Head of Roche Pharma Partnering James Sabry to retire

James Sabry joined Genentech in 2010 as Head of Genentech Partnering. In 2018, he became the Head of Pharma Partnering and a member of the enlarged Corporate Executive Committee, based in Basel, Switzerland. James Sabry completed an MD at Queen’s University in Canada and his residency at Harvard Medical School, and then completed a PhD in neuroscience at UCSF.

Boris Zaïtra (1972), currently Head of Group Business Development, will be appointed Head of Corporate Business Development effective 1 July 2024, a new role that will bring together the Pharma Partnering and Group Business Development functions. He will become a member of the enlarged Corporate Executive Committee, reporting to Thomas Schinecker, Group CEO, and will continue to be based in Basel.

Boris Zaïtra joined Roche in Basel in 2012 in his current role. Prior to this, he had progressively expanding M&A leadership responsibilities in multiple industries. He holds a Master of Sciences from Ecole Polytechnique in France.

Roche’s CEO Thomas Schinecker said, “James has been instrumental in forging important deals for our Pharma R&D pipeline that have led to numerous launches of new medicines. I am grateful for James`s contributions to our company and for his dedication to our purpose.”

Schinecker further commented, “Leveraging external innovation has always been and continues to be a critical part of our business strategy. I am excited to have Boris Zaïtra take on this new role. He brings an excellent combination of expertise in M&A, experience in the industry, and leadership to the role. ”