Our team

Dr Claire Blazy Jauzac

CEO

Following a successful career in clinical research at Sanofi, Dr. Claire co-founded CIDP in 2004. She pioneered the Quality Assurance department at CIDP, before being appointed as Head of Clinical Research.

She has played an integral role in the establishment of the legal framework for the conduct of Clinical Trials and GCP-based training programs in Mauritius.

Dr. Claire holds a PhD in Pharmacy (PharmD) and a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Control and Manufacturing from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Toulouse, France.

Having trained at the ESSEC Business School, she has acquired world class leadership and management skills.

Dr. Veronique Newton

Scientific Director

Dr. Veronique joined CIDP in 2007 and since plays an integral role in the set up and development of novel and innovative techniques in the in-vitro field and more recently the ex-vivo field. The ex-vivo model is the first of its kind in the Indian Ocean. It uses human skin explants obtained from surgical waste.

During her work and academic experience, Dr. Veronique has had the opportunity to travel around the world to master different techniques in skin and cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology. She also holds an PhD in Immunology from the the Institut Pasteur in Paris in association with University Pierre and Marie Curie.

Katia Lauthan Derache

Chief Information Officer

Katia is an IT professional with over 15 years of experience in the field of Digital Services, with skills in Strategy and Digital Marketing. She holds a master's degree in Software Engineering from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon, an Executive MBA from HEC Paris and a certificate in Digital Marketing Strategy from INSEAD. She worked for more than 10 years in France within the SOFTEAM group, before returning to Mauritius.

In her current role, Katia will spearhead the digital transformation strategy and the resulting implementation plan to ensure that we take the digital turn we want. CIDP aims to achieve ISO 27001 certification by 2023.

Vandana Mungroo Beechoo

Head of Business Development

Vandana joined CIDP in 2010 as Pharmacist Clinical Trial Manager. She has played a lead role in the development of clinical activities in all affiliates. In 2014, Vandana was appointed as the Managing Director of CIDP India. In her current role, she oversees Business Development and communication cluster for the group. 

Vandana received a B.Pharm from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, India and an Msc Pharmaceutical Technology from King’s college London. She also completed a General Management course from the ESSEC Business School.

Rajini Naidoo Cartier

Head of Quality, Health, Safety & Environment

Rajini is the Group Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Manager for the CIDP Group. She has more than 10 years and has worked as Quality Manager for the food industry and Quality Management Systems' Auditor for a leading international auditing company. She has acquired extensive experience in quality standards such as ISO 9001 and also as a trainer for Quality Management Systems. Rajini is well versed in HACCP for industries.Rajini is currently the Data Protection Officer for CIDP.

Rajini holds a degree as a Food Industry Engineer, from ENSIA Montpellier (France) and a Master’s in Biochemistry from the Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse (France). More recently, she has obtained an LLB (Bachelor in Law) from the University of Mauritius.

Romain Giraud

Chief Financial Officer

Romain joined CIDP in January 2020 as the Chief Financial officer. Having worked as financial administrative manager in France for 6 years and as an auditor in leading firms, Romain gained extensive experience in financial and analytical review. In this current role, Romain oversees the financial analysis and efficient reporting to the Board members.

Romain holds a master’s in accounting and finance from France (Diplome Supérieur de Comptabilité et gestion).

Sabrina Sonea

Managing Director, CIDP Mauritius

Sabrina started her career with De Chazal Du Mee & Co. as Assistant Company Secretary. In May 2007, Sabrina joined CIDP Group as Corporate Manager.

In 2010, she was appointed Group Executive Manager. In parallel, she was nominated as Director within CIDP group. 

Sabrina has over 20 years of working experience in Corporate Management.

In 2018, she was appointed as the Head of Human Resources. Since 2022, Sabrina has been nominated as the Managing Director of CIDP Mauritius and Group Human Resources Manager.

Gabriela Barbulescu

Managing Director, CIDP Romania

Gabriela holds over 15 years of experience in Clinical Research. She joined CIDP Romania in 2011 in the Clinical Operations department and has been managing the Romanian affiliate since 2018.

She graduated as a Biologist from the University of Bucharest and holds a master’s degree in quality assurance, having previous working experience in medical laboratory.

Dr. Alessandro Nascimento

Director of Clinical Operations and Commercial Development, CIDP Brazil

Dr. Alessandro, PharmD, PhD, has a strong expertise in experimental and clinical studies. He is an experienced postdoctoral researcher and has worked in different countries (France/England/USA) in pharmacological studies and drug/vaccine development.

After a successful career at Fiocruz in Rio de Janeiro, considered as one of the main Public Health research institutes, he joined CIDP in 2022.

In his current role, Dr. Alessandro oversees the clinical operations and Business development at CIDP Brazil.

Dr. Annie Jain

Dermatologist/Principal Investigator, CIDP India

Dr. Annie is a post-graduate in Dermatology with over 10 years of experience and specializes in skin, hair and nail disorders, sexually transmitted infections, leprosy, dermato-surgical procedures. She regularly undertakes diverse range of cosmetology procedures such as chemical peeling, cauterization, mesotherapy, PRP, and laser procedures.

Dr. Annie has a strong research background and has led over 200 clinical trials for pharmaceutical, medical device, nutrition, and cosmetic industries.

She has authored various papers & articles on dermatology & venereology and actively participates in various national and international conferences and involved in initiatives for underprivileged members of the society. Dr. Annie was recently awarded the first prize for best poster presentation at Dermacon 2024 in Hyderabad, India.

Dr Gitanjali Petkar

Dermatologist/Principal Investigator, CIDP Mauritius

Dr. Gitanjali, a distinguished Dermatologist and seasoned clinical trials researcher, joined CIDP in 2014. She has served as the Principal Investigator for over 300 dermatological trials, focusing on key dermato-pathologies such as Acne, Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Atopic Dermatitis, and Seborrheic Dermatitis. She has also authored and co-authored many publications in reputed journals in the field of dermatology.

Known for her compassionate approach to patient care, Dr. Gitanjali prioritizes the safety of volunteers and serves as an inspiring mentor for her team.

Recently, she presented cutting-edge research on Psoriasis lesions at the prestigious congress of the European Association of Dermatologists and Venereologists in Berlin.

Dr. Ounisha Mungur

Medical Director, CIDP Mauritius

Dr. Ounisha has over 10 years of experience in clinical research and has contributed as Principal Investigator to clinical trials in a wide range of therapeutic areas: Infectious diseases, Metabolic diseases, Autoimmune diseases, Paediatric studies, Medical devices, Vaccines, etc

She has contributed as co-author in several scientific journals on studies on Hepatitis C and Diabetes Type II in Pediatric population.

Dr. Ounisha holds a medical degree from Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.