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Gretchen J.GJ

Gretchen J.

Interim Finance Director | R&D Strategy

€800/day
Zurich, CH
8-15 years

Average response time: 1 hour

About Gretchen

Strategic Finance Leader (ex-Bayer) specializing in R&D Portfolio Governance and High-Stakes FP&A.

I provide immediate "plug-and-play" value for interim mandates, bringing 12+ years of experience managing global portfolios up to €2.2B. I excel at transforming complex data into validated investment roadmaps, ROI-driven strategies, and scalable Power BI/Tableau dashboards.

Core Expertise:
  • Interim Leadership: Bridging gaps in Senior FP&A and Business Unit Controlling.
  • Portfolio Strategy: Optimizing R&D pipelines and Stage-Gate governance.
  • Strategic Modeling: NPV, scenario planning, and SaaS KPI analysis (MRR/Churn).

I am based in the Zurich/Basel corridor and available to start immediately for remote or hybrid projects.
  • English

    Native or bilingual

  • German

    Conversational

Can work on-site
Zurich (up to 50km)

Experience

  • Bayer Consumer Care AG
    R&D STRATEGY & PORTFOLIO LEAD
    PHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRY
    March 2022 - Today (4 years and 3 months)
    Basel, Switzerland
    Support financial planning, analysis, and governance for a €1.5B global R&D portfolio across 70+ innovation initiatives.
    • Improved portfolio decision-making by redesigning KPI frameworks and governance processes, reducing cycle time ~15%.
    • Strengthened ROI, NPV, and value-case methodologies, improving visibility of portfolio value by ~20%.
    • Facilitated resource allocation by identifying opportunities to shift ~15% of R&D spend toward higher value platforms.
    • Enhanced reporting efficiency ~30% through automation and streamlined dashboards.
    • Partnered with R&D, Innovation, and Category teams to support planning, prioritization, and scenario analysis.
    FP&A Strategic planning R&D Strategy Change Management Portfolio Management
  • Bayer Consumer Care AG
    BUSINESS UNIT CONTROLLER - DIGESTIVE HEALTH & NUTRITIONALS
    PHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRY
    May 2017 - February 2022 (4 years and 9 months)
    Basel, Switzerland
    Finance partner for €2.2B global categories, supporting FP&A, P&L management, and commercial decision making.
    • Improved forecast accuracy ~12% YoY through strengthened governance and data integration.
    • Contributed to 3-5% margin improvement by linking ROI insights to pricing, mix, and promotional strategies.
    • Built NPV, ROI, and scenario models supporting €150M+ in innovation and pipeline decisions.
    FP&A Business Partnering P&L Management Project Management Pricing strategy
  • Bayer Consumer Care AG
    CONTROLLER - EUROPE SOUTH, CEE, MIDDLE EAST, RUSSIA & GERMANY
    PHARMACEUTICALS INDUSTRY
    May 2016 - April 2017 (11 months)
    Basel, Switzerland
    Supported financial planning and performance management for a €650M multi-region business.
    • Reduced forecast variability by integrating data sources and standardizing planning processes.
    • Improved pricing and demand decisions through analytics and cross-market insights.
    • Strengthened reporting consistency and transparency across regions.
    Financial Reporting Controlling Forecasting Data analysis Financial Planning

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Education

  • MBA
    West Chester University
    MBA
  • BA
    Immaculata University
    BA

Skill set

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