Zug Pharma Group
A Community of sociable, Zug-based, Pharma folk
Our story
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The Zug Pharma Group started in August 2021 with a chance meeting. Marc and Karen, who had worked together at Shire, bumped into each other and started catching up, not just on their own journeys, but on what had happened to former colleagues along the way. They quickly realised that while many people had moved on to new roles, lots of them were still living and working around Zug. That got them thinking: why not create a sociable, local community for pharma people? Something simple to start with — a WhatsApp group and a regular meet-up — and see if it could grow into something lasting.
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What started with just 10 people quickly took off. Today, the community has grown to over 1,700 members in more than 40 WhatsApp subgroups, buzzing with conversations, connections and shared interests. Members come from all corners of the life sciences world: big, midsize and small pharma companies; biotech and start-ups; medtech; diagnostics; digital health; lab instruments; consumer health; service providers; academia; and healthcare. About a third of the group work at well-known companies like Takeda, Biogen, Roche, Novartis, SHL, Galderma, AstraZeneca, GSK and Novocure. And it’s not just about the companies, the community brings together people at every level, from freelancers and individual contributors to senior leaders, SVPs and CEOs.
In 2025 the Zug Pharma Group, now officially a Verein, kept people connected through monthly gatherings, content-led sessions and the first annual Zug Life Science Summit, helping the community grow even stronger and more welcoming.
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Our Mission
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The Zug Pharma Group's Mission is to build a vibrant community of Zug based life science professionals.
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We aim to do this by focusing on 3 distinct pillars:
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Create community - finding ways to engage and introduce people and finding common ground. The group intentionally covers both personal and professional opportunities to share, support and collaborate
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Support the development of Zug as a hub for life sciences. The group partners with the Canton of Zug and seeks to create opportunities to develop capability and understanding and enable others to recognise the expertise and talent that is here.
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As a community we are looking to engage and support the broader community and have chosen to do this by supporting schools to educate and inspire school children on life sciences.
Become a member
The Zug Pharma Group is open to anyone working in, or connected to, the life sciences. If you’re in pharma, biotech, medtech, consumer healthcare or a related field, and you live or work in Zug or the surrounding area, you’re very welcome to join.
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Signing up is easy. Just complete the membership form using the "Join us" button. You’ll be brought into the community, added to the whatsapp and Linkedin groups and stay in the loop.
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All of our events are open to everyone, members and non-members alike. Being a member simply means you hear about things first, get early access to registrations and stay more closely connected to what’s happening across the community.
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As a member, you’ll be able to:
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Join our WhatsApp community, with more than 40 subgroups covering everything from roles and topics to shared interests
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Be part of our private LinkedIn group, bringing together over 1,700 people from the local life-sciences world
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Get access to exclusive summaries and insights from talks and content-led events
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Receive early information about upcoming events and priority access to register before details are shared publicly
Whether you’re new to the area or have been around the Zug life-sciences scene for years, becoming a member is a great way to meet people, share experiences and feel part of a friendly, growing community.
Support the community as volunteer
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The Zug Pharma Group is run by the community, for the community.
Everything we do relies on members who volunteer their time, energy and ideas to help things happen.
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Volunteering doesn’t have to mean a big or long-term commitment, unless you want it to. There are lots of ways to get involved, depending on your interests, skills and availability.
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Volunteer opportunities include:​
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On-site support at events and gatherings
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Event planning and organisation
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Driving engagement and activity within WhatsApp subgroups
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Helping manage content sessions and community communications
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Supporting the Zug Life Science Summit
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Getting involved in school and education initiatives
Volunteering is a great way to meet people, build stronger connections and be part of what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s also a chance to develop new skills, contribute your ideas and help shape the future of the community.Most importantly, volunteers help keep the Zug Pharma Group open, welcoming and sustainable.
If you enjoy being part of the community and would like to get more involved, we’d love to hear from you. Complete the form using the "become a volunteer" button.