March 2016 – July 2025
Dir. Strategic Business Partner & Business Relation Manager for Global Franchises – Novartis Pharma AG - Basel
Basel - Switzerland
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Over nearly a decade at Novartis, held progressively senior roles within Global Commercial IT, acting as a strategic business partner to global franchise leadership across multiple therapeutic areas. Responsible for aligning business priorities with digital and technology capabilities to deliver scalable solutions supporting commercial strategy, product launches, patient engagement and omnichannel customer experience.
Served as the primary IT interface and trusted advisor for global business stakeholders, the escalation point for the business initiatives, translating strategic objectives into technology roadmaps, digital initiatives and operational programs that maximize the value of enterprise technology investments. Managed portfolios supporting global brands, ensuring alignment between commercial priorities and enterprise IT strategy. Able to anticipate strategic and operational customer needs and translate them into effective and improved processes with technical solutions by coordinating internal Novartis as well as external resources and service providers.
Worked in close collaboration with global brand teams, regional affiliates, Digital Centers of Excellence and cross-functional IT teams to deliver innovative digital capabilities including omnichannel engagement platforms, analytics solutions, digital engagement tools and customer-facing applications.
Led global programs with full end-to-end accountability from strategic planning and requirements definition through implementation, rollout and operational support across affiliates. Ensured that solutions were scalable and adaptable for local markets while maintaining compliance with enterprise governance standards including cybersecurity, legal, privacy and regulatory requirements.
Built strong relationships with senior stakeholders across business and IT organizations through regular engagement with franchise leadership and participation in global strategy discussions. Provided strategic consulting and advisory services helping business teams identify opportunities where technology and digital innovation could enhance commercial performance and customer engagement.
Key achievements
• Recipient of the 2017 Novartis Global Achievement Award (Diversity & Inclusion) for the development of the Hello App, a mobile application designed to help blind and visually impaired patients recognize people around them, reducing social isolation and improving accessibility.
• Successfully delivered global digital programs supporting customer engagement and commercial strategy across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Successfully led over ~20-30 programs and projects yearly with end-to-end accountability, localizable for CPOs, and proactively supported Business and our IT peers in the CoE.
• Served as a fully integrated strategic partner and single point of contact (SPOC) between global business franchises and Commercial IT and developed strong understanding of global franchise strategies and account plans, enabling proactive alignment between business priorities and technology solutions. (Increasing level of business and interactions).
• Supported global brand teams in developing digital engagement brand strategie playbooks for countries implementation, including support for the Beovu omnichannel strategy.
• Led the Launch Navigator initiative, a digital planning and coordination tool designed to support global product launch readiness across 11 CPO programs, including vendor evaluation, UX reviews, KPI definition and roadmap development.
• Led vendor and contract lifecycle management for global digital programs including RFP preparation, vendor selection, due diligence and governance in collaboration with Procurement, Legal, Compliance and Finance teams.
Key responsibilities
Strategic Business Partnering
Acted as the primary point of contact between global commercial franchises and IT organizations to ensure alignment between business strategy and digital capabilities.
• Represented IT as the single point of contact for designated business areas, supporting technology strategy development and portfolio planning.
• Developed strong relationships with global brand leadership through participation in business management meetings and strategic planning sessions.
• Provided strategic consulting to business teams on digital innovation opportunities and technology investments.
• Contributed to franchise planning cycles including digital strategy definition and budget alignment.
Portfolio & Demand Management
Oversaw the intake, evaluation and prioritization of business technology initiatives to maximize the value of IT investments.
• Managed demand management processes translating business requirements into structured digital initiatives.
• Proactively evaluated feasibility and impact of potential projects in collaboration with the Digital and Commercial Solutions teams.
• Oversaw portfolio prioritization based on business value, financial considerations and strategic alignment.
• Supported development of business cases and investment proposals for digital initiatives.
Digital Solution Design & Program Delivery
Led solution visioning and implementation of digital initiatives supporting commercial strategy and customer engagement.
• Translated business needs into technology solutions leveraging enterprise platforms and digital capabilities.
• Facilitated solution design workshops and requirement gathering sessions with cross-functional teams.
• Coordinated internal and external resources including IT teams, vendors and digital agencies to deliver solutions.
• Ensured projects were delivered with end-to-end accountability including planning, implementation and operational transition.
• Ensured digital platforms were scalable and localizable for global affiliates and CPO programs.
Innovation & Digital Transformation
Supported innovation and continuous improvement of digital capabilities across commercial organizations.
• Identified opportunities to enhance digital engagement through emerging technologies and new service models.
• Collaborated with Digital Centers of Excellence to integrate analytics, mobility and engagement capabilities.
• Encouraged adoption of innovative digital approaches supporting patient engagement and healthcare professional interaction.
Governance & Cross-Functional Alignment
Ensured digital initiatives complied with enterprise governance frameworks and operational processes.
• Coordinated with Legal, Compliance, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity teams to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Worked closely with Commercial IT and enterprise architecture teams to align solutions with existing technology ecosystems.
• Served as escalation point for digital initiatives requiring additional strategic or operational support.