General Manager, Japan - Life Sciences & Diagnostics

Hartmann Young is partnering with a leading global organization providing laboratory testing, research, and support services to clients across diverse industries. With expertise spanning Diagnostics, Environmental, Pharmaceutical, and Life Sciences sectors, the company works with global and local partners to ensure safety, quality, and regulatory compliance.The General Manager for Japan will lead and oversee operations across four business units, comprising approximately 110 employees. This position carries full P&L responsibility and plays a critical role in driving growth, operational excellence, and cross-business collaboration. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership, foster commercial development, and ensure organisational alignment with both global and regional objectives. This is a highly visible role requiring strong financial and operational management expertise, underpinned by a proven ability to lead and inspire people-focused teams.ResponsibilitiesDevelop and execute a clear growth strategy for the Japan organization, ensuring alignment with regional and global priorities.Manage all financial aspects of the business, including budgeting, forecasting and performance optimisation across four business units.Drive operational excellence by overseeing the delivery of high-quality laboratory and analytical services, maintaining efficiency, compliance and customer satisfaction.Lead, motivate, and develop a diverse team of scientific, commercial & operational professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.Represent the Japan business within the Asia-Pacific leadership structure, building and maintaining strong relationships with key clients, partners and stakeholders.Uphold the highest standards of compliance and quality, ensuring adherence to global quality frameworks, accreditation requirements and local regulatory standards.ExperienceBA degree minimum in a Life Sciences-related field.10-15 years of progressive leadership experience within a multinational environment.Demonstrated success in managing multi-unit operations with full P&L accountability.Background in Diagnostics, Genomics or related scientific sectors.Strong financial acumen with a solid understanding of commercial performance and strategic decision-making.Proven ability to lead, engage, and develop teams, fostering a high-performance and people-oriented culture.Commercially astute, with the ability to identify and capitalise on new market opportunities to drive sustainable growth.Fluent in both Japanese and English.Please reach out to me for a confidential discussion to learn more on oskar.bednarczyk@hartmannyoung.com