Sebastien Bals

Judge
DISC Type : Dc

Chief Procurement Officer at Takeda

Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Overview

Sebastien Bals is the Chief Procurement Officer at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, leveraging extensive global experience from leadership roles at Merck and UCB. An alumnus of Harvard Business School, he focuses on procurement excellence and building high-performing teams. Colleagues describe him as a wise, professional, and self-motivated negotiator.

He is passionate about sustainability, serving as an Ambassador for The Sustainable Procurement Pledge to champion environmental and social causes. Sebastien thrives on building strong relationships and applies his leadership philosophy not just in business, but also on the hockey pitch, showing a passion for the sport.

Unique fact: He explicitly connects his leadership style between the corporate boardroom and the hockey pitch, highlighting a versatile approach to team strategy.

Personality Overview

Objective Thinker

Quality Focused

Demanding

They put a lot of effort into ensuring personal success.  They are less concerned about the product and more about its potential impact. They respond better to strong and respectful interactions.

Topics They Care About

Sustainable Procurement
A core tenet of his professional mission. He is an Ambassador for The Sustainable Procurement Pledge, aiming to elevate procurement's sustainable impact.
Procurement Transformation
He has a proven track record of redesigning procurement functions, such as the "Procurement Engine" concept he developed to enhance agility and value.
Digital Innovation
Actively leverages new digital solutions to improve processes and is an enthusiastic attendee of technology-focused conferences like DPW Amsterdam.

Media Appearances

751: Extinction or Opportunity – What is Procurement's Destiny? (featuring Sébastien Bals, Chief Procurement Officer, Takeda). Featured in Spotify

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Procurement's Great Enabler – Unlocking Potential with AI and Digital (featuring Sébastien Bals, CPO, Takeda). Featured in Spotify

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Work History

1-2026
Chief Procurement Officer at Takeda
4-2020
Ambassador at The Sustainable Procurement Pledge
9-2023 - 12-2025
EVP, Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) at Merck Group
9-2019 - 9-2025
Advisory Board Member at Procurement Leaders
6-2017 - 9-2023
Chief Procurement Officer at UCB

Education

2020 - 2020
Executive Education from Harvard Business School
2020 - 2021
Strategic Intent from IMD

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 13 Location : Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Job Level : Leadership Designation : Chief Procurement Officer at Takeda

Interested in

Sports

hockey

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Insights For Selling To Sebastien

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship
  • Make sure that you circle back fast on any action items, it wins their trust
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk

DONT's

  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them
  • Don’t be in a rush to invite them for a social meet and greet
  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Sebastien is

  • Conviction around the impact matters the most to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Sebastien

  • If they are not convinced, they will say no without any hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Sebastien move?

  • If convinced, they can reach decisions quite fast.
  • Can Sebastien take some risk or not?

  • They do not shy away from taking risks, but can be quite binary about them.

You And Sebastien

Personality Compatibility


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