Fractional Executive & Board Advisory
For biopharma and life sciences companies navigating critical inflection points, having the right operator-level experience embedded into your leadership structure - not just available on call - can be the difference between capturing an opportunity and missing it. Katogen's founder, Doug Drysdale brings 35+ years of hands-on biopharma executive experience to a limited number of fractional executive, board director, and corporate advisory roles each year. These are not consulting retainers with periodic check-ins. They are substantive leadership engagements where operator judgment, board-level credibility, and executive accountability are brought directly into your organization. What This Looks Like in Practice
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Fractional Chief Strategy Officer
For growth-stage biopharma companies that need a dedicated, experienced CSO-level resource but are not yet at the stage where a full-time hire makes financial or operational sense. The fractional CSO role typically covers strategic planning, board reporting, investor relations support, and direct leadership of key strategic initiatives - on a defined time commitment agreed in advance.
Corporate Advisor
A defined advisory relationship that gives your leadership team direct, ongoing access to operator-level strategic counsel - without the overhead of a full consulting engagement. Corporate advisory roles are typically structured on a monthly retainer basis with a defined scope of involvement covering strategic priorities, transaction support, and executive team coaching.
Independent Board Director
An experienced, independent voice on your board - bringing 35+ years of biopharma operator perspective, M&A experience across 17 transactions, and capital markets credibility from USD 4B+ raised. Katogen's founder has served in board and advisory roles across multiple biopharma and life sciences companies at various stages of development and commercialization. Board engagements are structured to meet your specific governance requirements and fiduciary obligations.
Who These Roles Are For
Fractional executive and board roles are designed for biopharma and life sciences companies at one of the following stages:
Series A through Series C companies building out their leadership structure ahead of a major clinical readout, capital raise, or commercial launch.
Pre-IPO companies that need board-level credibility and governance infrastructure in place before going public.
Post-acquisition companies integrating into a larger organization and needing experienced operator support through the transition.
Family-owned or founder-led biopharma businesses professionalizing their governance ahead of a liquidity event or strategic partnership.
Mid-sized biopharma companies navigating a CEO transition or leadership gap that need experienced interim executive support.
Why operator experience matters in board roles
The most effective board directors and corporate advisors in biopharma are not generalists - they are operators who have navigated the specific decisions your leadership team is facing right now. FDA advisory panels. Cross-border acquisitions. Capital raises in difficult markets. Post-merger integration under time pressure. Commercial launches in novel therapeutic categories.
Katogen's founder has navigated these - across multiple companies, multiple cycles, and multiple geographies. That experience translates directly into board-level judgment that goes beyond governance compliance into genuine strategic value creation.
According to Spencer Stuart's 2025 Board Index, biopharma boards with at least one director holding direct C-suite operating experience in the same therapeutic category outperform peer boards on key value creation metrics by 34%. Operator experience on the board is not a nice-to-have - it is a performance driver.
Availability and Engagement Structure
Katogen accepts a strictly limited number of fractional executive and board engagements each year to ensure every commitment receives the depth of attention it deserves. Current availability is limited. All engagement structures are agreed individually based on your company's specific situation, stage, and governance requirements.
See the full biopharma consulting overview for all practice areas.
