Executive Profiles

Lisa LeCointe-Cephas, SVP, chief ethics and compliance officer and office of general counsel, human health, Merck, uses her unique style of leadership—stop, drop, and roll—while elevating voices that need to be heard.

From public defender to spearheading the adoption of innovative drugs, Wendy Short Bartie, senior VP and general manager for the hematology and cell therapy division at Bristol Myers Squibb, has remained a steadfast patient advocate—working to fulfill unmet medical needs and bring treatments to as many people as possible.

COMPASS Pathways’ CEO, Kabir Nath, has a clear vision for psychedelics—and is leading the way with the company’s focus on psilocybin and efforts to separate the science from the hype.

Jag Dosanjh, president of US neuroscience and eye care for AbbVie and HBA’s 2023 honorable mentor of the year, shares what leadership qualities are most important in today’s “people industry”—and the impact more voices can make in stakeholder communication and messaging.

Ahead of ASCO and BIO, Michael Bailey CEO of AVEO Oncology, discusses the company becoming an LG Chem subsidiary and the future for drug development in the combined entity.

How the pivot to corporate development became a natural fit for the once-destined scientist. (The story of Natasha A. Hernday, chief business officer of Seagen and a 2023 Emerging Pharma Leader.)

Driving commercial growth and patient access and empowerment in women’s health. (The story of Simon Holland, vice president, women's health commercial lead, for Organon and a 2023 Emerging Pharma Leader.)

The recipe for cross-functional collaboration in drug development. (The story of Justin To, chief operating officer, skeletal dysplasias and gene therapy, for Bridge Bio and a 2023 Emerging Pharma Leader.)

Chronicling one leader’s call to duty in dermatology. (The story of Frank Watanabe, president and CEO of Arcutis Biotherapeutics and a 2023 Emerging Pharma Leader.)

Scientist-turned-entrepreneur steers efforts to transform approaches in tissue regeneration. (The story of Hanadie Yousef, PhD, co-founder and CEO of Juvena Therapeutics and a 2023 Emerging Pharma Leader.)

Christi Shaw, this year’s Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Woman of the Year, stays true to her beliefs—and life mission—of helping others.

Co-Founder and CEO John Oyler discusses the business decisions BeiGene makes to grow its pipeline and address drug pricing and access.

Chronicling Davidek Herron’s career crossover from playing professional basketball to leading Roche’s digital transformation and scale-up efforts—and the team lessons learned along the way.

Starting out with limited pharma business knowledge, how the lessons learned and realizations made helped to forge a destined—and globe-spanning—leadership path for Christophe Bourdon, where today, as CEO of LEO Pharma, he is tasked with steering the longtime company’s return to profitability.

Pharm Exec details the career of Rajesh K. Rajpal, MD, the chief medical officer and global head of clinical and medical affairs at J&J Vision.

Natalie Bickford, chief people officer at Sanofi, reveals how she approaches the employee experience, which ultimately influences employee retention, and discusses the importance of a corporate DE&I strategy in those efforts.

Kimberly Moran, head of rare diseases in the US for UCB, started off working in medicine but quickly learned the importance of the business side of industry—and its role in helping improve the diagnosis and access paths for underserved patient segments.

Christi Shaw, CEO of Kite, is working hard to bring cell therapy to the masses, fueled by her family’s personal experiences with cancer.

Bristol Myers Squibb commercial head Chris Boerner believes a straightforward formula is the best formula in advancing innovation and developing talent in today’s complex healthcare climate—an approach he roots in authenticity and “not over engineering,” whether tackling business or culture.

Pharm Exec catches up with longtime Merck international business leader Kevin Ali to find out how Organon, the ambitious Merck spinoff he formed just over a year ago, has fared so far in delivering on its mission of creating a global leader and difference-maker in women’s health.

Marie-France Tschudin, president, innovative medicines international, and chief commercial officer at Novartis, taps into life lessons to help bring therapies to people in novel ways­.

Dealing with discrimination and bias throughout her career, Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s Christine Sakdalan has forged a strong leadership path built around a two-pronged mission—finding true meaning in the patient journey through market research and data analytics, and mentoring and supporting the development of today’s aspiring professionals.

Tremeau CEO Bradford Sippy strikes a new chord with revival of old blockbuster drug—modifying it as a unique treatment for orphan hemophilia condition.

The stages of a career well-spent in advancing healthcare innovation.

Amid pandemic, leader helps build ‘commercial startup’ from the ground up.