SmartSearch
Executive DecisionCard

Julien Genovino

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies|Associate Director, Global Business Development & Strategy|Princeton, New Jersey

Role
Head of Business Development, US Specialty
Search Lead
Jackie Wyard-Yates
Generated
20 February 2026
Scope Match

Genovino presents a compelling scientific profile with exceptional therapeutic area alignment and proven deal capability through a $600M Phase I acquisition, but faces a significant experience gap with only 2-3 years of active deal work versus the 5-10 year target. His role has emphasized supporting rather than leading full transaction execution, raising questions about readiness for the autonomous, senior-level dealmaker mandate STADA requires as their sole US representative without local infrastructure support.

DimensionCandidateRole Requirement
Years of Experience2-3 years of active buy-side deal execution5-10 years of buy-side BD experience
Deal Execution ScopeScientific due diligence and supporting negotiations/commercial evaluationFull end-to-end deal execution capability as independent operator
Therapeutic Area CoverageCNS, nephrology, immunology, rare diseasesNephrology, neurology, oncology, immunology, bone health
Deal Size and StagePreclinical to commercial, regularly Phase II/III, up to $600M-$1B dealsLate-stage post-Phase II assets
Scientific FluencyMedicinal chemistry background, drug discovery at Pfizer/NovartisStrong scientific fluency for technical discussions
Key Criteria Assessment
1

Buying-side business development experience

Genovino has 2-3 years of active buy-side deal experience at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, leading scientific due diligence and supporting negotiations for asset acquisitions. He closed a $600M Phase I monoclonal antibody acquisition in the IL-1 pathway for autoimmune diseases and evaluates deals from preclinical to commercial stage with values ranging up to $1B+. However, his deal sheet shows limited closure track record with one major deal and several projects that did not close.
at Otsuka Pharmaceutical
2

End-to-end deal execution capability

His current role is described as "very much focused on the science" and "supporting negotiations or the commercial evaluation" rather than independently leading full transaction lifecycle. He coordinates with BD, commercial, and transaction teams globally but does not appear to drive deals autonomously from identification through contract execution without dedicated transaction support.
at Otsuka Pharmaceutical
3

US biotech network and relationships

Genovino has established presence in US biotech ecosystem through regular attendance at major partnering conferences (JPM, BIO) and evaluation of US-based opportunities. He is based in Princeton, New Jersey, a key pharma/biotech hub, and has global deal scope with primary US focus. However, his Associate Director title and supporting role may limit senior-level engagement capabilities.
at Otsuka Pharmaceutical
4

Scientific depth and technical fluency

Genovino has exceptional scientific credentials with medicinal chemistry background from drug discovery roles at Pfizer and Novartis in cardiometabolic and oncology. His role explicitly focuses on leading scientific due diligence, and he has worked across multiple modalities including small molecules, monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and radiopharmaceuticals. His therapeutic area experience spans immunology, CNS, nephrology, and rare diseases.
at Pfizer and Novartis, continued at Otsuka
5

Entrepreneurial and independent operator

Genovino demonstrates entrepreneurial mindset through his self-directed career transition from bench science to BD via MBA, startup consulting experience, and building Otsuka's immunology BD strategy from ground zero. He has successfully navigated cultural complexity and remote collaboration with European and Japanese colleagues, stating he is "not worried about working German company" after Japanese company experience.
at Otsuka and previous startup consulting
Compensation & Timeline
Current Package
Not disclosed
Not disclosed
Expectation
Step up from Associate Director level
Not specified
Client Budget
Not mentioned

Flexible on structure; interested in standard package (base + bonus + LTI)

Notice PeriodNot mentioned
Earliest StartNot mentioned
Why Are They Interested?
↑
Career growth opportunity — Seeks to develop his career and progress, viewing opportunities like STADA as vehicles to boost his career in many ways.
↓
Cultural challenges at Japanese company — Faces clear cultural differences including communication issues from language barriers and significantly different risk tolerance between US and Japan colleagues.
Potential Concerns
⚠

Limited deal execution experience with only 2-3 years of active deal work versus role requirement of 5-10 years - candidate self-identified this as potentially 'borderline for the role'

⚠

Current role emphasizes supporting negotiations rather than leading end-to-end transaction execution independently, which may not demonstrate autonomous dealmaker capability required

⚠

Limited deal closure track record with one major deal and several non-closed projects may not constitute strong track record for senior-level engagement

⚠

Associate Director title may create positioning challenges when engaging at CEO/CBO/Head of R&D level as STADA's sole US representative

✦
✦Our Take— Jackie Wyard-Yates

No assessment generated yet.

Add your consultant notes below and click “Generate Our Take” to create a structured assessment.

These notes are private. They are used to generate the professional “Our Take” but are never visible in the client-facing card.