About the Role
The Head of Corporate Affairs role within the EUCAN region is responsible for Communications, Public Affairs, Patient Advocacy, and Sustainability. This position plays a crucial role in engaging and aligning the corporate strategy with both external and internal environments to address key challenges and opportunities. The Head of Corporate Affairs is tasked with driving the strategic imperatives of External Leadership and Sustainable Partnerships, shaping the environment for innovation, growth, and competitiveness, and empowering agile and capable Corporate Affairs functions. All efforts must align with the broader EUCAN Strategy Framework, with a focus on Patients, People, and the Planet.
Leading with excellence today to shape tomorrow, this role ensures that all activities are anchored in Takeda’s overarching Purpose, Vision, Values (Patient-Trust-Reputation-Business), Imperatives, and strategic objectives. By fostering a culture of collaboration, skill enhancement, and showcasing success, the Head of Corporate Affairs will contribute to Takeda’s mission of bringing innovative medicines to patients around the world.
Corporate Affairs will strengthen Takeda’s position as a trusted, values-driven leader in creating sustainable policies and health systems that benefit patients, stakeholders, the planet, and the business. This role will leverage sustainable partnerships to enhance healthcare systems, benefit patients, and demonstrate Takeda’s 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, supporting Takeda’s innovation and market readiness.
- Champion cross-functional collaboration between Global, GPD, and EUCAN teams to maximize impact and organizational cohesion.
- Partnerships:
- Build and maintain empowering, long-term partnerships that enhance Takeda’s position in strategically focused therapeutic areas.
- Augment Takeda’s external leadership through sustainable partnerships that benefit patients, healthcare systems, and 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, instilling confidence in Takeda’s strategic direction.
- Enhance employee engagement by inspiring internal and external stakeholders with the strength of Takeda’s pipeline and long-term commitment to transformative healthcare.
- Capabilities:
- Build future-ready capabilities by fostering collaboration, innovation, and agility across teams.
- Promote operational excellence through scalable content reuse, co-creation, and shared knowledge.
- Drive the Corporate Affairs pathway initiative to enhance skills across communications, public affairs, patient advocacy, and sustainability.
- Embed collaboration and efficiency by focusing on co-creation, content re-use, and scaling across therapeutic areas and key brands.
- Communications:
- Advance executive thought leadership, positioning Takeda’s EUCAN leaders as influential voices in key platforms and audiences.
- Oversee strategic product communications to align with policy, reputation, and patient access objectives for upcoming launches.
- Provide expert crisis management leadership to navigate complex situations while protecting and enhancing corporate reputation.
- Cultivate purpose-driven narratives that inspire confidence in Takeda’s pipeline, strategic vision, and long-term value.
- Manage and amplify EUCAN President communications to ensure strategic alignment and foster trust among stakeholders.
- Sustainability:
- Drive a common understanding of sustainability across EUCAN, aligning Takeda’s global commitments with regionally relevant actions.
- Embed sustainability principles in business operations, decision-making, and value-creation strategies for long-term impact.
- Connect environments with consistent and authentic storytelling about sustainability, reflecting Takeda’s actions and ambitions.
- Equip teams with clear messaging and compelling proof points to confidently engage various stakeholders on Takeda’s sustainability commitments.
- Public Affairs:
- Champion Takeda’s leadership in shaping the EU Competitiveness and Innovation Agendas by engaging with EFPIA.
- Provide strategic support to EUCAN leaders participating in EFPIA to maximize Takeda’s influence in key forums.
- Lead the Corporate Affairs partnership agenda to strengthen Takeda’s voice and value proposition in public policy.
- Advocate for policy changes that support Takeda’s business priorities and ensure an environment fostering innovation.
- Maintain strong relationships with policymakers and stakeholders to ensure Takeda’s perspectives are reflected in relevant discussions.
- Patient Advocacy:
- Drive the Therapeutic Policy & Patient Advocacy programs to support Takeda’s leadership in therapy areas.
- Strengthen relationships with European patient organizations to ensure a patient-centric approach to EUCAN decisions.
Expected Skills
- University degree, preferably 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 with multicultural exposure.
- Strong communicator capable of navigating complex external and internal landscapes while remaining calm under pressure.
- Collaborative mindset to drive impact through effective stakeholder engagement.
- Strategic mindset with the ability to envision a compelling future for the organization.
- High integrity, resilience, and adaptability, upholding Takeda values of integrity and transparency.
- Experience and connections in external affairs, particularly with trade associations and European pharma bodies.
- Strong focus on technology, including the use of AI and data to inform strategies and decisions.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.