Track record
Assignments, results and recommendations
The substance that allows restraint.
Results
Selected results
These figures come from assignments in corporate, mid-market and owner-managed businesses. I attribute them to specific companies in conversation.
- +52 %
Turnaround of a specialty pharma business
Revenue growth following the realignment of segmentation, territory structure and sales steering.
- +26 %
Growth after restructuring
Result in the following year, achieved with a field force reduced by roughly 40 per cent.
- +22.4 %
Regional contribution
Growth at an 18.8 per cent lower headcount, in a corporate setting with P&L accountability.
- +19.4 %
National sales
Growth across all brands, 89.3 per cent on promoted brands. Team of 130, 12 direct reports, €120m revenue.
- €130m
Largest P&L held
Full accountability for a unit of this scale, including forecasting and resource allocation.
Commercial pharma
Companies and assignments
01APONTIS PHARMA AG
02Galderma Laboratorium GmbH
03Otsuka Pharma GmbH
04ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE
05B2B Medical GmbH
06Leti Pharma GmbH
07Müller Medien GmbH & Co. KG
08Hecht Pharma GmbH (Gall Pharma Gruppe)
09Bios Medical Services GmbH
10ProStrakan Pharma GmbH (Kyowa Kirin GmbH)
11Novartis Pharma GmbH
12Orthomol GmbH
13MiP-Holding
14AstraZeneca GmbH
Recommendations
What others say about working together
01 / 13
I had the pleasure of working alongside Joerg Schmitz when we were both Business Unit Heads for Rx, Joerg in Germany and I in the Nordics. Even though we were based in different markets, our roles often intersected through our regional network in EMEAC, where Joerg quickly became a highly respected and valued colleague. What truly stood out to me was Joerg’s openness and generosity in sharing both successes and challenges. He never hesitated to contribute with insights, whether it was a best practice that had driven growth in his market or a candid reflection on what hadn’t gone as planned and what could be learned from it. That kind of transparency is rare, and it made our cross-market collaboration not only more productive but also more meaningful. Joerg was incredibly proactive within our network of Business Unit Managers. He didn’t just show up—he contributed, he challenged us to think differently, and he fostered a sense of trust and shared purpose that really strengthened our regional alignment. His commercial acumen is evident, but what I particularly admire is how he pairs that with a thoughtful, people-first leadership style. He listens, he supports, and he leads with clarity and empathy. Beyond his professional strengths, Joerg is simply someone I enjoyed working with. He brings a positive energy, a sharp mind, and a collaborative spirit that make even complex challenges easier to navigate. I can wholeheartedly recommend Joerg to any organization looking for a seasoned, strategic, and values-driven leader, particularly in times of change or growth. He is not only a strong performer but also a team player in the truest sense.…
Ulf Anderson
Nordic General Management & Transformation Leader
Joerg and I worked together as EMEAC business unit heads in the dermatology space. He was a trusted colleague who I could always rely upon to provide solid strategic thinking, an ability to simplify complex situations, and adapt to any situation. As an executive leader, he was looked upon as an expert in go to market strategy, brand strategy, sales force deployment and effectiveness, operational excellence and commercial leadership. Joerg has an innate ability to quickly understand any business opportunity and find the best way to drive results in a sustainable manner. His calm under pressure, willingness to help colleagues and direct reports, and challenge the status quo made him invaluable to his peers and teams. I'm a better leader having met Joerg and also a better person.…
Anant Parikh
Biopharmaceutical Executive
It was a true pleasure to work closely with Jörg Schmitz on various aspects of Apontis Pharma's transformation in 2023/2024. Jörg was a crucial member of a small task team asked to reinvent the operations of the entire company. While he focused on building a strong salesforce team and on designing an efficient sales strategy, I had the opportunity to witness his exceptional professionalism, outstanding leadership, and remarkable ability to create a collaborative and productive work team in the field. One of Jörg’s standout qualities is his people-centered approach. He has an exceptional ability to build trust and foster collaboration across all levels of the salesforce team. By creating an inclusive and empowering atmosphere, Jörg inspires his team to consistently perform at its best. Jörg has a solutions-oriented mindset and his commitment to growth makes him an inspir-ing leader. Beyond his professional expertise, Jörg demonstrates integrity, competence, and a solutions-oriented mindset in his endeavors. He is a capable and reliable colleague. I greatly value the opportunity to work with Jörg and eagerly look forward to the next collab-oration.…
José Airas
Pharma & Biotech leader bridging R&D and Commercial Ops. I specialize in modernizing GTM
Worked together with Joerg and had an excellent team work on the management team!
Dr. Oliver P. Kühn, PhD
Member of the board of directors / Unabhängiger Verwaltungsrat
I have worked closely with Joerg when I was a Regional Business Unit Lead at Galderma and Joerg was leading the Business Unit in Germany. While working together on business opportunities and challenges for the region and Germany, Joerg clearly demonstrated his leadership skills, ability to set up a vision for his business, creativity, as well as strong analytical skills. Based on numbers, business reality and clear objectives, Joerg was able to take appropriate decisions and execute them with serenity.…
Jean-François Mocho
VP, General Manager France
I had the chance to work with Joerg at Otsuka. We were both Nephrology Business Unit head in our respective countries (France and Germany). Among this European community of BU heads, Joerg’s vision and understanding of the market, as well as his strategic thinking and solution oriented approach have been of high value to the group. It helps us to properly identify gaps and monitor it closely with a new set of KPI. This collective work and the leadership of Joerg among the group led to an increased patients uptake in a challenging market. Joerg was also a very nice colleague to work with, always supportive and reliable. His high expertise and flexibility should benefit to different pharma companies and therapeutic areas.…
Anne Creuzé
Managing Director chez Otsuka Pharmaceutical France
As CEO of Apontis Pharma, I had the privilege of hiring Jörg Schmitz as interim Head of Sales in October 2023. At that time, we faced the challenge of restoring profitability after losses in 2023. Realigning the sales force was crucial, and Jörg played a key role. Jörg brought extensive experience in sales leadership and immediately demonstrated his ability to make effective personnel decisions. He quickly earned the trust of both leadership and field teams. Under his guidance, we established a transparent, performance-driven organization. He fostered a collaborative environment, focusing on teamwork and drive rather than internal competition. This shift significantly contributed to our return to profitability in 2024. His clear communication and consistent execution were invaluable. Jörg also ensured strong succession planning and successfully implemented an excellent successor. As part of the management team, he provided key insights for further professionalization. Working with Jörg was a success. His strategic approach and executional strength make him a valuable asset for any healthcare company. I highly recommend Jörg.…
Bruno E. Wohlschlegel
Board Member & Strategic Advisor
Ich hatte das Vergnügen, mit Joerg bei APONTIS PHARMA zusammenzuarbeiten, und kann mit voller Überzeugung sagen, dass er eine herausragende Führungskraft ist. Besonders hervorzuheben ist Joergs außergewöhnliche Kommunikationsfähigkeit und die aufrichtige Wertschätzung gegenüber den Mitarbeitern. Diese Eigenschaften haben zu einer positiven und produktiven Arbeitsatmosphäre beigetragen und das Vertrauen und die Loyalität des Teams nachhaltig gestärkt. Joerg hat aus meiner Sicht nicht nur die Vertriebsziele konsequent verfolgt und unterstützt, sondern auch durch innovative Ansätze und eine klare Vision maßgeblich zur Weiterentwicklung unserer Vertriebsstrategie beigetragen. Seine Fähigkeit, bei neuen Herausforderungen alle zu begeistern und gleichzeitig ein positives und produktives Arbeitsumfeld zu schaffen, ist bemerkenswert. Ich bin überzeugt, dass er in jeder zukünftigen Position einen besonderen Wert darstellen wird und empfehle ihn daher uneingeschränkt weiter. Darüber hinaus möchte mich herzlich bei Joerg für die Zusammenarbeit und die wertvollen Erfahrungen bedanken, die ich in den letzten Monaten sammeln durfte. Deine Unterstützung und Dein Vertrauen haben mir sehr geholfen, mich beruflich weiterzuentwickeln. Ich schätze unsere Gespräche auf „Peer“-Level sehr. Danke, dass Du mir so häufig als Sparringspartner zur Verfügung standst.…
Yvonne Gehlen
Vertriebsleitung Pneumologie/ Regionale Vertriebsleitung API
Sehr gerne empfehle ich als CPO der APONTIS PHARMA Jörg Schmitz aufgrund: - einem sehr guten, vorhandenem Netzwerk im Vertriebs-Bereich der Pharma-Branche, - einer schnellen und effektiven Vertriebsstruktur-Planung und -Implementierung, - einer sehr guten Expertise in den Tools der Vertriebssteuerung und der Incentivierung des Vertriebs, - einem guten und effektiver Führungsstil mit Vertrauen in die Direktberichtenden-Ebene und existenter Verantwortungs-Delegation, - einer sehr guten Expertise in einem sehr breiten Spektrum von Vertriebs-Gesprächsführungs- und -Motivationstechniken…
Thomas Milz
Managing Director APONTIS PHARMA Deutschland GmbH&Co. KG
I had the pleasure of working with Joerg at ProStrakan, where he excelled in sales, business management, and implementing effective structures. His strategic thinking, leadership, and ability to drive innovation consistently delivered results. Joerg brings clarity and efficiency to complex projects and fosters strong collaboration within teams. I would highly recommend him for any senior leadership roles, as his expertise in managing business units and complex organizations and achieving success in challenging environments is truly remarkable.…
Shannon Brown III
International Healthcare Executive
Jörg Schmitz ist ein sehr erfahrener und nachweislich erfolgreicher Manager im Pharma-Business. Sowohl als Sales Director, Commercial Head als auch darüber hinaus hat Jörg die Fähigkeit, komplexe Situationen schnell und umfassend zu analysieren und passende Wachstumschancen zu identifizieren. Dies gelingt ihm sowohl in kritischen, herausfordernden Situationen als auch in Standardsituationen. Jörg steht für fundierte Analysen, eine datenbasierte und professionelle Umsetzung sowie die erfolgreiche Führung von Sales- und Commercial-Teams, stets mit dem Ziel, die Profitabilität zu steigern. Seine langjährige Erfahrung in Kombination mit seiner wertschätzenden, klaren und ehrlichen Kommunikation machen ihn zu einem Leader und Visionär. Selbst in den schwierigsten Situationen ist Jörg in der Lage, Wege zum Erfolg zu finden. In seinem Verantwortungsbereich erarbeitet er gemeinsam mit seinem Team die richtigen und notwendigen Maßnahmen und stellt sicher, dass sowohl seine direkten Mitarbeiter als auch seine Kollegen ("Peers") die Entscheidungen nachhaltig verstehen, unterstützen und erfolgreich umsetzen. Durch seine ruhige, stets wertschätzende und beeindruckend ehrliche sowie transparente Kommunikation gewinnt er Menschen für die gemeinsame Mission zum Erfolg. Jörg ergänzt dies mit einer gesunden, motivierenden Unternehmenskultur und fördert in besonderem Maße die Eigenverantwortung seiner Manager und Mitarbeiter, indem er ihnen immer größtmögliche Handlungsfreiheit einräumt. Als passionierter Coach unterstützt er fortlaufend die Entwicklung ihrer Fähigkeiten und Kompetenzen. Da ich in den letzten 23 Jahren mehrfach die Gelegenheit hatte, mit Jörg Schmitz in verschiedensten Situationen – sowohl bei großen Playern der Pharmaindustrie als auch bei agilen, aufstrebenden mittelständischen Unternehmen – zusammenzuarbeiten, kann ich persönlich bestätigen, dass die Zusammenarbeit stets äußerst erfreulich war. Der daraus resultierende, nahezu unvermeidliche gemeinsame Erfolg hat die Zusammenarbeit besonders bereichert. Es ist offensichtlich, dass Jörg in all diesen Jahren keine Gelegenheit ausgelassen hat, sich kontinuierlich weiterzuentwickeln. Marcus Haupenthal…
Marcus Haupenthal
We rise by lifting others
I had the privilege of working closely with Joerg during his time as Business Unit Head RX for GER & AT at Galderma, and I can confidently say that he is a highly skilled and effective leader in the pharmaceutical industry. What sets Joerg apart is his ability to implement structure and drive performance. He developed Sales Force Effectiveness (SFE) and Market Execution (MEX) frameworks from scratch, which included advanced segmentation and targeting strategies. He was the leader of the cluster (many countries involved) for this SFE project and all the Business Units Heads were impressed by his ability to drive this topic. In addition to his technical expertise, Joerg is a highly effective people manager. He is a natural leader who fosters an environment of collaboration and innovation, empowering his teams to consistently exceed expectations. He is a very good team player and he has open and transparent discussions with others. It was a pleasure working with Joerg at Galderma, and I wholeheartedly recommend him for senior leadership roles in any organization seeking a dynamic, results-driven, and inspirational leader.…
Riccardo De Giusti
General Manager Southern Europe
Jörg is a dynamic and highly effective sales manager who always leads by example. Have greatly enjoyed working together with him.
Paul Sampson
Managing Director at Sampson Europe
All recommendations in full on LinkedIn.
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