Moving from Big Pharma to Angelini Pharma – Taking an Entrepreneurial Leap to Build a Focused European Champion

After 25 years working for well-known multinational companies such as McKinsey, BMS, Merck & Co and Novartis, I decided to leave my comfort zone joining Angelini Pharma, a well-known Italian pharma company as Chief Executive Officer. I took such decision with full conviction, but not with a light heart.

I decided to take this new exciting challenge for few important reasons:

I aspire to contribute in transforming an established pharma company with a good international presence into a true European player. I have had a long career in multinational companies in the pharmaceutical industry within the Life Science, Medical Devices, Biologics and Generic Drugs sectors bringing innovative as well as affordable medicines and treatments to patients suffering from many different types of diseases.

Angelini has been operating for 100 years. Its brands have been widely used by my family throughout my adolescence and its heritage comes from the geographic area where I am born hence a strong personal bond. Angelini’s pharma business has reached a respectable turnover of almost one billion euro in 2018 in segments such as, amongst others, CNS, Pain and OTC. The family has the ambition to accelerate its growth trajectory taking it to a new level. During my several conversations with them, their values and strong desire to nurture the company clearly steered my decision.

I find very exciting to be a part of this transformational journey by leading a capable and passionate team, exploring ways to grow organically and inorganically, still preserving the Italian heritage. 

I am determined to build the best team, distinctively recognised in our industry. In my professional life, I experienced several times the pleasure to work with teams whose members shared same values, same passion, same aspirations. Nothing is impossible for a team which plays to win and is willing to intelligently innovate across the business. Together with my team, we will keep leveraging the Angelini’s values, but also strive to become a sought-after employer with exceptional associates across the board. In my two most recent roles, respectively, as Head of Western Europe of Sandoz and as Head of Europe of Novartis Oncology, I worked hard to develop teams of outstanding, dedicated and talented people. In Sandoz, we brought our Region to be the most successful one within Sandoz, overcoming our biggest competitor and establishing the leading position in Biosimilars. In Oncology, we commercialised quite innovative oncology medicines, successfully working to ensure to European patients Region access to our medicines.

I look forward to put into action my inner entrepreneurial spirit. I certainly tried to be entrepreneurial in the several positions I’ve held in the pharma business, although it has not been easy due to the different dynamics that apply in multinationals. I was raised in an entrepreneurial household. My father was an entrepreneur who founded a company operating in a niche of the automotive sector manufacturing 4 wheel-drive small trucks. He has been seeking opportunities throughout his life, resilient in the face of adversities, with strong work ethics and integrity driving changes rather than waiting to react to change. Both his and my mother’s examples have guided me throughout my career.

Each of the organizations I had the opportunity to work were established and part of a large successful pharma company. Angelini Pharma, despite a much smaller scale, has the potential to allow me to translate into action my aspiration to drive a growth agenda while developing a top-notch team. 

Transitioning from big pharma to Angelini Pharma, I am very excited and look forward to further build on what Angelini has achieved over the last 100 years taking it, together with the Team, to a new level. One which will see us becoming a true European player, admired for following a different path in the pharma sector.

Pierluigi Antonelli - CEO at Angelini Pharma