Fractional Chief Operating Officer · Chief Business Officer

Make the
impossible
inevitable.

I partner with biopharma and health tech strategy, corporate development, BD teams—and with VC/PE investors—to drive smarter decisions on their most complex deals, transformations, and competitive challenges.

$60B+
Deal value
15+
Transactions
4
Continents
Julien Willard, MD — Fractional COO and biopharma M&A advisor
Services

How I Can Help

I work at the intersection of strategy, transactions, and finance—helping corporate teams and investors move faster, with more conviction, on their most consequential decisions.

01

Fractional COO / CBO

02

Business Development & Licensing

03

M&A and Transaction Advisory

04

Corporate Strategy & IR

View the deal sheet
Track Record

Featured Experience

BioPalace & Arcstone
Fractional Head of Research & Investments
  • Developed a corporate and market entry strategy for a cell and gene therapy company in Japan.
  • Lead investment strategy and BD activities for several biopharma companies in Asia-Pacific.
  • Oversee diligence and an investment committee for royalty financing deals $5–50M in size.
IBM Consulting
Head of Strategy, Life Sciences
  • Redesigned global life sciences organization structure, delivering $1B in gross cost savings and reducing structural costs by 20%.
  • Developed and helped launch an AI-driven product for a medical device company that challenged existing product strategy to expand to a broader population.
Accenture Strategy
Executive, M&A & Strategy in Biopharma
  • Advised five biopharma companies with $35 billion capital deployment capacity on portfolio strategy and deal prioritization.
  • Supported seven M&A transactions generating 7% higher value than average through pre-close integration planning.
  • Advised on AI/ML platform development and digital applications for Fortune 500 client.
World Bank
Diplomat & Economist
  • Structured $1.2B+ in cross-border M&A and strategic partnerships across emerging markets.
  • Served as lead economist for a World Bank initiative to support HIV vaccine development program.
Testimonials

What Clients Say

Julien is an exceptional economist, diplomat, and strategist. We worked together on a $450 million public health lending operation. He possesses two critical traits: non-intuitive thinking and skill in high-pressure negotiations. He is a very confident and ruthless operator.

Ellen Bien
Ministry of Defense, The Netherlands

Julien is a forward-thinking perfectionist. His work as a business and technology advisor was critical to our company's innovation success. If you're looking for a yes-man, Julien is NOT that person. He will challenge you and disagree, backed by heaps of data and research.

Carissa Rollins
Illumina

Julien brought a unique skill combination: expertise in therapeutic areas, technical understanding of pharmaceutical data science applications, and strong business strategy acumen. He led a year-long strategic program for Pfizer, delivering clinical development innovations.

Jonathan Crowther, PhD
Pfizer
Transaction Experience

Over $60B in aggregate
deal value.

Biotech M&A, global licensing, capital formation, and royalty financing across pharmaceutical, biotech, and health tech.

View Deal Sheet