Pressure Points

There’s never been anything easy about running a life sciences company. But as guest author Ken Banta illustrates in the September issue of Pharmaceutical Executive, the degree of difficulty looks particularly high right now.

Drawing on a Vanguard Network survey of 33 biotech, medtech and other life sciences executives, Banta, Vanguard’s founder and CEO, offers a revealing look at what’s keeping CEOs up at night in 2026. At the top of the list, perhaps not surprising in the startup and emerging biotech worlds, is capital. More than three-quarters of respondents cited attracting investors or partners as a priority, while R&D strategy, regulatory uncertainty and commercialization pressures followed close behind.

What struck me, though, is how intertwined these challenges have become. CEOs aren’t raising capital in one lane and making pipeline, regulatory or commercial decisions in another. Each decision affects the next — and many are being made under extraordinary time pressure. In fact, 75% of respondents, according to Vanguard’s findings, said their most pressing issue required attention within the next quarter, if not the next 30 to 60 days.

That points to another compelling insight surfaced: Who helps the CEO navigate all of this? For those leaders seeking outside support, the strongest preference wasn’t another formal consulting engagement. It was a trusted sounding board — someone who understands the context, the pressure and the weight of the decisions.

Banta’s message is a timely one. In an environment moving this quickly, having the right people around you isn’t a luxury, but rather, as CEO sentiment is increasingly showing, part of the infrastructure good leadership requires. I invite you to dig into all the survey data inside.

As always, thanks for reading.

Mike Hennessy Jr. is Chairman and CEO of MJH Life Sciences^®