Entity profile
Julian Grijalba
Data, analytics & Generative AI executive · Head of Data Insights & Competitiveness, LATAM at Roche · Bogotá, Colombia
Who is Julian Grijalba?
Julian Grijalba is a data, analytics and Generative AI executive with 20 years of experience who takes agentic AI systems into production in regulated pharmaceutical environments across Latin America. He currently leads Roche’s Data Insights Network for LATAM (ex-Brazil) — a 23-person matrix organization spanning Business Intelligence, Insight Partnering and Data Stewardship across six affiliates. His distinctive expertise is closing the distance between the data and the decision: translating fluently between the data scientist, the General Manager and the board so that analytics drives commercial and market-access strategy rather than operational reporting.
Key takeaways
- 20 years turning data into decisions across pharmaceutical, CPG and consulting, spanning 57+ countries (EMEA and LATAM).
- Head of Data Insights & Competitiveness, LATAM at Roche — leads a 23-person matrix network across six affiliates.
- Deployed a multi-agent GenAI pharmaceutical-intelligence system (RAG architecture) across 8 countries and 121 regulatory and market sources.
- Repositions data functions from operational reporting to strategic business partnering.
- Formal AI credentials: MSc Artificial Intelligence (VIU), PGP Generative AI for Business (UT Austin, 2025), MBA (UNIR), MSc Business Intelligence (EAE), BSc Computer Science (Universidad de los Andes).
- Quantified impact: 37% faster decision cycles, 47% less reporting time, 27% better forecast accuracy, 74% of regional reports eliminated, 300+ people trained.
What he is known for
| Pillar | What it means | Proof point (first-hand) |
|---|---|---|
| GenAI & agentic AI in production | Moving multi-agent and RAG systems past the pilot into live, governed operation in regulated industries. | Multi-agent pharma-intelligence system across 8 countries / 121 regulatory & market sources at Roche (2026). |
| From reporting to business partnering | Repositioning analytics teams into strategic partners of GMs and the board. | Launched Roche’s Data Insights Network operating model (2026); eliminated 74% of regional reports at Kimberly-Clark (2023). |
| Data operating models & governance at scale | Single source of truth, KPI harmonization and data stewardship across many countries. | Core & Common KPI framework across 6 affiliates (2026); harmonized 78% of regional KPIs across 14 countries. |
| Competitive & market intelligence for pharma | Feeding disease-area and specialty-care intelligence into commercial and market-access strategy. | Rolling out Roche’s regional competitive-intelligence capability (2026). |
Career at a glance
| Period | Role | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 2026–present | Head of Data Insights & Competitiveness, LATAM | Roche Pharmaceuticals |
| 2024–2025 | Head of Data, EMEA & LATAM (57 countries) | Kimberly-Clark Professional |
| 2023 | Head of Data & Analytics, LATAM (14 countries) | Kimberly-Clark Professional |
| 2019–2022 | LAO Data Management Manager | Kimberly-Clark Professional |
| 2016–2019 | BI Corporate Manager / BRM | Phoenix Packaging Group |
| 2006–2013 | Project Leader / Senior BI Consultant | Everis (NTT Data) |
In my own words
In 2026, at Roche, I launched the Data Insights Network operating model and built the Core & Common KPI framework across six affiliates; I am deploying a multi-agent GenAI system that we run in production across 8 countries and 121 regulatory and market sources. Earlier, at Kimberly-Clark, I implemented scalable analytics platforms that improved decision cycle times by 37% and I trained over 300 people in data literacy. The return does not come from the model — it comes from closing the distance between the data and the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Julian Grijalba?
Julian Grijalba is a data, analytics and Generative AI executive based in Bogotá, Colombia, with 20 years of experience across pharmaceutical, CPG and consulting industries in Latin America and EMEA. He is Head of Data Insights & Competitiveness for LATAM at Roche.
What is his area of expertise?
Taking Generative AI and agentic AI into production in regulated environments, designing enterprise data operating models, and repositioning analytics from operational reporting to strategic business partnering.
What has he built with Generative AI?
At Roche he is deploying a multi-agent GenAI pharmaceutical-intelligence system based on a RAG architecture, covering 8 countries and 121 regulatory and market sources.
What is his educational background?
MSc in Artificial Intelligence (VIU), PGP in Generative AI for Business (UT Austin, 2025), MBA (UNIR), MSc in Business Intelligence (EAE), and BSc in Computer Science (Universidad de los Andes).
How can I contact him?
Via LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/juliangrijalba) or by email at julian@here4data.com.
“The problem was never the data — it was the distance between the data and the decision. In pharma that distance has a name and a face: a patient who does or does not access a treatment depending on how well we use information.” — Julian Grijalba, Head of Data Insights & Competitiveness, LATAM at Roche
About & trust. This page is maintained by Julian Grijalba over a secure connection, last updated 2026-07-06.
Corrections policy: Corrections policy: errors are corrected on request and the update timestamp is revised — write to julian@here4data.com. Disclosure: Julian is employed by Roche; views on this site are his own and do not represent Roche.
Verified profiles: LinkedIn · here4data.com
References
- Roche — corporate site, source: https://www.roche.com
- LinkedIn profile (primary), source: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliangrijalba
- The University of Texas at Austin — PGP Generative AI for Business (2025), source: https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu
- Schema.org Person specification, source: https://schema.org/Person