creating solutions among stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem.

Cécile Tardy-Srinivasan studied Design Thinking at the MIT Sloan School of Management and holds a Master’s in Management from the EDHEC Business School, France.

Florian Saner has joined Basel Area Business & Innovation in 2021.

Previously, he was one of the Corporate Business Developers at Straumann Group in Basel, a global leader in dentistry. His responsibilities ranged from assessing and valuing strategic collaboration deals to managing the transaction process and negotiating final agreements, with a focus on distribution and M&A activities. He is also a member of the Innosuisse jury at the Medtech start-up training, named Business creation course, and teaches a course of negotiation and business development at the university of applied science in Delémont.

Florian Saner completed his BSc in Economics at the University of Lausanne (HEC) and Mannheim, an MSc in Accounting & Finance at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), is a Chartered Financial Analyst I (CFA) and holds several certifications in negotiation and sustainable strategies from the London School of Economics and Harvard Business School.

Yana has been working for Basel Area Business & Innovation since 2023.

She has spent many years managing an international community of innovators, and is a seasoned expert in event management. Yana has organized a wide range of high-level events focused on innovation in European cities.

Prior to that, she worked in the manufacturing and construction industries, where she performed various senior roles in business development, marketing, and sales in both B2B and B2C sectors.

Yana holds a Master’s degree in International Business.

Frédéric Nicolet joined Basel Area Business & Innovation in 2019. He is responsible for the development and management of technology projects in the Canton of Jura.

Previously, he was Lead Sales Specialist at Bently Nevada, and he held various sales and project management positions at BKW AG in Delémont. He worked as a hardware and firmware developer and as European sales manager in the field of electromagnetic compatibility.

Frédéric Nicolet studied electronic engineering at the Haute Ecole Arc in Saint-Imier and completed his education with a CAS in renewable energies and had further training in coaching.

Cherin Lim joined Basel Area in 2022

Cherin Lim is an internationally experienced marketing professional with a background in top international marketing agencies. She has advanced her career by working across cultures in major marketplaces such as Basel, Berlin, Seoul, and New York City, serving a variety of sectors.  Cherin is passionate about providing marketing solutions to business challenges, and her educational background from leading schools has enabled her to expand her knowledge of ever-changing business environments and markets continuously.

Anca del Río joined Basel Area Business & Innovation in 2022.

She is a thought leader in global health and innovation governance with a passion for multi-stakeholder engagement and digital capacity building. Anca holds an international Masters of Science in Public Health and Healthcare Management (MSPH) and is pursuing a doctoral degree (DrPH) in the same field; Furthermore she completed the joint EIT Health Stanford Biodesign Fellowship in need-led innovation with the University of Oxford and IESE Business School, and holds several certifications in Health Systems Innovation, Health Economics and Strategy from the Harvard Business School and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.

Throughout her global career across Europe, the US and Australia, Anca wore several executive, strategic, and operational hats in organisations such as the EIT – European Institute of Innovation and Technology and its Alumni Community, EIT Health, Tirol Kliniken, and supported new business ventures in medtech and digital health by validating, developing and scaling up innovation.