Profile
Hospitals and Health Care
Consumer Services
Active

Elena Aleksandrova

Senior Commercial Leader | Consumer Healthcare & FMCG | Commercial Strategy & Transformation

About Me

Senior commercial leader with 25 years of experience in Consumer Healthcare and FMCG. Experienced in shaping strategy, driving growth, and leading multi-country clusters across EMEA. Strong expertise in bringing structure, clarity, and momentum to complex environments — from strengthening commercial capabilities and scaling clusters to transforming operating models. Passionate about talent development and building inclusive, high-performing organisations grounded in strong alignment between strategy and execution. Committed to developing teams and building cultures that support performance and long-term growth. Recognized for transparent and balanced leadership: offering clear strategic framework while staying close to the business, navigating ambiguity with composure, and ensuring that transformation translates into measurable results. Dedicated to creating organisations that are resilient, collaborative, and prepared for the future. KEY LEADERSHIP STRENGTHS Leading Change Across Markets: Extensive experience steering multi-country organisations through transformation — from structural redesign and capability uplift to digital acceleration and large-scale cultural transformation. Skilled at stabilising teams, aligning stakeholders, and maintaining performance during periods of uncertainty. Organisational Design & Transformation: Proven ability to redesign structures, clarify roles, strengthen ways of working, and build capabilities that support both current performance and future growth. Experienced in integrating acquisitions, harmonising cross-market operations, and embedding new operating models. Talent Development: Strong commitment to developing talent, coaching leaders, and building cohesive, high-performing teams. Strong focus on capability uplift, succession planning, and supporting people through change. Skilled in leading teams through integration and restructuring. Strategic Thinking with Operational Discipline: Ability to balance long-term strategic direction with hands-on execution. Skilled at stabilising organisations, strengthening performance systems, and ensuring that strategic plans translate into measurable outcomes. Integrity, Transparency & Collaboration: Decision making grounded in long-term value and organisational health. Committed to building a culture of trust, transparency, and collaboration. Skilled in leading teams through change with clarity, composure, and empathy.

Jurisdiction

Region: Europe

Notable Employer

  • CLUSTER HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH NORDICS at BAYER FINLAND
  • CLUSTER HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH ADRIATICS at BAYER SLOVENIA
  • COUNTRY GROUP HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH ROMANIA-BULGARIA-MOLDOVA at BAYER ROMANIA
  • COUNTRY HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH ROMANIA at BAYER ROMANIA
  • COUNTRY HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH BULGARIA at BAYER BULGARIA
  • BUSINESS UNIT MANAGER MEDICATED SKIN CARE BULGARIA-NORTH MACEDONIA at BEIERSDORF BULGARIA

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT E.T.P
2025 - Present

Providing selective advisory support while exploring senior executive opportunities across Europe. • Helping organisations navigate complexity, build high performing teams, and create the conditions for sustainable, customer centric growth. • Supporting leaders in refining commercial strategy, strengthening operating models, and accelerating transformation.

CLUSTER HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH NORDICSNotableBAYER FINLAND
2020 - 2025

Overall leadership responsibility for Consumer Health business across 8 markets (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia). Full P&L ownership, and accountability for commercial strategy and organisational development. Member of the Bayer Nordics Board of Management. Key Contributions: • Organisational Redesign: Rebuilt the Nordics structure to support long-term growth and capability uplift. • Digital Acceleration: Advanced digital transformation and lifted e-commerce penetration to 22% of Net Sales. • Market Leadership: Achieved #1 OTC supplier in Sweden (2022 & 2024). • Brand Leadership: Elevated Bepanthen to #1 in Finland across awareness, recommendation, and usage. • Sustainability Leadership: Won “Sustainability Supplier of the Year” 3 consecutive years at Apotek Hjärtat. • Resilience: Maintained consistent NS and MS growth despite severe supply chain disruptions.

CLUSTER HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH ADRIATICSNotableBAYER SLOVENIA
2014 - 2020

Overall leadership responsibility for Consumer Health business across 8 markets (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania). Full P&L ownership, and accountability for commercial strategy and organisational development. Member of the Bayer Adriatics Board of Management. Key Contributions: • Capability Building: Built a high-performing Marketing team; created Trade Marketing and Digital functions from scratch, increasing campaign effectiveness by 20% and strengthening execution and competitiveness. • M&A Integration: Led Merck OTC integration and Rx dermatology carve-out, stabilising a €50m portfolio. • Innovation Pipeline: Developed a robust 5-year NPD roadmap securing sustainable long-term growth. • Consistent Growth: Delivered continuous YoY NS and MS growth across all markets. • Transformation Leadership: Steered cluster transformation during EMEA consolidation.

COUNTRY GROUP HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH ROMANIA-BULGARIA-MOLDOVANotableBAYER ROMANIA
2012 - 2014

Overall leadership responsibility for Bayer Consumer Health business across the country group Romania-Bulgaria-Moldova. Member of the Bayer Romania Board of Management. Key Contributions: • Implemented a unified operating model and strengthened cross-market collaboration. • Initiated switches from OTC to Cosmetics and Food Supplements, unlocking €5m incremental revenue. • Designed a strategic 5-year NPD roadmap supporting 10–12% CAGR. • Delivered double-digit NS growth and +3pp MS increase across the three markets.

COUNTRY HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH ROMANIANotableBAYER ROMANIA
2010 - 2012

Overall leadership responsibility for Bayer Consumer Health business in Romania. Key Contributions: • Successfully resolved 2010 organizational crisis, stabilized operations and returned to Net Sales growth in 2011. • Strengthened the Marketing and Sales teams, improving capability and execution. • Delivered double-digit NS growth and +1,5pp Market share gains in priority OTC categories.

COUNTRY HEAD CONSUMER HEALTH BULGARIANotableBAYER BULGARIA
2008 - 2010

Overall leadership responsibility for Bayer Consumer Health business in Bulgaria. Key Contributions: • Established the Consumer Health Marketing & Sales organisation in Bulgaria. • Delivered +50% NS growth over two consecutive years, significantly strengthening Bayer’s OTC market share. • Designed a strategic 5‑year NPD roadmap that laid the foundation for sustainable long‑term growth.

BUSINESS UNIT MANAGER MEDICATED SKIN CARE BULGARIA-NORTH MACEDONIANotableBEIERSDORF BULGARIA
2004 - 2008

Led Medicated Skin commercial strategy for Bulgaria and North Macedonia and managed the medical representatives’ team. Key Contributions: • Built the Beiersdorf medical department from the ground up. • Launched Eucerin and Hansaplast, achieving +30% NS growth in the first two years and steady MS increase. • Developed a robust 5-year innovation plan.

Education

Diploma of Business ManagementESADE BUSINESS SCHOOL
2011 - 2011
Degree of ECONOMICS NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY
2004 - 2008
Degree of HR ManagementNEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY
2005 - 2008

Certification

Total Certifications7

Organizational Transformation

IMD Business School

2023

Digital Transformation

IMD Business School

2021 - 2021

Observer in Leadership Development Center

Bayer

Strengths-based Leadership

Gallup

Coaching Training

Heitsch & Partners

Professional Medical Marketing Program

Beiersdorf

Project Management

AIMS

Skills

Core skills0
Languages3

Languages

English
Romanian
Russian