About the Role
The Head of Corporate Affairs role within the EUCAN region is pivotal in driving communications, public affairs, patient advocacy, and sustainability. This position plays a crucial role in engaging and aligning corporate strategy with both external and internal operating environments to address key challenges and opportunities. Responsibilities include steering strategic imperatives for external leadership and sustainable partnerships, shaping the environment for innovation, growth, and competitiveness, and empowering agile corporate affairs functions, all in alignment with the broader EUCAN Strategy Framework focused on patients, people, and the planet.
The Head of Corporate Affairs will lead today to shape tomorrow, ensuring that all activities resonate with Takeda’s overarching purpose, vision, values (Patient-Trust-Reputation-Business), imperatives, and strategic objectives. This role will cultivate a culture of collaboration, skill enhancement, and recognition of success, contributing to Takeda’s mission of delivering innovative medicines to patients globally.
Corporate Affairs will fortify Takeda’s position as a trusted, values-based leader, advocating for sustainable policies and health systems that benefit patients, stakeholders, the planet, and the business. This role will leverage sustainable partnerships to enhance healthcare systems and highlight Takeda’s commitment to environmental leadership.
How You Will Contribute
- Strategic Leadership:
- Provide visionary leadership to the Corporate Affairs team, aligning initiatives with Takeda’s Global, GPD, and EUCAN Strategy Framework.
- Lead efforts to shape the external environment and drive the EU competitiveness agenda in support of Takeda’s innovation and market readiness.
- Champion strategic cross-functional collaboration between Global, GPD, and EUCAN teams to maximize impact and enhance organizational cohesion.
- Partnerships:
- Build and maintain empowering, long-term partnerships that strengthen Takeda’s standing in strategically targeted therapeutic areas.
- Enhance Takeda’s external leadership by forging sustainable partnerships that benefit patients, healthcare systems, and the business.
- Corporate Reputation:
- Elevate Takeda’s corporate reputation by positioning it as a global thought leader in innovation, digital health, and sustainability.
- Drive executive visibility and thought leadership to influence key stakeholders.
- Enhance employee engagement by showcasing Takeda’s pipeline and long-term commitment to transformative healthcare.
- Capabilities:
- Build future-ready capabilities by promoting a culture of collaboration, innovation, and agility across teams.
- Drive operational excellence through scalable content reuse, co-creation, and shared knowledge.
- Empower teams to amplify their impact across therapeutic areas and brands.
- Foster a mindset centered on collaboration, innovation, and efficiency.
- Communications:
- Advance executive thought leadership by positioning Takeda’s EUCAN leaders as influential voices both internally and externally.
- Oversee strategic product communications to prepare the external environment for upcoming launches.
- Provide expert leadership in issues and crisis management to protect and enhance corporate reputation.
- Strengthen internal communications and employee engagement through purpose-driven narratives.
- Sustainability:
- Drive clarity on Takeda’s global sustainability commitments and translate them into regionally relevant actions.
- Embed sustainability principles in EUCAN’s business operations to ensure long-term impact.
- Connect internal and external environments through consistent storytelling about sustainability.
- Public Affairs:
- Engage with EFPIA to shape the EU competitiveness and innovation agenda.
- Provide strategic support to senior EUCAN leaders participating in relevant forums.
- Lead the Corporate Affairs partnership agenda to strengthen Takeda’s voice and value proposition.
- Patient Advocacy:
- Drive Therapeutic Policy & Patient Advocacy programs for best-in-class launches.
- Strengthen relationships with key European patient organizations for a patient-centric approach in EUCAN decisions.
Expected Skills
- University degree, preferably with a graduate degree.
- 15+ years of pharmaceutical experience focused on public policy, communications, and patient advocacy.
- Significant leadership experience, including managing teams across multiple countries.
- Strong communicator capable of navigating complex internal and external landscapes under pressure.
- Collaborative mindset to drive impact through stakeholders.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to visualize a compelling future for the organization.
- High level of integrity, resilience, and adaptability, upholding the Takeda value of integrity.
- Experience and connections in external affairs, especially with key trade associations and European pharma bodies.
- Strong focus on technology, including the use of AI and data to inform strategies and decisions.
To express your interest in this role, apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.