Head of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa)

About the role

Summit Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical oncology company with phase 3 clinical studies in non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer, is looking for an experienced leader to establish and run its European, Middle East and Africa organization. The role covers overall accountability for EMEA strategy, operations, financial performance and launch execution, and works in a pre-commercial biotechnology setting with significant travel.

Key responsibilities

• Build the EMEA expansion strategy with global functional heads, including market prioritization, country entry sequencing, operating model, partnerships and investment plans.
• Own the EMEA P&L, budgets, forecasts and resource allocation, and turn global strategy into regional and country plans with clear milestones.
• Build the EMEA organization from the ground up, recruiting and developing regional functional leaders and country general managers.
• Set up entities, infrastructure, systems, policies and external service providers, and coordinate readiness and execution for launches across medical, regulatory, market access, commercial and supply activities.
• Determine the mix of direct capabilities, distributors, agents and third-party partners, and oversee pricing, reimbursement and market access strategy.
• Ensure compliance with local requirements, company standards and global quality and compliance expectations, and protect the independence of regulatory, safety, quality, medical and compliance personnel.
• Represent the company with healthcare stakeholders, partners and industry organizations.

Required profile

• Advanced degree in business, life sciences, medicine, pharmacy or a related discipline.
• Minimum 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals; oncology experience preferred.
• Proven success establishing a new affiliate, country organization, business unit or regional operation from start to launch or commercialization.
• Meaningful EMEA leadership experience, preferably across several markets, with fluency in English (additional European languages and Arabic preferred).
• Willingness to travel extensively within EMEA and internationally.

Required skills

• Working knowledge of regional health authorities, registration, pricing and reimbursement, tenders, procurement and pharmaceutical compliance.
• Experience leading a cross-functional product launch or major launch-readiness effort; pre-commercial or high-growth biotech experience strongly preferred.
• Experience selecting and managing distributors, agents, vendors and strategic partners.
• Strong financial and analytical capability, including business cases, forecasting, budgeting and resource allocation.
• Ability to build and lead diverse teams within a global matrix.