General Manager – Business Development

Industry: Healthcare / Pharmaceuticals

Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Client Profile: A leading and highly respected healthcare organization in Sri Lanka.

Role Overview

Our client is seeking a commercially driven, result-oriented General Manager – Business Development to lead the acquisition of new agencies and portfolios. This is a high-stakes "deal-making" role, not merely a relationship management position. The successful candidate will be fully accountable for converting strategic engagements into signed agency agreements and revenue-generating portfolios that fuel sustainable, high-margin growth for the organization.

Your Role:

You will hold end-to-end accountability for the business development lifecycle, with clear performance expectations in the following areas:

Agency Acquisition: Identify, negotiate, and conclude agreements with global principals and offshore manufacturers.
Revenue & Profitability: Deliver incremental revenue growth by onboarding new portfolios that meet the growth and profitability targets set by the organization.
Strategic Portfolio Fit: Prioritize high-margin, sustainable products with strong market demand and long-term prospects, avoiding volume-driven additions that do not fit the strategic core.
Commercial Evaluation: Assess the commercial viability, strategic alignment, and lifecycle potential of pharmaceutical products and specific molecules within the local market.
Lead Negotiations: Spearhead negotiations with offshore principals, aligning commercial terms, governance models, and go-to-market strategies.
Lifecycle Management: Maintain full ownership of the process from initial outreach and pitch through due diligence, contracting, launch readiness, and post-signing performance tracking.
Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with internal cross-functional teams to ensure seamless execution once new portfolios are secured.

What We Are Looking For

This role requires proven converters, not facilitators. Candidates must demonstrate:

Experience: Minimum of 10 years’ experience in business development, licensing, partnerships, or agency acquisition specifically within the Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, or Life Sciences sectors.
Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, Life Sciences, Business, or a related field.
Negotiation Track Record: A demonstrated history of converting high-level discussions into signed commercial agreements, with hands-on experience managing regional and/or global principal relationships.
Strategic Savvy: The ability to navigate cross-border negotiations, long deal cycles, and complex stakeholder landscapes.
Commercial Acumen: Highly skilled in evaluating deal structures, margins, risks, and long-term value creation, supported by a working knowledge of pharmaceutical molecules and therapeutic areas.
Ownership Mentality: Personal accountability for growth outcomes, coupled with the resilience and persistence required to sustain momentum through prolonged negotiations and delayed conversions.

Why Join This Organization?

This is a rare opportunity to directly shape the future portfolio and growth trajectory of one of the country's most prominent healthcare groups. Your decisions will have a tangible impact on access to medicines, business performance, and long-term value creation.