SmartSearch
Executive DecisionCard

Rama Kataria

Alexion Pharmaceuticals|Associate Director, Business Development|Boston, Massachusetts

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

Rama presents exceptional therapeutic area alignment with direct experience in STADA's core focus areas (nephrology, neurology, bone health) and proven end-to-end BD capability from search through transaction execution. Her expanding China biotech network directly supports STADA's geographic sourcing strategy. The critical question is cultural fit — her emphasis on empowered, collaborative team dynamics may face tension with STADA's remote structure and German-based support model.

DimensionCandidateRole Requirement
Revenue/P&L ScaleAssociate Director level at Alexion (large pharma)Head of BD role targeting $200M to $500M innovative revenue growth
Team SizeIndividual contributor with cross-functional team leadershipSenior individual contributor with German/Swiss team support
Geographic ScopeUS-based with expanding China biotech focusUS/China asset sourcing for European commercialization
Therapeutic AreasNephrology, transplant, neurology, bone health, endocrinologyNephrology, neurology, bone health focus
Deal StagePreclinical through Phase II complete experiencePost-Phase II late-stage assets
Key Criteria Assessment
1

Buying-side business development experience

Rama leads comprehensive buy-side BD activities at Alexion including search and evaluation, cross-functional due diligence, business case development, and CEO-level presentations. She has completed full acquisitions, collaboration agreements with option to acquire, and asset license deals spanning preclinical through Phase II-complete stage assets.
at Alexion Pharmaceuticals
2

End-to-end deal execution capability

She manages complete deal cycles from search through transaction execution, drafting non-binding term sheets, leading negotiations, and completing deal cycles. Demonstrated independent capability by identifying a newly characterized disease opportunity, educating leadership, conducting directional forecasts herself, and presenting to CEO without internal research or clinical champions.
at Alexion Pharmaceuticals
3

US biotech network and relationships

Boston-based with established networks in the VC community and contacts in China's business development community. Has worked at Alexion and Vertex in the heart of Boston's biotech ecosystem. Increasing focus on Chinese companies due to heating biotech activity in Asia Pacific region.
at Alexion Pharmaceuticals and broader Boston ecosystem
4

Scientific depth and technical fluency

PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology, postdoctoral research at NIH and Harvard Medical School, plus MBA from MIT. Demonstrates modality-agnostic expertise across small molecules, antibodies, gene therapy, cell therapy, and oligonucleotides. Leads BD opportunities with science-first approach and has educated leadership on newly characterized diseases.
at NIH, Harvard Medical School, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals
5

Entrepreneurial and independent operator

Confirmed comfort with independent operation, stating 'Building therapeutic area strategy to identifying assets, filtering noise and really championing the deal is what I've been doing is what I love'. Led deals entirely from scratch without internal champions, comfortable with extensive travel, and operates autonomously while leading cross-functional teams.
at Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Compensation & Timeline
Current Package
Not mentioned
Not mentioned
Expectation
Not mentioned
Not mentioned
Client Budget
Base salary anticipated to start with 2, maybe 3 (unclear if $200K-$300K range intended)

Deferred compensation discussion until fit is established — prioritizes cultural and strategic alignment first

Notice PeriodNot mentioned
Earliest StartNot mentioned
Why Are They Interested?
↑
Direct role alignment — Role description matches her current end-to-end BD work including therapeutic areas (nephrology, neurology, bone health), CEO-level engagement, and deal execution.
↓
Seeking empowered environment — Wants an environment where she feels heard and empowered to make impact, with space for healthy debates and evidence-based decision-making rather than having ideas dismissed.
Potential Concerns
⚠

Raised specific concerns about STADA's strategic clarity, questioning whether it's 'precision therapy' focus or 'just a revenue play' and seeking understanding of long-term leadership stability given PE transition timing

⚠

Strong emphasis on collaborative team culture with 'space for healthy debates' may face tension with STADA's remote individual contributor structure without US office presence

⚠

No evidence of European market commercialization experience or understanding of European regulatory and reimbursement landscape for asset evaluation

✦
✦Our Take— Jackie Wyard-Yates

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