New York, 07 November 2023 – Permira, the global private equity firm, today announced the appointment of Jeffrey Berkowitz as a Senior Adviser to its global Healthcare team.
Jeff brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the global healthcare industry, having held leadership roles at some of the world’s largest healthcare companies. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Real Endpoints, a leader in providing insights, support and tools to strengthen access to pharmaceutical innovations with a focus on value-based arrangements, patient services and market access support for pharmaceutical manufacturers and payors. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lundbeck A/S, Uniphar, Zealand Pharma, Click Therapeutics and also serves as the Chairman of PharmaTwoB.
Prior to joining Real Endpoints, Jeff's professional experience spanned the majority of key verticals in the global healthcare supply chain, with executive committee and senior leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Merck. At UnitedHealth Group / Optum, he led Optum’s international division as CEO whilst also driving key strategic initiatives within its pharmacy benefits management division, OptumRx.
Prior to this, Jeff was a member of the Executive Committee of the Walgreens Boots Alliance where he served as President of Pharma and Global Market Access. In this role, he was responsible for pharmaceutical company relationships, Rx procurement and inventory, as well as the company’s pricing and reimbursement strategies with all payors. Jeff also led Walgreens’ specialty pharmacy business with over $10 billion in revenue and 5,800 employees. An attorney by training, he began his career with the global law firm Proskauer, LLP.
At Permira, Jeff will work with teams across the globe, leveraging his extensive industry knowledge, global network, and sector expertise to support the firm’s investment activities and portfolio value creation.
Permira is one of the world’s most active investors in the healthcare sector, having deployed over €4 billion to partner with approximately 20 companies globally. Current investments from the Permira funds in the sector include Kedrion Biopharma, Neuraxpharm, Cambrex, Quotient Sciences, I-Med and Corin.
Laura O’Donnell, Healthcare Principal at Permira, said: “Jeff’s extensive experience and deep understanding of the healthcare industry will be invaluable as we continue to back innovative healthcare businesses globally, and in particular specialty pharma platforms as well as clinical and commercial services businesses serving biopharma end markets. We are excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to his contributions.”
Jeff Berkowitz added: “I am thrilled to join Permira, a firm known for its deep sector understanding and partnership philosophy. I look forward to working with the team to help management teams drive long-term value for Permira and its portfolio companies’ ultimate customers.”
Permira’s Senior Advisers help drive value by partnering with investment teams and management teams to both identify new opportunities and scale champions globally. Jeff’s appointment follows the recent appointments of healthcare experts David Floyd and Andy Eckert.