CEO Corner

I have had the opportunity to experience and contribute to the thriving life sciences industry in Massachusetts, and I can say that it has all of the components needed to ultimately bring new treatments forward for patients.

Being an innovator is not for the faint of heart. Failure is a natural part of the innovation process, and you need to be comfortable with it and embrace it.

My 25+ years in this industry have provided me with unique insights into partnership development strategy and how to leverage this knowledge even amidst a global pandemic.

We have continued to recruit senior leadership and board members during these difficult times, and we are seeing new interviewing and hiring practices evolve. Here are a few of our lessons we’ve learned.

“Culture” has gone from being a buzzword to a commonplace term in the last several years, and if a company isn’t careful, it can become almost meaningless as it's tossed around in documents and HR discussions.

Our industry has an opportunity — an obligation really — to harness and improve upon the efforts made over the last few months to formalize a new operating model utilizing all of the clinical, digital, and pharmacological tools at our disposal to raise the standard of care for people well into the future.

I would argue that if biotech organizations, at the R&D stage in particular, cannot successfully manage their communications practices, they are much more likely to fail regardless of the merits of their innovative technology or ability to secure funding.

Before making my decision, I needed to evaluate whether I was ready to face the unique challenges posed by biotech life. That’s why I thought it prudent to screen potential opportunities using a five-part framework.

While strategic leadership during times of transition and transformation can be especially challenging, consistently prioritizing organizational goals and strategies is paramount to success.

Today, as we strive to be adaptive and productive during the pandemic, leaders can play an important role in “normalizing” the unthinkable and leading with authenticity and truth has never been more important.