RARE - Matthias Hess

Building with Vision: Matthias Hess on Expanding Rare Disease Impact in Europe

In this episode of RARE, Laura Hulley is joined by Matthias Hess, Senior Vice President and Head of Europe at SpringWorks Therapeutics, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision medicines for patients living with rare tumors. With a distinguished career spanning leadership roles at Pfizer, Actelion, Janssen, Vifor, and CSL, Matthias is now leading the charge in building SpringWorks’ European presence.

 

 

A Career Rooted in Rare Disease

Matthias began his career in primary care, but found his true passion in specialty care, particularly in rare diseases. His journey took a pivotal turn at Actelion, one of the first companies focused specifically on rare diseases. There, he gained hands-on experience launching new therapies, building businesses from scratch, and managing culturally diverse teams across global markets.

What has consistently driven Matthias is the opportunity to deliver urgently needed treatments to patients with limited options. The collaborative spirit, both internal and external, is essential to these ambitious missions. For Matthias, building strong teams with a shared vision and empowering them to act with purpose is at the heart of his leadership philosophy.

 

Choosing a European HQ: Why Switzerland?

As the conversation turned to SpringWorks’  expansion strategy, Matthias shared insights on the considerations behind selecting a European headquarters. Despite the varied impact of the pandemic on regulatory approvals, the rare disease sector has continued to grow. Europe now hosts over 1,000 emerging pharma companies, with concentrations in the UK, France, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland.

When evaluating where to base operations, Matthias emphasized the need to assess unmet medical needs alongside core business factors. These include political stability, ease of doing business, access to skilled talent, innovation culture, and favourable tax environments. For SpringWorks, Switzerland emerged as the ideal choice - centrally located with a deep pool of pharmaceutical talent and strong international connectivity.

 

Preparing for Launch in Key EU Markets

Looking ahead to upcoming product launches in Europe, Matthias identified several core challenges. Chief among them is navigating country-specific pathways for market access and reimbursement, a process that demands deep local knowledge and specialist expertise. He also noted the variability in patient care pathways across countries, particularly acute in rare diseases.

Building high-performing, agile teams is also crucial. SpringWorks is focusing on strategic hiring to ensure a timely and staged rollout that aligns with market dynamics. With two products already approved in the U.S. and with positive opinions recently received from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency, the company is poised for growth and aims to hit the ground running in Europe by leveraging U.S. learnings while adapting to European complexities.

 

SpringWorks’ Scientific Focus

SpringWorks is firmly focused on rare, and often debilitating, tumors. The company is committed to deep scientific exploration of its investigational and approved medicines, aiming to unlock their full potential for patients. With its precision medicine approach, SpringWorks is developing highly targeted treatments that address high unmet medical needs in the rare tumor space.

 

Why SpringWorks, Why Now?

Matthias’ decision to join SpringWorks was guided by two factors: the scientific innovation within the pipeline and the company’s deeply rooted values. He was drawn to SpringWorks’ clear patient-first mission and the opportunity to build a European business from the ground up. That blend of purpose, innovation, and autonomy made it the right opportunity at the right time.

Now actively growing the team in Europe, Matthias continues to seek diverse, mission-aligned professionals ready to shape the next chapter of rare tumors in Europe. With SpringWorks’ established U.S. foundation and its expanding global reach, he’s confident in the company’s ability to deliver transformative therapies to those who need them most.

 

Thank you to Matthias for taking the time to feature on RARE!