DR. PIOTROWIAK LIFE SCIENCES INDUSTRY CONSULTING was established by Ralf Piotrowiak in 1998. Since then, our firm has been dedicated to serving pharmaceutical, animal health, biotech companies, medical device manufacturers, governments & agencies, as well as associations.
About Ralf Piotrowiak:
Ralf Piotrowiak's academic journey began with studies in Biology and Philosophy at the Universities of Muenster, Bochum, and Cologne. He earned his degree in Biology and subsequently pursued a doctoral program in molecular gene technology at the Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne.
In 1986, Ralf embarked on his professional career by joining QIAGEN as one of the very first employees. At that time QIAGEN has been one of the first European biotech startups. There, he served as R&D scientist & Product Manager and developed the QIAGEN tips and kits for nucleic acid purification.
By 1990, Ralf was appointed as the CEO of a biomedical-pharmaceutical company group, as well as an innovation and development center and a venture capital corporation.
In 1998, he ventured into self-employment and assumed the role of CEO & President of a prominent international drug-delivery company specialized in transdermal pharmacy based on liposomal and preliposomal proprietory technologies. Several products (e.g. Diclofenac 4% spray) were developed, clinically tested, internationally approved and licensed to WYETH, NOVARTIS, BAYER and other companies. Simultaneously, Ralf took charge of Health Care NRW e.V. for a remarkable 9-year tenure, leading an association that facilitated collaboration between companies and universities in the life sciences sector (pharma, biotech, medical devices) in close coordination with the state government.
In 2010, Ralf divested his shares in the drug-delivery company and has since dedicated his efforts to international management consulting, primarily focusing on the biopharmaceuticals industry. His clientele includes leading global pharmaceutical, biotech, animal health, and medical device companies, as well as family offices, consulting firms, and governments, including the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For more than 5 years Ralf has been working for BAYER as analyst in Scientific Competitive Intelligence.
From February 2022 until December 2025, Ralf has undertaken an exclusive role as a technology scout for the Center for Pandemic Vaccines and Therapeutics (CEPAI) at the Paul-Ehrlich Institute, an agency under the German Federal Ministry of Health.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Ralf is an avid paragliding and motorbike enthusiast. He is happily married and a proud father of three grown-up children.