In this episode, I sat with Rob Perez, Operating Partner at General Atlantic, Founder and Chairman of Life Science Cares, and Co-Founder of BLOC: Biopharma Leaders of Color, and discussed his views of our industry, his key leadership learning, and the latest news from JP Morgan. Rob reflected on the pivotal role of culture in the success of companies and provided us with valuable insights on building authentic cultures that align with competitive strategies. We also talked about Life Science Cares, an organization and a collective effort of life science companies to eliminate the impacts of poverty. LSC leverages the extraordinary talent and passion of our biopharma industry to affect change and has had a tremendous impact on the communities it serves. We also delved into Rob’s optimism about the biotech industry’s rapid pace of innovation, increased capital availability, and potential groundbreaking advancements in the coming decade.
“Let’s harness the passion, enthusiasm, and compassion of our industry for a collective impact that transforms lives in our communities“
MEET OUR GUEST Rob Perez Operating Partner, General Atlantic, Founder and Chairman, Life Science Cares, Co-Founder, BLOC: Biopharma Leaders of Color.
Rob Perez is a biopharmaceutical operating executive with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. He is currently serving as an Operating Partner at General Atlantic, a global growth equity firm, providing strategic support and advice to the firm’s life sciences investment team and portfolio companies. Rob is also a member of the Board of Directors at Vir Bio, PathAI, Immunocore, Panther Rx and Third Harmonic Bio.
Rob is the Founder and Chairman of Life Science Cares, an organization that provides human and financial capital from the life sciences industry to the best non-profits working to alleviate the impact of poverty in the US. Life Science Cares now operates in Boston, San Diego, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Additionally, Rob is the co-founder of Biopharma Leaders of Color (BLOC), a community of leaders united to advance the success and access of under-represented people of color throughout the life sciences industry.
Rob also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
In 2022, Rob was selected by STAT News as one of 46 inaugural members of its’ STATUS List, which was described as “the most definitive and consequential accounting of leaders in health, medicine and science”.
Previously, Rob was the Chief Executive Officer of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a public pharmaceutical development company, when the company was acquired by Merck in January 2015. He joined Cubist in August 2003 as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, and led the launch of Cubicin® (daptomycin for injection). He also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and President prior to becoming CEO.
Before joining Cubist, he served as Vice President of Biogen, Inc.’s US CNS business unit, where he was responsible for commercial leadership of an $800 million business. He joined Biogen in 1995, and was one of the architects of the commercial model that launched the company’s first commercial product, AVONEX®.
Rob earned a B.S. in business from California State University, Los Angeles and an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Consider donating and helping Life Science Cares noble purpose: https://lifesciencecares.org/donate/
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Rob Perez
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. I am Naji, your host, honored to be joined today by Rob Perez. Rob is an Operating Partner at General Atlantic, providing strategic support and advice to the firm’s investment team and portfolio companies in the Life Sciences sector. Before joining General Atlantic in 2019, he was Managing Director of Vineyard Sound Advisors, LLC, an advisory practice focused on growth companies in…
