Stephan Benzekri is Principal at PAXAVA Consulting, where he partners with clients to design and apply custom research that informs critical business decisions. With more than 25 years of experience in healthcare market research, Stephan has led engagements across the product lifecycle—from early-stage decisions to launch strategy and post-launch lifecycle management—for pharmaceuticals, therapeutic devices, and platform technologies.
Known for his hands-on approach and commitment to exceptional client service, Stephan brings a versatile research skill set to every engagement. He is a recognized expert in advanced analytics, including choice modeling for clinical trial strategy and forecasting, and segmentation techniques that drive targeting, positioning, and messaging frameworks. His strength lies in aligning the right methods to the business challenge, ensuring insights that are both rigorous and actionable.
Stephan’s therapeutic expertise spans CNS, cardiovascular, metabolic disorders, dermatology, immunology, oncology, and medical devices. He has led studies across North America, Europe, BRIC nations, and emerging markets. Recent engagements include positioning a leading biologic in a crowded category, sizing the global market for a novel diabetes therapy, and assessing innovative IP in smoking cessation for in-licensing—conducted in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania.
An active contributor to industry forums, Stephan has presented on topics such as the application of machine learning to market segmentation and the frequent misuse of MaxDiff® in commercial research.
Prior to founding PAXAVA, Stephan held senior positions at leading boutique firms including NAXION, Knowledge Networks, and V2, and earlier served as an Engagement Manager at IMS Health, where he gained deep experience in secondary data analytics.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering from McGill University and is fluent in French.
Stephan lives in Philadelphia and is the proud father of Paxton and Ava, whose names inspired the name PAXAVA.