My career began in academic research and has moved progressively toward the strategic and organisational level — through program management, digital transformation, and knowledge strategy and -management at global scale. The scientific background has remained relevant throughout, particularly in environments where decisions need to be grounded in evidence and where complexity cannot be managed by simplifying it away.
2024 – present · Director, Head of Collective Knowledge · Takeda · Vienna
The gap between what an organisation collectively knows and what its people can reliably access is among the most consistently underestimated sources of operational friction — and strategic risk.
This role centres on closing that gap: building structured approaches to make organisational knowledge findable, governed, and reusable; developing and scaling knowledge and data products, including semantic and AI-supported interfaces; and establishing the conditions for data-informed decision-making to become embedded in daily practice.
Leading a global team of 20+ members. Managing significant annual budgets. Representing the organisation externally through conference speaking and industry engagement.
2019 – 2024 · Head, Pharmaceutical Sciences Digital Transformation · Takeda · Vienna
Digital transformation in a regulated pharmaceutical environment presents a distinct set of constraints. Technical capability is necessary but not sufficient — feasibility must be evaluated alongside regulatory requirements, operational fit, and the organisational conditions required for sustained adoption.
In this role I led digital transformation across the pharmaceutical sciences organisation. I built and operated a digital lab — a structured environment for evaluating emerging technologies and translating selected use cases toward operational readiness. I ran structured proof-of-concept and pilot programmes, assessed feasibility and fit, and designed the path from innovation to scale.
The central insight from this period: technical feasibility is rarely the binding constraint. Organisational readiness — the capacity and willingness of people and systems to absorb change — consistently is.
2016 – 2019 · CMC Program Manager · Takeda · Vienna
Led global cross-functional product teams through the drug development lifecycle — from preclinical through to commercial — across hematology, oncology, and gene therapy programs. Translated product strategy into team goals and milestones. Operated across matrix organisations spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
This role developed a set of capabilities that have remained foundational: leading without direct authority, aligning stakeholders across cultures and time zones, and maintaining program coherence under conditions of significant ambiguity.
2014 – 2016 · Project Manager · Octapharma · Vienna
Led strategic projects for the plant manager at a Vienna-based plasma fractionation facility. Designed a tailored tailored manufacturing planning and execution system. Introduced PMO methodology at site level.
2014 · Postdoctoral Research Fellow · Norwegian University of Life Sciences · Ås
Research in enzyme technology, protein engineering, and carbohydrate chemistry. Supervised MSc and BSc students.
2010 – 2013 · PhD Researcher · Graz University of Technology · Graz
Doctoral research in enzyme technology and biocatalysis. Seven first-author publications, three co-author publications, one patent. Graduation with distinction.
Education
| PhD, Technical Sciences | Graz University of Technology · 2013 · Distinction |
| MSc, Biotechnology | Graz University of Technology · 2010 · Distinction |
| DI(FH), Med. & Pharm. Biotechnology | IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems · 2009 · Distinction |