With a career in pharma that spans more than two decades and three continents, Daniel Paksy stepped into the role of Managing Director for Greece and Romania at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine in February 2025, leading with an ethos grounded in purpose and a commitment to accountability, collaboration, and valuing diverse perspectives. In this interview to Business Partners, he talks about Johnson & Johnson’s mission, the company’s contributions to the Greek economy and healthcare system, and what it takes to ensure patient access to innovative therapies.
One of the most influential healthcare companies globally, Johnson & Johnson is on a mission to change the trajectory of health for humanity. How does this overarching purpose inform the company’s work and priorities?
At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personalized. Through our expertise, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow and profoundly impact health for humanity. We remain rooted in our credo, a set of values that guide our decisionmaking and challenge us to put the needs and wellbeing of the people we serve first, affirming our responsibility to patients, employees, and the communities in which we live and work.
Using rigorous science and compassion, we continuously work to develop therapeutic solutions for some of the most complex diseases of our time and unlock the medicines of tomorrow. Our diverse and innovative therapies portfolio spans multiple focus areas, including oncology, immunology, and neuroscience, where patient need is greatest.
Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to advancing equitable access to our therapies. In countries such as Greece, that means listening closely to local needs, adapting to local challenges, and building strong partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem to enhance public health. We are here to transform the future of health together, informed and inspired by the real-world experiences of patients and healthcare professionals.
We support Greece’s ambition to move from an ad hoc, cost-containment model to a strategic, investment-driven health policy
Tell us a bit about Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine’s activities in Greece and its part in transforming the local healthcare ecosystem.
The pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in advancing the Greek economy and strengthening the national health system, and Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is a part of this. Today, we employ close to 170 people locally, with specialized roles in medical affairs, market access, regulatory, commercial operations, and clinical research. They are highly talented individuals who are passionate about our work and serve our purpose and values with a great sense of belonging and with unwavering commitment to patient benefit.
We actively support Greece’s ambition to move from an ad hoc, cost-containment model to a strategic, investment-driven health policy, and we view the recently proposed framework agreement as a critical milestone towards that ambition. A framework agreement can serve as a foundation for longterm, transparent cooperation between the state and the pharmaceutical industry that secures the predictability and sustainability of the pharmaceutical ecosystem in Greece. It can become a shared platform for setting common priorities, attracting R&D investment, and ensuring timely patient access to innovation.
We are also strong advocates of forward-looking mechanisms such as the Innovation Fund, which represents a concrete step toward rewarding outcomes-based care and enabling faster access to breakthrough treatments.
Collaboration is at the heart of our approach. We work closely with the state, public institutions, healthcare providers, patient organizations, and industry bodies such as the Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SFEE), Pharma Innovation Forum (PIF) Greece, and the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. These partnerships are vital in driving forward structural reforms that improve access to innovative, life-saving therapies. We have been a trusted partner to the Greek healthcare system for the last 50 years, addressing patient needs, investing in local talent and research, and co-shaping a future where patients receive the right treatment at the right time, regardless of geography.
The future is about partnership, purpose, and progress
How is Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine investing in R&D in Greece, and how does this contribute to accelerating therapeutic breakthroughs and ensuring broader, more equitable access to care?
Greece has strong potential as a hub for clinical research, driven by its rich scientific expertise, a highly skilled medical community, and a growing focus on advancing innovation, which led us to establish our Global Clinical Operations Department here in 2024, reinforcing Greece’s position as a competitive player in the European life sciences sector. Our local Clinical Trials team consists of over 30 experts who conduct advanced clinical trials, strengthening our commitment both to scientific excellence and to advancing the local innovation ecosystem.
We are very pleased that in the past six months, we have managed to increase by more than 35% the number of local clinical trials, which span several key therapeutic areas including hematological malignancies, bladder cancer, lung cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Expanding clinical trials in Greece allows patients early access to cutting-edge therapies while promoting knowledge exchange and skill development among healthcare professionals. This supports the national economy and strengthens Greece’s position as a competitive destination for research and innovation within Europe. Our future investments, however, heavily depend on structural reforms not only in the area of clinical trials, where there is need for various improvements including accelerating startup timelines, but also to create an environment overall more attractive and accessible to innovation.
Sustaining progress in healthcare depends on a balanced, forward-looking pharmaceutical policy that is grounded in strategic clarity and longterm vision. To be effective, such a policy must ensure that innovation is adequately funded based on real population needs and the resources available within the system.
At the same time, it must be supported by meaningful structural reforms—particularly in how reimbursement processes are designed and implemented—so that barriers to access are reduced and resources can be deployed more efficiently across the system.
Digital transformation is another key enabler, helping improve operational efficiency and facilitating broader, more equitable patient access through smarter data use and connected care pathways.
As an industry, we share the collective responsibility to support and implement these priorities. Only by doing so can we ensure that investments in health continue to grow and evolve, expanding patient access to life-saving therapies, safeguarding the longterm viability of public health systems, and contributing to the broader wellbeing of our society.
You’ve held leadership roles across markets and business units. What have these experiences taught you about inspiring teams, innovating, and achieving results?
Throughout my career, across diverse markets and roles, I have realized firsthand the great impact from enhancing a culture where people feel genuinely valued and empowered to bring their best selves to work. By setting clear expectations and leading by example, I aim to inspire teams to embrace both high performance and shared purpose.
In a highly regulated, purpose-driven industry such as healthcare, it is critical to build a culture grounded in integrity, accountability, and shared ambition. Equally important is fostering open communication and cross-functional collaboration. Encouraging different perspectives and facilitating constructive dialogue enables us to navigate complex challenges more effectively and to innovate with greater confidence.
At the end of the day, my goal is to inspire teams to see the real impact of their work on patients’ lives. That’s the kind of culture I strive to build, one driven by purpose, sustained by trust. The future, to me, is about partnership, purpose, and progress. And I truly believe that under these core values, Greece can become not only a beneficiary of innovation but also a driver of it.
What role do partnerships play in boosting investment and innovation and transforming healthcare?
In complex environments such as Greece, where meaningful and lasting progress relies on shared responsibility, no single player can drive impact alone. This is why our collaboration with the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and its Pharmaceutical Companies Committee is so important. It offers a structured platform where industry, policymakers, and civil society can come together to shape a common vision.
Through these partnerships, we work to align stakeholders around shared priorities: optimizing efficiencies, generating savings for reinvestment, accelerating patient access to innovation, ensuring sustainable funding models, and fostering a regulatory environment that encourages investment in advanced therapies and clinical research. Together, we can shape a healthcare system in Greece that is more resilient, innovative, and capable of meeting the evolving needs of patients and society.
