Masayoshi Takezawa joined ELIQUENT following a distinguished career in the life sciences industry. Masayoshi joined a Japanese bio-venture and worked for its international business and business development. He managed tasks such as product and technology licensing negotiations, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence process, project finance and business alliances – including the maintenance of license agreements and co-development partnerships – with overseas and domestic partners. He also supported various other departments such as production, R&D and quality assurance in procurement from and periodic quality audits of overseas vendors.

While innovating drugs for Japanese companies is challenging these days, Masayoshi could, fortunately, accumulate broad experience dealing with innovative biodrugs, biosimilars, cell and gene therapies as a member of an originator company, and also some chemical drugs, medical devices, and a vaccine. He also worked with mega pharma, academics, middle-size companies, start-ups, raw materials and production equipment suppliers and QC testing companies and learned diverse cultures and insights of each stakeholder.

Reflecting on his professional journey, Masayoshi now emphasizes the paramount importance of human relationships in business. He underscores that while decisions are typically rooted in logic, scientific justifications, and evidence, the role of emotions, intuition, and trust cannot be overlooked, especially in critical decision-making processes. With this in mind, he interacts with clients and colleagues to achieve long-term success.