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11 April 2024

From publishing to pharmaceuticals: A legal career with purpose

Benjamin Kaiser, Senior Legal Counsel & Head of Legal Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) at Grünenthal
“I had never spent time thinking about how medicines end up on the shelves in a pharmacy until I joined the team here in Aachen. I simply took them for granted.” Benjamin's view on pharmaceuticals and our industry changed when he came to Grünenthal, moving from publishing to pharmaceuticals - a legal career with purpose.

Benjamin is Senior Legal Counsel & Head of Legal Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) at Grünenthal – a complicated and multifaceted job. “It is my task to help get our pharmaceutical products to the place they are needed most: Into the hands of patients,” he explains.

Together with his team, Benjamin deals with all of the legal aspects involved when Grünenthal acquires a pharmaceutical product. He makes sure patients can still rely on their access to medications when Grünenthal has taken over responsibility for production and distribution, for example. Benjamin helps to make acquisitions beneficial for Grünenthal as a business – and also for the patients we serve.

Before joining Grünenthal, Benjamin was employed in the publishing industry. While he enjoyed working in this very different field, Benjamin still wanted to find a career path where he could make a measurable positive impact on people’s lives. He was always interested in the pharmaceutical industry. Eventually, a suitable position opened up at Grünenthal.

“I knew a bit about Grünenthal beforehand,” he says. “But during the hiring process, I quickly realised that my work here could be extremely helpful for people suffering with pain. I wanted to make a contribution.”

That was more than two years ago. Benjamin already had experience of the challenges related to M&A, but the pharmaceutical industry was something new. As he got more familiar with this industry, his outlook on pharmaceuticals changed.

Benjamin Kaiser, Head of Legal M&A

“I had never spent time thinking about how medicines end up on the shelves in a pharmacy until I joined the team here in Aachen,” he says. “I simply took medicines for granted. They were ready and waiting to be grabbed if my daughter was ill, for example. But after starting my role at Grünenthal, I realised that there is an incredibly complex legal journey behind every pharmaceutical product. Understanding that journey has made me appreciate the work of everybody involved in this process, including my colleagues.”

Legal M&A is an important area of responsibility at Grünenthal. Benjamin and his team have already achieved a lot of success – and there is much more to come.

“I want to help Grünenthal keep expanding its presence in the world,” he says. “There are many more people we can help. By growing our portfolio and our global footprint, we can reach more patients and move closer to achieving our vision of a World Free of Pain.”

 

Want to read more stories about our employees? Check out the portrait of Magdalena Poznanski (Transaction Manager / DD Lead).

Are you ready to make an impact and help Grünenthal move closer to a World Free of Pain? Check out our newest job opportunities here!

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