Robert Townsend
Berlin,BE
Summary
Results-driven senior leader with over 25 years of international experience in marketing & sales, alliance management, strategic planning, and business development across the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Distinguished by a depth and breadth of leadership experience, consistently delivering exceptional results in diverse cultural and regulatory landscapes. Multilingual and adaptable approach excelling in navigating complex environments to drive growth and exceed organizational goals.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
Work History
Alliance Manager, International (Regional Role)
Alimera Sciences
Germany
03.2024 - Current
- Company Overview: European Leadership Team
- Manage distributor partnerships with five partners responsible for 18 countries in Europe and the Middle East (main markets are France, Spain and Italy), with combined annual sales of ca
- €17 Mn with double-digit growth
- Partnering Leadership – Strengthen relations with Alliance Partners by developing joint plans and through regular communication and joint problem solving to identify win/win situations following a period of increased tension due to Out-of-Stock situation in 2023
- Cross-functional Leadership – Coordinate the Alimera cross-functional team to support the Alliance Partners business
- Strategic Leadership – Developed plan to maximize business over three years by focusing efforts on the markets that will bring us growth, de-emphasizing problem markets (pareto rule)
- European Leadership Team
Sr. Director, Sales, EMEA (Regional Role)
Cerus b.v.
Netherlands / Germany
05.2016 - 12.2018
- Company Overview: European Leadership Team
- Led third most important region for Cerus globally, with annual sales of ca
- €9 Mn
- Managed team of 4 Country Managers (Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia)
- Cross-cultural Leadership – Managed employees and partners across diverse social and religious societies, always trying to find the right way to communicate, and adapting my style accordingly
- Coaching Leadership – Frequent visits to the territories to better understand the customers, show support, to re-emphasize goals, and to provide constructive feedback to my Direct Reports
- Partnering Leadership – Partnered with 15 distributors representing 20 countries throughout the region, always searching for win/win solutions
- Negotiating Leadership – Negotiated contracts for new distributor partners in Russia, Poland, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia
- European Leadership Team
Sr. Director, Business Development (Regional Role)
Cerus b.v.
Netherlands / Germany
05.2016 - 12.2018
- Company Overview: European Leadership Team
- Led Business Development project to develop lyophilized plasma together with Blood Bank in Graz, Austria
- Project stop after meeting with Austrian regulatory authorities (AGES) who said clinical trials would be required in order to gain regulatory approval (which the company was unwilling to fund)
- Partnering Leadership -Partnered with a leading blood banking professor in the Graz Blood Bank on project
- European Leadership Team
Manager Business Operations (MBO), Russia / CIS (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
Germany
05.2011 - 04.2015
- Responsible for Managing Rep Offices in Belarus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Uzbekistan
- Served as Business Advisor to Regional Head for all countries in the region including Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan
- Business Acumen Leadership – Conducted Quarterly Business Reviews (QBR) in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the 5 Rep Offices to ensure business remained on track
- Regional Specialist Leadership – Extensive experience living and working in the region allowed for quick assessment of what is possible and what not, where pitfalls were, etc
- Developed and implemented scenario planning exercise to map out possible future paths for the business in Kazakhstan
- Later I conducted this exercise in Turkey
- Strategic Leadership – Developed Russia strategy together with McKinsey and Russian General Manager and BU Heads
- Implementing simple strategies for smaller countries
- Business Development Leadership – Served on the core team for a project to make AVELOX in Yekaterinburg region of Russia, as part of Russia’s PHARMA 2020 project to make more pharmaceuticals in Russia
- Ethical Business Leadership – Developed and implemented a compliance program in all of the Rep Offices partnering with compliance officers in Moscow who had regional responsibility
- Result: The rep offices all received “red” grades from corporate audit just prior to my joining
- During my time, we regained trust and had zero compliance issues
Country Manager / Managing Director Germany (Country Role)
Alimera Sciences
Germany
05.2019 - 02.2014
- Company Overview: European Leadership Team
- Led most important market for Alimera in Europe, with annual sales of ca
- €10 Mn
- Managed cross-functional team of 22 employees
- Launch Leadership – Led cross-functional team to successful launch of ILUVIEN in uveitis indication in Germany, leading to record sales in 2019 and 2020
- Negotiation Leadership – e.g
- Negotiated “Betriebsvereinbarungen” with Works Council
- COVID Leadership – e.g
- Implemented remote call measures and restructured the P&L to adapt to the restrictions of the COVID time in order to ensure bottom line delivery
- Austerity Leadership – e.g
- Downsized the business to an affordable level as Alimera globally was facing financial challenges
- Managed to grow the business despite 20% lower OPEX
- Transition Leadership – e.g
- Ensured a smooth hand-over to my successor
- An example is handing over Market Access relationship and projects
- European Leadership Team
Commercial Excellence, Europe (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
Germany
05.2010 - 04.2011
- Dotted line management of 4 employees
- Responsible for developing and implementing program for Bayer Europe focusing on Marketing Excellence (incl
- Digital Marketing), Sales Excellence
- Cross-functional Leadership – Most programs were in good shape when I joined, but were implemented in silos, therefore diminishing their effectiveness
- I encouraged and facilitated integration, e.g
- Integrating Digital Marketing into Marketing
- Held a Digital Excellence conference to further encourage the sharing of ideas across markets
Marketing Head, General Medicine, EMEA (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
Germany
05.2009 - 04.2010
- Managed four Direct Reports in addition to dotted line management of Marketing Managers for the Business Unit General Medicine in the EMEA region
- Cross-functional Leadership -
- Launch Leadership – Launched Xarelto in the SPAF indication, setting the product on the way to become the most important product in the region
- Lifeycle Management Leadership – Developed and implemented program “Make the Most of Ventavis” in the region as part of a campaign to re-engage in the Pulmonary Artillery Hypertension space in preparation for the launch of ADEMPAS
Marketing Head, Hematology / Cardiology, EMEA (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
Germany
03.2007 - 04.2009
- Managed one Direct Report and dotted line management of Marketing Managers for H/C BU in the EMEA region
- Integration Leadership – Introduced Kogenate and Xarelto to the EMEA leadership team and Country Managers; Assisted with hiring of product managers in the region; ran trainings and business reviews
- Launch Leadership – Launched Kogenate in the region, developing it into the number 3 product in the region in 2 years
- Launched Xarelto in the Orthopedic Surgery indication for the prevention of Venal Thromboembolism (VTE)
- Cross-functional Leadership – led launch team for both Kogenate and Xarelto in the region, ensuring successful launches in the markets
- Cross-cultural Leadership – Made many visits to the countries to ensure launch preparedness and success
- Conducted regular business reviews in the larger markets
- Held regional marketing meetings to ensure alignment and exchange best practice
Business Development Manager, Biological Products
Bayer Pharma AG
Germany
10.2005 - 03.2007
Corporate Strategic Planning Manager
Bayer Pharma AG
Germany
08.2002 - 09.2005
Assistant to the County Division Head, Pharmaceuticals
Bayer Pharma AG
United States
06.2001 - 07.2002
Strategic Planning Manager, Diagnostics
Bayer Pharma AG
United States
04.1999 - 05.2001
Marketing & Sales Manager, Diagnostics & Diabetes Care
Bayer Pharma AG
Russia
04.1996 - 03.1999
Captain Intelligence Officer
United States Air Force
South Korea; Germany
12.1988 - 12.1992
Education
MBA -
University of Pennsylvania / Wharton School
Philadelphia, USA06-1995
Master of Arts - German& Russian
University of Pennsylvania / Lauder Institute
Philadelphia, USA06-1995
Bachelor of Arts - German Studies
Stanford University
Palo Alto, USA06-1988
Skills
- Partnership development
- Influencing skills
- Stakeholder management
Relationship management
Team leadership
Critical thinking
Customer relationships
Strategic planning
Team collaboration
Adaptability and flexibility
English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Russian
Fluent
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
German
Advanced (C1)
Spanish
Advanced (C1)
Russian
Upper intermediate (B2)
Dutch
Upper intermediate (B2)
Timeline
Alliance Manager, International (Regional Role)
Alimera Sciences
03.2024 - Current
Country Manager / Managing Director Germany (Country Role)
Alimera Sciences
05.2019 - 02.2014
Sr. Director, Sales, EMEA (Regional Role)
Cerus b.v.
05.2016 - 12.2018
Sr. Director, Business Development (Regional Role)
Cerus b.v.
05.2016 - 12.2018
Manager Business Operations (MBO), Russia / CIS (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
05.2011 - 04.2015
Commercial Excellence, Europe (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
05.2010 - 04.2011
Marketing Head, General Medicine, EMEA (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
05.2009 - 04.2010
Marketing Head, Hematology / Cardiology, EMEA (Regional Role)
Bayer Pharma AG
03.2007 - 04.2009
Business Development Manager, Biological Products
Bayer Pharma AG
10.2005 - 03.2007
Corporate Strategic Planning Manager
Bayer Pharma AG
08.2002 - 09.2005
Assistant to the County Division Head, Pharmaceuticals
Bayer Pharma AG
06.2001 - 07.2002
Strategic Planning Manager, Diagnostics
Bayer Pharma AG
04.1999 - 05.2001
Marketing & Sales Manager, Diagnostics & Diabetes Care
Bayer Pharma AG
04.1996 - 03.1999
Captain Intelligence Officer
United States Air Force
12.1988 - 12.1992
MBA -
University of Pennsylvania / Wharton School
Master of Arts - German& Russian
University of Pennsylvania / Lauder Institute
Bachelor of Arts - German Studies
Stanford University
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