Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to “Spread Love in Organizations”, a podcast for purpose-driven healthcare leaders, striving to make life better around the world by leading their teams with genuine care, servant leadership, and love.
Naji Gehchan: I’m Naji, your host, joined today by Karim Benadji, Chief Medical Officer at Inspirno.
Karim has nearly 20 years of experience in biopharmaceutical oncology drug development and most recently served as chief medical officer at GV20 Therapeutics. He previously served as senior vice president head of clinical development and operations for At IO oncology, where he oversaw the development of early and late phase portfolio assets, including the FDA approval of lead Gobi in collateral carcinoma and the phase three sunlight that led to the FDA approval of long serve in combination with the vaccine.
Bifacizumab in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Prior to joining Tayo Oncology, Karim spent 13 years with Eli Lilly in oncology development roles of increasing responsibility, including overseeing several immuno oncology programs. Karim received his MD from the University of Oran and completed his oncology fellowship in the Universities of Oran and Paris.
He also received a Master of Science in Pharmacology and Therapeutics in Oncology from the University of Paris. Karim, it’s so great to see you again and have you with me today.
Thank you for the invitation, Nadji. Pleased to be here today.
Naji Gehchan: I would love first to hear more about your personal story. What brought you to medicine first and now being an executive in the biotech industry?
Karim Benhadji: Yeah, so it’s really an interesting question. So I was born and raised in Algeria. I grew up there and when I was really in school, uh, also including in high school, I was really, I had a passion for math, for science, biology, but also computer science. At the end of high school, I was really wondering what to do and I had really strong attraction to technology, uh, computer science, and you had to make a, to make a choice at the time.
And I opened myself to, to suggestion that medicine might. The, uh, good option for me because I like science, uh, because in the field you have research and so on. Um, but I didn’t really know much about it, uh, at the time. But I took really the risk to say, okay, let’s try medicine and see what could happen.
And I really loved it there. So I did my, um, I got my medical degree and then the question after that was, Okay, What specialty to pick up, right? Oncology at the time was really a confidential specialty, uh, not many options for patients at the time. And I had the opportunity to discuss with oncologist, oncologist that got, uh, uh, her specialty, uh, just around that time.
And I said, okay, this might be a really interesting. So let’s go there and see. And really, really quickly when I started my residency in oncology, I really loved it. I mean, I mean, you have really sick patient, you’re taking care of them, but you have the aspect that the field is really evolving very quickly.
You have the research aspect that you are really trying to look for innovation, new solutions for patients. So I really loved that. And I said, okay, this is really, I really, I really like it. And, uh, I would continue in this field. So I continued that and then, uh, moved after that to France to continue my training in oncology.
And because of a research aspect in oncology, I went to the lab and then spent one year in lab doing research. So that was a really, uh, passion for me, really research and looking for new, for innovation for patients. And after that, I was really facing dilemma what to do going back to, uh, clinical practice, uh, doing a PhD after the master, or I got randomly a cold call from a recruiter who was looking for physicians to go to industry.
And then I was introduced an opportunity for Lily to be a clinical research physician. And then I went Entered the industry at the time, I was really curious about industry because as physicians we’re not really export the industry. Your exposure is at most through, at the time through sale reps. Um, we don’t know really what was like black box.
I wonder with the idea. Okay. I, we spend there couple of years and see how it goes. And, and again, I love that Lily really gave me the opportunity to really learn about drug development in the industry. Uh. Got, uh, exposure, uh, to a local experience in France, regional experience in Europe, and then global experience later.
Uh, experience in medical affairs, late stage development, early stage development. So really great career, uh, at Lely that, uh, I really learned everything about drug development there. After nearly 13 years, after a little bit over 13 years as at Lely, the question, okay, what to do next? Um, as a drug developer, you’re to get a new drug, uh, approved for patients.
And I was introduced to an opportunity at Thai Oncology at the time to lead a team, build a team, but also, uh, to get a drug to the finish line like COBE, uh, that was later approved. And, uh, In try parts of Columbia, Katina, GFR to rearrangements. Uh, so that was the key driver where to go to Taiho ecology to get a drug approved.
And I was really glad that I had an opportunity with, uh, that could be approval, but also line extension for long serve in combination with the message in map and Colorado Council. I was able to build. Great team and also got exposed to a different set set up in the pharmaceutical industry, not a big pharma smaller size.
Uh, so you have less expertise in house. Uh, you have also a different style of decision making. Uh, so that was a really great experience and that drove me really to go. We should really further to go smaller organizations. So I, you know, Took the leap and then, uh, to take a job as a CMO in a small biotech and then changed recently to be the Chief Medical Officer at, uh, Inspir now.
So that, that’s really my journey. I really love and I have passion for drug development and bringing innovation for patients.
Naji Gehchan: Well, thanks for sharing this. And, uh, you’ve, you’ve finished it with the framing of your purpose, which is developing and bringing those, uh, medicines for patient. And it’s, we both know it’s hard.
Biology, it’s hard and having the opportunity to take an asset from early to late phase and getting it in patients hands at the end, making it the medicine is super hard. And you’ve done it, um, Early, late, small, big pharma from France, Europe, U. S., like in very different settings. Uh, what is your key learning through all those experiences, uh, building teams, as you said, and developing drug and oncology to get them to market?
Is there any key learning you would, you would give us?
Karim Benhadji: I mean, yeah, diversity. I mean, you, um, I mean, we come, we are all different, right? Even within the same family, people are really different. And, uh, you get exposed to different culture, different way of working, uh, um, different opinions, styles, and then even within companies and then even in the same country, you see a really different style.
So I think that fascinating aspect where you see different cultures, uh, you, Europe, uh, uh, U. S. Or Asia.
I
Karim Benhadji: always really loved it because it’s really you’re trying really to make your case and to bring people together from different cultures, different backgrounds together for a common purpose. That’s what I really love that aspect that we have that opportunity in Pharma to do it because we work almost globally to bring solutions for patients.
Naji Gehchan: I love it. Like you went immediately, you didn’t go into science and the technical aspect of drug development or clinical operations. You went into people and bringing diverse cultures together on a common purpose. So can you share a little bit more? Because my next question would have been leadership skills that you learned.
So I’d love for you to share a little bit more. What have you developed as leadership skill or the skill you look, uh, as a CMO to build in your team? Um, through through your journey.
Karim Benhadji: Yeah. So so we you don’t get any training about leadership, really. And when you’re really early in your career, you say, okay, oh, the CEO is really the leader.
When you talk when you hear about leadership is you’re really looking really behind. See, who is the general manager? Uh, those are the leaders of the company. But really, with time, you realize that. And then you learn that everyone can be really, really a leader. You don’t need to be a manager to be a leader.
Uh, you can be an individual, uh, contributor and then be a really leader. It’s really to bring people together, uh, and then, uh, working together for common purposes, we discussed, um, for leadership for me is really about being authentic. So we are really empowering others, bringing. People together, but you, you need to be a really authentic.
I mean, you can fake it. People will, will realize that even if they don’t tell you that if you’re, if you are high up. So I think authenticity, being humble, uh, being sometimes vulnerable and then, um, really trying to bring people together and telling them why we are doing this, because at the end of the day, it’s really for patients.
I mean, we all have. Being exposed to patients maybe, uh, directly in as an MD, but also, uh, hit by cancer in family and so on. So it’s really personal and then patients with cancer, I mean, if it’s advanced, they can’t wait really. And every day that we lose in bureaucracy or, uh, making a decision, it has an impact ultimately for patients.
So bringing that also perspective, uh, to everyone is really important.
Naji Gehchan: If you go back in time. to, uh, when you graduated from med school oncology, you went into research in the labs and then you joined pharma and biotech. What would be the advice you’d give your younger self
or something you wish you knew or acted on as you started your career? Yeah,
Karim Benhadji: I think I change over time and I think, uh, probably taking more risks. Because, I mean, culturally, I was probably not open to more risks, uh, as I am today. Uh, so, um, so I took some risks early on in my career, but, uh, I think really being more open for, uh, taking more risks.
Not meaning that you jump over right and left, but, uh, and then also being open to different perspectives, uh, early on. That would be my advice to my young self. Well,
Naji Gehchan: now if we look forward with the different, uh, drug you developed within the oncology overall, obviously it’s one of, um, the places where we’re seeing a lot of innovation, a lot of investment, and we just chatted briefly about, uh, the landscape these days.
What are you most excited about in the next decades for patients living with cancer?
Karim Benhadji: It’s really innovation. I think when I look back 20 years ago when I was just fresh, uh, young oncologist and today, I mean, the number of options, the changes that occurred for patients. I mean, patients are really, uh, took advantage of that, but we still have a lot of things to do.
Uh, I think you see innovation with precision medicine. That’s something. you have not dreamed of, uh, 20 years ago. So I expect that to continue and with, uh, precision medicine, giving access to patients because we have innovative tools right now, but not everyone really have access to those. And then it depends.
Where you are, uh, depends, uh, uh, if you are lucky to have the big center next to you and then access to those therapeutic, uh, options. We have seen a tremendous, um, opportunities with cell based therapies. Uh, so I expect that innovation will continue, uh, in, in those fields. I mean, the artificial intelligence will bring also, uh, new opportunities.
I think it’s I’m always, I call myself, um, a realistic optimist. So I’m really optimistic. I realize that 90 percent of what we do, we go to trash bin. However, in the process we learn a lot and then we make progress to patient. And sometimes it feels just small, but when you add up all the different, uh, Options that would be really, uh, great options for patients.
We see right now, uh, ready from a suppose a D. C. S. So, you know, ecology has, uh, just love these days. Uh, who knows? You will might get surprised in the future. So expect that innovation will come from areas that we are familiar with, but also it can come from. Uh, something that we are completely blind to right now.
Naji Gehchan: Yeah, and you know, as you were sharing your, um, when you were, you know, in Algeria, thinking about your future, you talked a lot about computer science and you love tech, and I was thinking, like, oh, this is the moment, you know, like this is, this is where the full circle is happening with tech coming in. So you shared a little bit about, Obviously, like everyone talks about AI, but really about like computational capabilities and what we can do with this from a drug development to discovery to, uh, any, any thought about this and how, um, the intersection about computing and biology might take us in the next years.
Karim Benhadji: Yeah, I think a lot of companies, a lot of labs are working right now about integration of AI and cancer discovery, basically identifying targets, but AI in order to work, you need really a lot of information, machine learning, and then build your model. And then, uh, so I think. Still have a way to go, but I think it can be there particularly if you use it for chemistry or identifying targets.
But at the end of the day, you still have to do the experiment to see if that works. Uh, so I expect also AI will help a little bit to make our life easier when you do clinical development and clinical trials. Uh, and also earlier on when you do, uh, uh, early discovery. That’s a way to go.
Naji Gehchan: Oh yeah. I fully agree.
And this is, this is the. where humility kicks in. Biology certainly humbles us once you do the experiment and get it into humans. Um, but yeah, exciting future ahead. I’m going to give you now a word and I would love your reaction to it. So the first one is leadership.
Karim Benhadji: So, yeah, I already mentioned it. I mean, the first word is really authentic.
Um, so you got to be a really authentic, uh, as a leader. And then you need really to have a mission that’s clear for you and then, uh, communicating to people. And it’s really as a leader up to you, really. to go to people and explain. Don’t expect people just will read your mind and understand the mission.
So it’s, it’s really, uh, you are here to serve the people, uh, and then get them going in the same direction and with the same speed, uh, toward the mission.
Naji Gehchan: The next one is drug development. For me, it’s the passion.
Karim Benhadji: That’s my first reaction. Um, drug development is really a long, can be painful process. Um, and I said already that in oncology specifically, a high rate of attrition.
But you need really to keep optimism because in the process, you might have a few patients, even if the drug is not working. And you need to Find joy in in simple things. I mean, initiating a trial way. That’s a big celebration. I’m getting a database log. That’s a good celebration. At the end of the day, you design experiments.
You need to execute them and get the results because we owe that to patients. If you start a trial, you have really a question that you want to address, and then you’ve got to execute it. So a lot of things. I mean, people really talk about child development about. We design, uh, trials, we design, you know, designs and so on.
But at the end of the day, once you do that, you need to execute that. If you don’t execute it, you won’t get the answer to the question that, uh, uh, you are asking yourself.
Naji Gehchan: Uh, I love that you’re bringing this because it’s, it’s so true, right? Like we always are excited, which is normal, right? With intellectual Part of drug development, designing trials, thinking about it, the probability of success, but obviously the discipline and how we execute.
And this is the long part, as you said, of making sure that you get, you get things done well executed for the patients where we’re serving is crucial. Uh, and you also reminded us, I think it’s always important to remember that few of those experiments actually end up with a drug being, becoming a medicine for patients.
And that’s truly the humbling piece of what you do every day, what we do every day. We, we celebrate The successful drugs, but also we should not forget to celebrate those who are advanced science, but probably couldn’t bring the, uh, the last phase three child for it to become a medicine. And so it’s, it’s a great reminder that you’re bringing, I don’t know if you have any examples or how you led your teams through this, because I think like those are the big parts of the biotech word that we live through.
We, we work years and sometimes it go and it’s great. And sometimes it Does not so I don’t know if you have any, uh, yeah, I think you’ve got
Karim Benhadji: to be optimistic. And then even when everything is really failing or you’ve got to bring that optimism to the teams and then have the team see the positive things and not focus on the negative things because things will go wrong all the time, but you need to have people say, okay, We, we, we, we got some negative things, but, uh, we are really marching toward our mission and then help the team see the positive things.
Um, at the end of the day, I mean, it’s really a process. Uh, I think people want positive outcome. That’s not always the case. It’s it’s really more the exception rather than the rule. Uh, and then helping people really understand that even if it’s a failure for the outcome of trial, we have patients at the end.
I mean, patient, they come with hope. Sometimes we had a few of them and then. Even if there is that small piece, I can see that. And then, uh, that’s really brings, uh, energy to the team. Say, okay, this is why we are doing it. Uh, and then we have those people in the process. If it’s positive, everyone is happy.
Naji Gehchan: Oh, totally. And as you said, like we, we really don’t control the outcome, actually. Like we can. design optimized, but really we control the execution and bringing a high, um, high quality data with, uh, integrity that we’re all committed to in this industry to answer the scientific questions we’re asking and making sure that we’re focusing on what we can control.
And then the other uncontrollable are really part of. The experiment itself. So what
Karim Benhadji: I say is really towards is really speed and quality. I mean, you’re in the quality, but it has to occur really quickly.
Naji Gehchan: Yeah. So the third one is, uh, somehow related, uh, biotech, uh,
Karim Benhadji: biotech. So it’s really an interesting world.
And, um, because
You have
Karim Benhadji: the concentration of really in a small environment of really everything. I mean, you have the science, you have the business, you have drug development in between, and then you have to juggle with everything. So it can be really overwhelming for people, uh, but can be also exciting because you will Uh, do very different things.
Really in the same day, you can interact with investors, the board, and, uh, you are still doing drug development. You talk about science, and you can still, at the same time, you have to fix the copier because no one will fix it for you. You have to do things yourself. So I think the, the biotech wise is really, uh, fascinating.
Uh, you get really, uh. Positive experience there, if you like it, and not everyone would really like it. Uh, you got to do things that you have done so many years back in your career. Um, you might not do it as well. Uh, you won’t have also the expertise that you’ll find in big pharma or midsize organizations.
And, uh, you need to admit that you can’t know it all. And if you need to find expertise outside when you need to, so it’s, it’s really a great, um, experience and it can be stressful because right now the environment for biotechs, uh, is, uh, is very stressful in order of, uh, raising funds. And then, uh, that’s, that’s, uh, complicated for the field right now.
The last one is spread love and organizations.
Karim Benhadji: Yeah, so that’s a really interesting one. So when I saw , your, the title of your podcast, I mean, first time. Okay. Oh n It’s really interesting because it’s really bored, uh, ’cause people don’t talk about really loving organizations. Right. Uh, but when you think about it, I really like, um, the bold approach that you’re taking it because at the end of the day.
I you need really to take care of patients, take care of all your people surrounding you to help the patients and you need really some love in the process. Otherwise it’s not going to work. Uh, so you can call it differently, but, uh, I think that’s really important. And then, uh, we want really to work together for a common mission and you can’t achieve that without love.
Naji Gehchan: Well, thank you for that, Karim. Any final word of wisdom for leaders around the world?
Karim Benhadji: Be positive, believe in your mission, um, and, uh, take care of the people, uh, that, uh, surround you and help you, and then you will find success in the process.
Naji Gehchan: Well, thank you so much again for being with me today and this great chat.
Karim Benhadji: Thank you for the invitation.
Naji Gehchan: Thank you all for listening to Spread Love and Organizations podcast.
Naji Gehchan: Thank you all for listening to SpreadLove in Organizations podcast. Drop us a review on your preferred podcast platform
Follow us on LinkedIn and connect with us on spreadloveio.com. We’re eager to hear your thoughts and feedback. Most importantly, spread love in your organizations and spread the word around you to inspire others and amplify this movement, our world so desperately needs