Jean-François Bitsch

Entrepreneurial Leader | Expert in Business Strategy Activation and Team Development | Connecting Data, Strategy & Partnerships to deliver value across the Medical Ecosystem

Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

About

With over 20 years of experience in private industries, I have honed my skills in leadership, strategic planning, partnerships and operational excellence. My tenure in Top5 pharma industry has equipped me with the ability to manage cross-functional teams, drive business growth, and implement innovative solutions. My passion lies in building bridges between brand positioning, business strategy and operational execution, leveraging alliances and partnerships. I’ve led major programs and teams locally and globally, including exploring the application of Artificial Intelligence to support decision-making. My approach is collaborative, agile, and results-oriented—rooted in a belief that true transformation comes from strategic alignment, strong partnerships, and a shared sense of purpose. 🔹 Core strengths: ✔️ Business Development and Partnership Strategy ✔️ Cross-functional Leadership & Product Launch Excellence ✔️ Innovation & Digital Integration ✔️ Strategic Partnerships (Local Community & Service Providers) ✔️ Operational Excellence in Complex Environments I’m currently open to new opportunities and challenges in new environments, where my core strength and passion for entrepreneurship will be valued.

Experience

  • Head Evidence Generation, Global Medical Affairs at Ipsen
    Nov 2025 - Present · 8 mos

    Accountable to drive Evidence Generation tactics in 40 countries, aligning company strategy with local requirements to launch and successfully position IPSEN' portfolio of products (3 therapeutic areas: Neurosciences, Oncology, and Rare Diseases). Support execution of country evidence tactics (clinical trials, secondary use of data), leveraging internal capabilities and existing datasources in relevant countries. Define and apply governance towards operational efficiency and strategy execution.

  • Strategic Lead Swiss Medical Affairs, External Partnerships at Novartis
    May 2021 - Oct 2025 · 4 yrs 6 mos

    Accountabilities: Portfolio Management, Product launch strategy planning and execution, evidence generation planning and execution, external partnership management, financial planning and execution. Highlights: • Strategic partner to country executive management, to define and execute the Pharmaceutical Products Strategies across disease indications and therapeutic areas • Build new collaborations with external stakeholders, targeting improved patients’ care and disease management

  • Vice President, Strategy & Innovation at Doctor Evidence, LLC
    Feb 2017 - Sep 2019 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    Key accountabilities: Business Development, Keay Account Management, Team leader, Innovative Solutions, Client services, 200+ projects delivered Highlights: • Reporting to CEO, deploy company strategy and business development, drive business development and key account management - Establish long-term partnership with major Pharma company (multi-million USD contract, 200+ projects delivered worldwide), supporting multi-year company sustainability & growth • Responsible for Technology Innovation: Together with Executive Leadership members (CEO, CCO, CTO, CSO, CFO, COO), develop innovative solutions leveraging publicly available data, develop and provide training to end-users, monitor improvement and use of the solutions (SaaS) • Build end-to-end process and joint management governance with major pharma company. Build service model with clients. Manage demand, training, service support and products upgrade, leading to strengthened partnership and increased speed of issue resolution. •Team Leader (with direct reports) to co-create 200+ Clinical / Real World Evidence projects with clients, deliver timely within budget, with high standards quality. Develop internally people expertise in the disease areas in scope for improved accuracy during project lifecycle

  • Global Manager, Strategy & Operations for Novartis Center of Excellence at Novartis
    Apr 2015 - Feb 2017 · 1 yr 11 mos

    Key accountabilities: Strategic Partner in Global Medical Affairs to drive new structure organization and operations. Accountable form budget management, external partners collaboration and deliverables Highlights: • Strategic Partner to the Vice President & Global Head of Real-World Evidence (RWE), ensuring cross-divisional, cross-franchise and cross-functional activation and communication of newly created RWE strategy through clear tactics and coordinated projects • Accountable to manage a portfolio of external partners and service providers: request for proposal, contract negotiation and finalization, implementation of specific governance. • Accountable for accurately drive financial forecasting, planning and tracking performance and deliverables across the organization, managing double digit million USD budget per year, reporting to Chief Finance Officer for Global Medical Affairs. • Accountable to identify project critical pathways and to generate associated risks/mitigation plan, leading to budget optimization (2% savings in 2015, 3% savings in 2016) and to recommendation for appropriate staffing, roles and responsibilities • Support build and activation of a Leadership Team across all functional levels of the organization: Team growth: 3 to 20

  • Novartis (Région de Basel, Suisse)
    • Global Program Manager
      Dec 2012 - Jan 2015 · 2 yrs 2 mos

      • Provides, in collaboration with Global Program Team and Global Brand Team, strategic leadership to the clinical program development • Provides, in collaboration with Global Program Head operational excellence and productivity improvement for 2 major brands. Achieved 20% budget savings in 2013 • Lead operational tracking throughout the product development lifecycle and product development value chain (Budget, Supply chain, Clinical development, Regulatory, Legal) • Accountable for accurate financial forecasting, planning and tracking • Accountable for identifying, communicating key projects risks and to develop risk management strategies. Leads contingency planning, monitor implementation of risk mitigation strategy at the program level • Develop Clinical Development Plans and supported submission of new therapeutic indication (EU/US)

    • Global Clinical Trial Leader
      Jul 2008 - Dec 2012 · 4 yrs 6 mos

      Clinical Team Leader (Data Managers, Statisticians, direct reports) from Protocol initiation to final Study Reports (end to end). Responsible for Phase II to Phase IV clinical trials in various Therapeutic Areas: - Trial optimization: Build and implement a new process standard for the clinical data review which has strongly increased data cleaning efficiency, achieving stretch target to perform clinical review in accordance with project priorities (>10000 Data Clarification Forms resolved in 2 months). This process was then implemented across the organization - Responsible to drive Clinical Study Teams towards efficiency in delivering high standard clinical studies, put particular emphasis on the study monitoring, vendor management, towards high quality deliverables - Accountable to write all essential study documentation from Protocol to Clinical Study Report - Accountable for Clinical Trial Budget, managing service providers contract negotiation and finalization - Accountable for trial budget allocation and resource assignment for the Therapeutic Area in 2012 and 2013 - Built effective working relationships between internal and external stakeholders, developed collaboration with Novartis affiliates and Principal Investigators (globally and locally), ensuring deliverables were achieved within timelines, resources and with high quality standards