Dr. Bayrhoffer, a physician by trade, is a successful executive with a background in Clinical Development, Strategy Consulting, Investment Banking, and Financial Advisory. After starting his career at The Boston Consulting Group, Dr. Bayrhoffer attained global leadership positions with life-science companies and financial institutions in Europe, US, India, and Latin America.
As an accomplished entrepreneur, he has successfully executed growth strategies for companies ranging from early stage start-ups to mature companies, advancing innovative technologies in the life sciences and healthcare IT from concept to product launch.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Bayrhoffer has developed an extensive network among entrepreneur and business leaders around the world. Building on their strong network in life science and technology hubs such as San Francisco, Princeton, Munich, Bangalore, and Shanghai, Dr. Bayrhoffer and his partners provide a unique and cutting-edge view to their consulting & advisory engagements.
Dr. Bayrhoffer holds a PhD/MD degree from the University of Mainz, Germany and an MBA from the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester, NY. He is fluent in English, German, Spanish, and has a working knowledge of French. Dr. Bayrhoffer is involved as a mentor and coach with young entrepreneurs from his ‘second-home’ in Costa Rica. In addition to his role at EmPartners, Dr. Bayrhoffer is an Executive Director at Ramparts Capital, a boutique investment firm with $120M under management and he has been appointed to numerous board and non-executive positions. Recent appointments include Chair of the Advisory Board for Speratum Ltd., a development stage biotechnology company focused on micro-RNA directed therapies in Oncology, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Plasma Innovations, LLC., a Bay Area based technology company.
Dr. Schefter joined EmPartners as Managing Director and Head of European Operations in March of 2014 after working 32 years in management positions in the pharmaceutical industry. Before working with EmPartners he led the global commercial operations for Rx Dermatology at Bayer Healthcare. Dr. Schefter was responsible for all commercial aspects of the dermatology business with annual worldwide sales of €320M and a staff of 550 reports. His responsibilities included strategy development as well as regional- and therapeutic area expansion. He directed aggressive growth programs for emerging markets and the launch preparations for the first aesthetic product of Bayer.
In 2005, Dr. Schefter became president and CEO of Intendis, Inc., with sales of about $100M, the largest subsidiary of the Intendis Group, which represents the prescription dermatology business of Bayer Healthcare. In this role, Dr. Schefter oversaw the strategic direction of Finacea®, the fastest growing brand of the Intendis Group. He also led all business development initiatives for Intendis in the US.
Prior to his assignment in the US, Dr. Schefter led the acquisition of Leiras Oy in Finland by Schering AG, Germany. In 1998, he was appointed to CEO of Leiras Oy, the second biggest pharmaceutical business in Finland.
During his five year tenure as CEO, Dr. Schefter integrated the newly acquired business with 1,100 employees and drove the internationalization of the intrauterine contraceptive, Mirena®, one of today’s leading products in the Women’s Healthcare Division of Bayer Healthcare.
Selected accomplishments
Andreas Sommer brings to the EmPartners team 15 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Andreas has worked in Clinical Research, Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Consulting and Competitive Intelligence. Having worked about half of his career on the client side and half of his career on the vendor side, Andreas has a keen understanding of what drives our clients’ success, as well as which solutions best meet their unmet needs. By working in U.S. subsidiaries, U.S. Headquarters and in Country Affiliates of MNCs and in Strategy Consulting, as well as in Competitive Intelligence for multiple years, Andreas has extensive experience in Brand Management, Competitive Intelligence, International Strategy Development, Business Development, new product planning, launch support, as well as country level planning, implementation and execution.
Prior Experience
Prior to becoming partner at EmPartners Andreas was Head of Global Business Development with key responsibilities for all internal and external Business Development efforts for offices in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. As member of the Senior Management Team he provides input to corporate strategy, as well as help implement tactical execution.
Starting his pharmaceutical career as Clinical Research Coordinator for Genomics and Aventis, he quickly moved on to the positions of Professional Sales Representative, Marketing Associate, Product Manager and Six Sigma Manager at Merck & Co, after which he started his career in pharmaceutical consulting.
Education
Mr. Sommer earned his MBA in International Business Management and a BA in General Management from Florida Gulf Coast University. He also holds a University Intermediate Examination in Economics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and a Industrial Management Degree from the Siemens Akademie.
Brand and Portfolio – Level Support
At EmPartners we provide a range of business and strategic consulting services for life science clients. With a global network of experts in our strategically located offices, we advise public and – private companies, as well as venture capital and private equity clients on growth related topics. To date, we have supported over 250 assets in the US, Europe, and Asia thereby facilitating successful transactions in major therapeutic areas. Several of these projects have focused on innovative, often even disruptive, technologies in underserved disease areas and the head of our BD practice Dr. Bayrhoffer is a recognized speaker on orphan drugs and role of stem cells in regenerative medicine.
References for specific projects are available upon request and with our integrated consulting approach we work with our clients across the entire BD value chain:
The life science industry is becoming a more dynamic and more challenging environment, driving the need for effective and relevant strategies building on an effective and up-to-date base of current and smart competitive insights.
We recognize this important interplay, and understand that strategy, strategic insights, pricing and access cannot be considered in isolation. We have therefore developed a holistic approach integrating teams with experienced project leads across multiple functional areas.