Head of Regulatory Governance - Promotional & Scientific Information

PEAK LIFECYCLES HR is a life sciences–focused executive search and advisory firm operating within Cornerstone International Group , ranked among the Top 40 global executive search firms by Hunt Scanlon. We partner with healthcare and biotech organisations navigating complex strategic phases, where market access, policy dynamics and business strategy increasingly shape one another.

For one of our international pharmaceutical clients, we are recruiting a:

Head of Regulatory Affairs - Promotion, Information & New Healthcare Models

The role

The pharmaceutical model is changing.

Digital healthcare platforms, B2B partnerships, online medicine, new prescription and distribution channels, and increasingly consumer-driven healthcare models are changing how pharmaceutical companies communicate, engage, and reach the people they serve.

This role sits at the regulatory intersection of that transformation.

It requires a strong, proven foundation in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs, Promotional Control, and Scientific Information.

But that foundation is the starting point, not the destination.

We are looking for someone whose trajectory has already brought that regulatory expertise into contact with new healthcare models, platforms, partnerships, distribution channels, or consumer-facing environments .

Someone who has had to understand how regulatory frameworks can accommodate models that were not necessarily anticipated when those frameworks were designed.

What this role is not

This is not a traditional Promotional Control leadership role.

It is not a general Regulatory Affairs position with a broad transformation mandate.

It is not a transformation role focused primarily on processes, systems, organisational change or digital tools.

It is not a Supply Chain or distribution operations role.

It is not a role for someone whose exposure to platforms, B2B partnerships, online healthcare or new prescription and distribution models has remained theoretical or peripheral.

And it is not a role where Regulatory Affairs intervenes only once the business model has already been designed.

The transformation at stake is specific: enabling new ways for a pharmaceutical company to communicate, partner, prescribe and distribute in a healthcare environment becoming increasingly platform-based and consumer-driven.

The challenge

The established promotional and scientific information model remains fundamental.

The challenge is to build on that foundation while exploring what comes next .

You will work upstream with Marketing, Medical and Legal to assess and enable emerging business models involving digital healthcare platforms, B2B partnerships, online medicine and new prescription or distribution channels.

You will identify possible regulatory pathways, assess exposure and risk, clarify the conditions under which new models can operate, and translate regulatory complexity into actionable business choices.

The role therefore moves Regulatory Affairs upstream in the decision process - contributing to the regulatory construction of new models rather than solely securing them once designed.

It also requires the leadership to bring an experienced team into that evolution, while maintaining the highest standards of promotional and scientific information governance.

Key responsibilities

• Lead Promotional and Scientific Information Governance in France, ensuring the highest standards of regulatory compliance while enabling the evolution of business and engagement models.
• Explore regulatory pathways for digital healthcare platforms, B2B partnerships, online medicine and new prescription or distribution channels .
• Integrate Regulatory Affairs early into the development of emerging business models and strategic initiatives.
• Assess regulatory exposure and risk in a balanced and proportionate way, translating uncertainty into clear options and recommendations.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Medical and Legal to co-construct viable approaches within the French regulatory environment.
• Ensure robust governance of promotional and scientific information activities while evolving practices to reflect new communication and engagement models.
• Lead and develop an experienced team, combining continuity on established activities with the capabilities required for emerging models.
• Build effective cross-functional governance and create convergence between regulatory requirements and business ambition.
• Represent the organisation externally with relevant authorities, professional bodies and industry stakeholders.
• Contribute to discussions around evolving regulatory frameworks and practices where existing models do not fully reflect emerging healthcare realities.
• Bring relevant learning from other European and international markets into the French organisation, particularly where platform-based, online or consumer-driven healthcare models are developing.

Profile

We are looking for a Regulatory Affairs leader by foundation, with direct exposure to the new models reshaping pharmaceutical engagement and distribution.

You bring:

• Significant experience within the pharmaceutical industry and a strong foundation in Regulatory Affairs.
• Substantial experience in Promotional Control and/or Scientific Information.
• Direct exposure to one or several of the following: digital healthcare platforms, B2B healthcare partnerships, online medicine, new prescription or distribution channels, or consumer-facing pharmaceutical models.
• Experience working on regulatory questions for which established practices did not provide an immediate or complete answer.
• The ability to assess regulatory risk and identify workable pathways without compromising compliance.
• Strong experience working upstream with Marketing, Medical and Legal on business initiatives.
• Credibility to challenge established interpretations and influence decisions across functions and seniority levels.
• Experience leading teams and evolving practices in an environment undergoing change.
• An international perspective, with exposure to different regulatory or healthcare models. Experience of markets such as the UK, Germany or the US would be particularly relevant.
• The ability to engage credibly with authorities, professional organisations and external stakeholders.
• Fluent English and the ability to operate effectively within a highly international organisation.

You do not need to have worked across every new model listed above.

But your experience must go beyond observing these changes from the sidelines. We are looking for someone who has already had to bring regulatory judgement into the construction of at least one of them.