This exec sold his start-up to big pharma. Now he has a bigger goal

by · Australian Financial Review

Sally PattenBOSS editor
Apr 9, 2026 – 5.00am

Manny Simons, the managing director of pharmaceuticals behemoth Eli Lilly in Australia and New Zealand, is something of a polymath.

He has an undergraduate degree in neuroscience and music from Harvard University and a PhD in biomedical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He plays the piano, trumpet and guitar, sings early classical music and founded a start-up that he sold in 2022 to his current employer.

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Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London. Connect with Sally on Twitter. Email Sally at spatten@afr.com

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