Claude D. Benchimol, Ph.D.

Senior Executive, Health Care and Life Science Technology
Founder & President, Damol Innovation LLC

Claude D. Benchimol, Ph.D is the President of Damol Innovation LLC, a consulting practice he founded in 2012, focused on technology-based innovation in healthcare (medical devices, pharma & biotech, healthcare IT). Engagements address in a uniquely coordinated approach, a comprehensive array of innovation drivers: product planning, technology differentiation, processes, organization, competencies and culture. Clients span companies from small start-ups to large public Companies ($2B-$28B).

Passionate about innovation, he has a 34 year success history of building, leading and inspiring vibrant global organizations, responsible for the introduction of high impact, complex technology products.

Previously, he was the Senior Vice President, Biological Information Systems at Life Technologies, a $3.6 billion Life Sciences Company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. After joining Invitrogen (now Life Technologies) in September 2003 as the SVP of R&D, he held a number of executive roles, leading the development of biological reagents and instruments like DNA sequencing machines. Under his leadership, the rate of product introductions quadrupled and the top line grew 5x during his tenure. He was one of the key actors in the entrance of the Company into DNA sequencing, which led to the transformative acquisition of Applied Biosystems.

Previously, he served in a variety of executive positions at General Electric Healthcare. From 2001 to 2003, he was Vice-President of Global Technology at GE’s Medical Information Technologies, which grew into a $2 billion enterprise. Prior to this role, he assumed a number of leadership positions in GE in the development of complex diagnostic imaging instruments and innovations, like slip-ring & multi-slice CT Scanners, High Field and open MRI Scanners, Digital Mammography, and Digital Cardiology.

He received a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Télécommunications, Paris, France in 1973, an MS and a PhD in Systems Science from UCLA in 1974 and 1977 respectively.

He is also a member of the French Academy of Technology, serves as a member of the Council of Advisors of the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering, as a member of the Board of Directors of Hyginex, as a member of the Advisory Boards of the US-Israel Science & Technology Foundation, Atigeo, Pharmanest, Bente Hansen, as a Business Advisor in the CONNECT SpringBoard Program and as the Chair of the Long Range Planning Committee of the Board of the San Diego Symphony.