5 Minute a-connect General 02/09/2026

A commercial transformation expert that clients keep coming back to

Germar Betz is an a-connect consultant who has spent close to three decades helping life sciences companies turn commercial strategy into working reality. First within a global strategy consulting team, and for more than a decade as an independent consultant, he has built his career around pharma commercial transformation, customer focus, and hands-on delivery.

Through a-connect, clients gain access to consultants like Germar: senior experts who bring deep functional experience, collaborate closely with internal teams, and know how to translate ideas into practical outcomes. His recent AI-supported patient insight work is one example of how our model creates value, combining independent senior judgment with new analytical possibilities.

We spoke with Germar about his path into consulting, what makes client collaboration meaningful, and why small, well-placed ideas can create real commercial impact.

Can you provide a brief synopsis of your professional background?

Germar:

“With a background in business and computer science, I have collected extensive experience in consulting, both in Europe and the US. Since 2000, I have worked almost exclusively for life sciences clients. As principal in the Life Sciences Strategy team of Capgemini Consulting, I was for example globally responsible for its pharma product launch offering.

Since 2012, I have worked independently as a freelance consultant and interim manager, with a focus on commercial organizations in life sciences. Working closely with my clients, I foster co-creation and collaboration, and bring a hands-on mindset to make sure things get done. My sweet spot is applying the experience I have gathered to act as project or program manager – and, when needed, fire-fighter – to drive important transformation projects.

Over 75% of my engagements come from repeat customers, which is the metric I am most proud of, because it is the most honest praise I can get from my clients.”

What brought you into consulting versus working in-house?

Germar:

“I am a delivery guy, helping important strategies come to life is what drives me. In-house, you own one brand, one organization, and one set of dynamics for years at a time. As an external consultant, I am constantly deployed on the initiatives that matter for the future of the business. That focus keeps me motivated and the work sharp.

Of course, there are merits to knowing a company well. By working multiple months, even years with a single customer, I often can combine the best of both worlds.”

What motivates you most about working with a-connect and our clients?

Germar:

“I care about collaboration that is real, where the client’s team and I are building something together, not just handing off a deliverable. The best concept is not worth a dime if it ends up documented in a binder on a shelf. a-connect has a strong focus on this kind of collaboration and a long-term perspective, both towards its clients and its independent consultants – just a perfect match.”

Do you have a particular highlight or “win” from working with an a-connect client?

Germar:

“Sure, and instead of pointing to one of the big, complex initiatives, I would rather share a small episode from an engagement that I am very fond of. While working with the sales management team of a major pharma company to set up localized business planning, I noticed that a key piece of information, suitable patients across a variety of indications, was only available nationally, not locally.

Together with my key client counterpart, and without the formal mandate, we leveraged AI to build a district-level prevalence model based on publicly available information. The model quickly caught management’s attention. It not only created additional insights for local planning, but also showed how quickly a focused, AI-supported approach can turn available data into practical business value.

For me, this also showed that in the age of AI, you do not need a big consulting back office to generate superior insights. A smart team with a clear understanding of what is needed to create value is sufficient.”

Read the full case study on how lean AI makes Patient Data commercially useful here.

When you’re not consulting, what’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

Germar:

“One of the things I have always been passionate about is travelling. Experiencing different cultures and nature firsthand is very rewarding and eye-opening. I have taken advantage of the project-based nature of my work to take longer breaks between engagements several times, simply to travel; twice even around the world.

I carry those memories with me: kids laughing while playing football on a beach in Africa; a sea lion approaching me as I sit on a beach, sniffing my knee, then moving on; a parrot flying after my son into our caravan. It is the counterweight to how deliberately I work when I am on a mandate, long stretches of genuinely stepping away make me better at the intense stretches of consulting in between.”

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