Raptor
Raptor was a U.S. based bioscience pharmaceutical start-up company specialized in rare diseases.
EMEA operations started end 2013. Early 2014 I started to expand the organization to 15 FTE’s.
As a senior HR professional, I was responsible to provide for an effective and collaborative HR strategy and services to the EMEA region.
Assessing and establishing workforce needs and requirements, including staffing, organizational development, talent management, performance management and change management and executing against those requirements.
I implemented good people management practices, efficient customer services support, consulting and coaching to the EMEA functional heads.
Key achievements
- Restructured and redesigned the initial organizational structure and staffing.
- Built a high performing EMEA multi-cultural and cross-functional Management Team.
- Built a lean and mean organizational structure to support our business opportunities in EMEA.
- Recruited 45 high calibre employees to enable organizational business growth.
- Implemented performance and talent management programs compliant with global strategy.
- Designed and implemented collective and individual pension arrangements in 9 European countries.
- Set up employee benefit programs and payroll systems in 9 European countries.
- Ensured a high level of employee engagement throughout the EMEA region.
- Designed and implemented a governance model for Raptor Pharmaceuticals B.V. to support our business growth and compliance with regulations.
Horizon Pharma
In October 2016 Raptor was acquired by Horizon Pharma (a US based company).
I was in charge of all HR and IT issues which were impacted by the takeover (retention program, IT standards).
Chiesi Farmaceutici
Early 2017 Horizon decided to sell the EMEA Marketing Authorization rights for the 2 former Raptor products to Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A.
From the start it was evident that there was no interest in the existing organization. As a consequence I was in charge of managing a business closure and having to make 65 employees redundant in the 9 European countries, incorporating local legislation while maintaining a fair “one size fits all” approach.
References
By Justin Ford, Global Human Resources Executive, Revance Therapeutics
Alex was instrumental in providing senior HR and business support to the General Manager of EMEA and interfaced extremely effectively with our commercial leaders in many countries. He served on, and was very effective in building and coalescing the EMEA leadership team into an effective unit and had the respect and credibility of the organization.
Alex was effective in managing employee relations and upskilling the organization by hiring good talent. Alex is very versed at understanding Country specific labor laws, and effectively managed difficult and complex issues across Europe.
By Francoise de Craecker, General Manager EMEA, AveXis
I have worked with Alex from 2014 to 2017, when I was Senior Vice President and General Manager EMEA, starting at Raptor Pharmaceuticals, going through acquisitions by Horizon and then Chiesi.
Alex has been a critical partner in all phases of that amazing experience: reshaping the team, working on teams’ engagement, recruiting talents in several countries for a European launch in 6 months from scratch. He also managed to set up all practicalities in different countries from payroll to offices.
He has always been trustworthy, partnering serenely but with a high level of energy with me and other members of the EMEA management team through up and downs of a start-up.