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John F. Crowley
Biotech Entrepreneur & Subject of Extraordinary Measures
John F. Crowley
Biotech Entrepreneur & Subject of Extraordinary Measures
Biography
John F. Crowley is the President and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the world’s largest biotechnology advocacy organization. Crowley, a longtime BIO board member, was most recently the Founder and Executive Chairman of Amicus Therapeutics, a global biotechnology company focusing on developing treatments for rare genetic diseases. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Amicus from 2005 to 2022.
John’s decades of biotech experience and deep passion for the field have made him a strong supporter of policies that empower innovation, enable entrepreneurship, and put people and patients first. His involvement with biotechnology stems from the 1998 diagnosis of two of his children with Pompe disease—a severe and often fatal neuromuscular disorder. In his drive to find a cure for them, John left his position at Bristol Myers Squibb and became an entrepreneur as the Co-founder, President and CEO of Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, a biotech start-up conducting research on a new experimental treatment for Pompe disease (which he credits as ultimately saving his children’s lives). In 2001, Novazyme was acquired by Genzyme Corporation, where John continued to play a lead role in the development of a drug for Pompe disease as Senior Vice President, Genzyme Therapeutics.
John and his family have been profiled numerous times on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and are the subjects of a book by Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Geeta Anand, The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million-And Bucked the Medical Establishment-In a Quest to Save His Children. The 2010 major motion picture, Extraordinary Measures, starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford and Keri Russell, is inspired by the Crowley family journey. John is the author of a personal memoir, Chasing Miracles: The Crowley Family Journey of Strength, Hope, and Joy.
John served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2005-2016. He is a veteran of the global war on terrorism, with service in Afghanistan. His assignments included service with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). John attended the U.S. Naval Academy and went on to earn a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
The Crowley family was the recipient of the 2011 Family Exemplar Award from the University of Notre Dame. He is also a member of the University Council on Science & Technology at Notre Dame and serves on the Board of Directors of the United States Naval Academy Foundation. He is the former National Chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and served on the board of BioNJ. John is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws Degree (Honoris Causa) from the University of Notre Dame, where he delivered the commencement address to the Class of 2020. In 2023, he was inducted as a member of the Horatio Alger Association.
Speaker Videos
Neuman College Commencement Speech
Amicus Therapeutics
Megan Crowley at Presidential Address to Congress
Speech Topics
Risk & Innovation: Reflections on Drug Research
In this thought provoking keynote, inspirational entrepreneur John Crowley explores the coming age of biotech and the vital roles of new technologies through reflecting on his own incredible journey toward finding a treatment for Pompe disease. Upon discovering that his two young children could die from this rare condition that was once deemed incurable, Crowley left a secure job, risked financial stability and put everything on the line to become a key player in the development of a life-saving enzyme replacement therapy.
Provoked by slow-moving research and driven by an undying devotion to save the lives of his children, Crowley challenged standard scientific practices, implemented the use of new technologies and successfully led innovation and strategy at Novazyme toward creating a groundbreaking treatment.
Sharing the importance of taking risks, challenging standard thought practices and the significant role emerging nanotechnologies play in science today, Crowley imparts an informed message of hope for future advances in science and explores the vital role such advances will play in extending and enhancing human life.
Chasing Miracles: When Drug Research Is Personal
Told there was no cure that could save his children from Pompe and frustrated with slow-moving research on the disease, Crowley took control of the situation. He traveled the world over, competing against time as well as business, medical and scientific establishments that were slow to move and even slower to accept his hard-charging determination. Left with no other option, he helped to co-found Novazyme Pharmaceuticals to focus exclusively on developing a treatment for Pompe. In less than a year, the company went from $1 million in angel financing to $27 million in venture capital financing and was then acquired for nearly $200 million by Genzyme Corporation.
In this motivating presentation, Crowley explains how he pulled together a diverse team of researchers and investors, convinced them to buy into his vision and ultimately led a company toward success in the face of doubt – all while overcoming obstacles, meeting conflicts head-on and maintaining employee morale along the way.
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