When Jan Leschley spoke at Emory 10 years ago, the reporter noted that he “had unquestionable confidence.” As a youth he made his living on the tennis court. A job at Squibb brought his family (a wife and four sons) from Denmark to Princeton in the summer of 1981 — the same summer my family moved to Princeton from Pittsburgh. The four blonde teenage tennis players from Denmark cut quite a swathe.

Leschley got the job of president and CEO of Squibb Corporation and the same job at SmithKlineBeecham. Now he is CEO of the life sciences venture capital firm, Care Capital, which focuses on late stage pharmaceutical companies. He speaks to the Princeton Chamber on Thursday, May 5, at 11:30 a.m. at the Princeton Forrestal Marriott on “Financing Innovation in Life Sciences – Next Steps in the Pharmaceutical Industry.”

The Leschleys are a tennis oriented family who have made a success at being a family. According to the Emory speech, Leschley’s secret for success in that area is to stay married to your high school sweetheart (Lotte) and stay home with your kids on Friday and Saturday nights.

Noted the reporter: “His unquestionable confidence was underscored by a humorous approach to modesty. But then, he appears to have little to be modest about.”