Michael Farrell
@michaelfarrell
Commercial Director leading rare disease alliances and global GTM for unlicensed products.
IrelandWhat I'm looking for
I’m a Commercial Director with more than 15 years’ experience in commercial leadership and project management within the pharmaceutical industry. My background spans Phase II/III clinical trials, regulatory approval, market launch, and ongoing commercial operations—especially in rare diseases where options are limited.
I drive growth through alliance and distributor models, including without-licensing partnerships and third-parties contracting. I’m known for commercial decision-making around Named Pa ent Sales (NPS), building market presence from scratch, and tailoring value propositions and GTM strategies to each country’s dynamics.
In recent roles, I delivered sales revenues of €2m in JAPAC in 2024 and owned an alliance in Japan that met a revenue milestone resulting in a €11m royalty payment. I’ve also led negotiations with distributors across Taiwan, South Korea, and Africa (9 products across >40 countries), and achieved first-ever company sales in Hong Kong by developing a GTM strategy for an unlicensed product.
I bring strong operational rigor and cross-functional collaboration, leading regulatory submission projects in EMEA that resulted in an on time submission and subsequent approval for a rare disease product. I’ve also doubled global revenues for two specialty ACTH hormone products to >€10m in 5 years, supported acquisitions and integration, and led divestment of product assets with a combined value of €10m.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Delivered €2m in JAPAC sales in 2024 and led a Japan alliance partnership that resulted in an €11m royalty payment. Drove GTM and contracting for unlicensed products, including achieving the company’s first-ever sales in Hong Kong and project-managed an EMEA regulatory submission that led to approval.
Programme Director
Mallinckrodt / Questcor
Nov 2013 - Aug 2019 (5 years 9 months)
Drove global commercial growth for specialty ACTH products, doubling global revenues to over €10m in five years, while managing distribution, KPIs, and launches. Project-managed multi-country MAT submissions, managed launches across regions, and led business development after the decision to sell the products.
Project-managed the transfer of biologic product manufacturing operations from the US to Dublin, coordinating with Process Development, Supply Chain, and Procurement. Developed and owned the New Product Introduction (NPI) production schedule, including leading change control.
Project-managed approximately 15 generic product launches at any one time, leading Day-1 off-patent launches across the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and the rest of the EU. Improved operational performance by setting up a Launch Excellence Team.
Led data management across multiple Phase II/III clinical trials and progressed to lead a team of six Clinical Data Coordinators. Built an Excel-based template for clinical data edit checks, adopted across the organization.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
PRINCE2
PRINCE2 Practitioner, Project Management
2014 -
Completed PRINCE2 Practitioner training/qualification.
Oxford Aviation Academy
Frozen Airline Transport Pilot Licence (Frozen ATPL), Aviation (ATPL training)
2009 -
Completed an Airline Preparation Programme and Frozen ATPL training at Oxford Aviation Academy.
University College Dublin
Bachelor of Science (BSc), Biochemistry
2000 -
BSc in Biochemistry completed at University College Dublin.
Availability
Location
IrelandAuthorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
Interested in hiring Michael?
You can contact Michael and 90k+ other talented remote workers on Himalayas.
Message MichaelFind your dream job
Sign up now and join over 100,000 remote workers who receive personalized job alerts, curated job matches, and more for free!
