Karen Heim

Karen is an accomplished Global Executive with over 23 years of biopharmaceutical experience including leadership of Business Units, Global Brands and Government Affairs & Market Access across the US, Europe and Canada.

In her current role as Vice President and General Manager of Alexion Canada, she is responsible for all aspects of the commercial organization in Canada with the goal of transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases.

Prior to this role, Karen was based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA and led all aspects of global commercialization for a key inline brand within AstraZeneca’s Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolic division.  She worked closely with global markets to support the brand’s expanding global footprint and drive strong uptake to ensure patients can access and benefit from this treatment worldwide.

Before relocating to the USA, Karen was based in Stockholm, Sweden where she was the VP, Respiratory & Immunology and VP, Cardiovascular Renal & Metabolic in the Nordics where she led the management of both business units.  Karen was also previously the VP, Market Access, Government Affairs, Pricing, and Established Brands for AstraZeneca Canada where she played an integral role in strengthening market access capabilities, securing access for AstraZeneca’s expanding portfolio of medicines and building an understanding about the value of innovative medicines and contributions of the pharmaceutical sector to the Canadian healthcare ecosystem.

Her career before AstraZeneca included a series of commercial leadership roles within GlaxoSmithKline. Karen is a Professional Engineer and holds a Bachelor of Science in Materials and Metallurgical Engineering from Queen’s University and holds her Professional Engineering License from the province of Ontario. She lives in Oakville, Ontario with her husband and two children.