Tag Archives: customer experience

Ask the Big Questions – Melanie Ivarsson

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Ask the Big Questions - Melanie Ivarsson
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In this episode, we chatted with Melanie Ivarsson, Chief Development Officer at Moderna, who led teams in times the world was anxiously waiting for them to deliver us a hope with Covid Vaccine… and they did. How did they achieve this? How do you lead in such unprecedented times? How do you ensure this sense of purpose continues to live today? Hear all about those stories and about Melanie’s biggest leadership learning throughout this once-in-a-lifetime experience: Enable others to be the best they can be, and don’t get in their way.

“Hang on to your true self.”

MEET OUR GUEST Melanie Ivarsson Chief Development Officer at Moderna.

Melanie Ivarsson is Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer at Moderna, where she leads the Clinical Development Operations department. In this role Dr Ivarsson and her team deliver all clinical programs within the Moderna portfolio.

Melanie has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Moderna, she was Head of Global Clinical Operations, at Takeda (following the acquisition of Shire) and spent 9 years at Pfizer in Clinical Development. She also held roles within the early clinical development group at Eli Lilly.

After receiving her PhD from the University of Bristol, she completed postdoctoral research at Lund University and New York University. Dr Ivarsson also holds an Executive MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Transcripts

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Melanie Ivarsson

Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the 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 today, having the pleasure to be joined by Melanie Ivarsson Chief Development Officer at Moderna. In this role Melanie leads the Clinical Development Operations department and delivers with her team all clinical programs within the Moderna portfolio. Prior to joining Moderna, she was Head of Global Clinical Operations at Takeda and spent 9 years at Pfizer in…

The Helping Profession – Shahin Gharakhanian

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The Helping Profession - Shahin Gharakhanian
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Careers are a mix of decisions, serendipity, and chance. At least for Dr. Shahin Gharakhanian, this is his belief about his career reflecting his humility. Innovation is about “daring”. Through this chat, you’ll hear from a physician, a pharmaceutical expert, and a leader who lived through one of the most challenging outbreaks of HIV since its very beginnings and led teams who developed life-saving drugs. His deep belief is anchored in “doing well by doing good”, this is a constant motivation that we should all have in biotech. For Shahin, as biopharma leaders, we should have 3 facets: being an inspirational leader, a strong administrator, and a great manager. Hear more about the mix of those three capabilities, incredible other stories, and powerful words of wisdom in this episode!

“Have the guts to come out of your comfort zone.”

MEET OUR GUEST Dr. Shahin Gharakhanian physician and Pharmaceutical Executive.

Dr. Shahin Gharakhanian is a physician and Pharmaceutical Executive with expertise in Pharmaceutical Medicine, Leadership/Management, and operational experience both in the US & in Europe.

Shahin is specialized in HIV Medicine and Infectious Diseases and has practiced clinical medicine for over 20 years in AP-HP Hospitals in Paris France. Shahin joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1991, progressing to Vice-President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, with roles in 3 main areas: Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and Strategic Leadership including membership in the corporate Operating Council. Overall, within the industry, he has held positions ranging from General Manager of a Contract Research Organization to Program Executive leading product development, and regulatory approval/launch in multiple therapeutic areas across the world. Shahin has also founded, built, and organized full functional departments/units for biotechnology companies and hospitals and two LLCs as an entrepreneur.

He is a member of several international societies. His passion is Patient-focused programs for drug & vaccine development, approval, and launch.

Transcripts

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Shahin Gharakhanian

Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the 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 for this podcast, having the pleasure to be joined by Dr. Shahin Gharakhanian, a physician and Pharmaceutical Executive with expertise in Pharmaceutical Medicine, Leadership/Management, and operational experience both in the US & in Europe. Shahin is specialized in HIV Medicine and Infectious Diseases has practiced clinical medicine for over 20 years in AP-HP Hospitals in Paris France.…

Love, Passion, Accountability – Stephanie Chen

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Love, Passion, Accountability - Stephanie Chen
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“Don’t defer your life.” This is a great word of wisdom to reflect on. We live one life but still manage to live it in a “deferred” way. “Someday we’ll get there, someday we’ll do what we really want…” With this advice, we force ourselves to think if we are living our life as we want, whether we are doing what we love, and working where we want to bring impact. It is easier said than done but worth a moment of reflection. In this episode with Stephanie Chen, we also talked about leadership, how she sees healthcare as a fundamental human right, and what she has done to get closer to serving that purpose with love, passion, and accountability.

“Love people enough to tell them the truth.”

MEET OUR GUEST Stephanie Chen Chief Legal Officer and Culture Officer at ChenMed.

Stephanie Chen serves as ChenMed’s Chief Legal Officer and Culture Officer.  She has been with ChenMed since 2006, and served as General Counsel prior to being named Chief Legal Officer in 2016.  A graduate of New York Law School, which she attended on a Harlan Scholarship, Stephanie was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2008. She graduated cum laude from Boston College with a degree in economics.

Stephanie and her husband, Dr. Chris Chen, the CEO of ChenMed, have four children together and live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Transcripts

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Stephanie Chen

Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the 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 for this podcast, having the pleasure to be joined by Stephanie Chen, ChenMed’s Chief Legal Officer and Culture Officer. Stephanie has been with ChenMed since 2006, and served as General Counsel prior to being named Chief Legal Officer in 2016.  A graduate of New York Law School, which she attended on a Harlan Scholarship, Stephanie was admitted…

Honest, Authentic, Truthful Leadership – Pravin Chaturvedi

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Honest, Authentic, Truthful Leadership - Pravin Chaturvedi
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In this episode, you’ll hear from a serial biotech entrepreneur and incredible leader Pravin Chaturvedi. Many insightful words I kept with me from this episode as a leader in healthcare: Strive to Impact, not Impress. Life is short when you’re happy, long when you’re suffering. Never tolerate oppression of any form. Residual intellect. Powerpoint is useless :). Hear more about those leadership beliefs Pravin shared with us and also his experience in building biotech companies and teams. He left us with a powerful charge as healthcare leaders: “Never forget our huge responsibility: Patients rely on us to make their life better.” If this is not why you wake up every morning and strive for, you’re in the wrong industry.

“Hope is not a strategy to solve problems.”

MEET OUR GUEST Pravin Chaturvedi Co-Founder & CEO at Oceanyx Pharmaceuticals.

Pravin Chaturvedi is a veteran drug developer, serial biotech entrepreneur, and seasoned CEO. CSO and/or Board member of many life science ventures. Over his 30+ years in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, he has participated in and led the drug development teams for multiple drugs across the therapeutic areas of central nervous system (CNS), HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), cancer, and gastrointestinal disorders. He has participated in the successful drug approval and commercialization of seven drugs.

Pravin serves as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) for Napo Pharmaceuticals and Jaguar Health. He is also the co-founder and CEO of IndUS Pharmaceuticals and Oceanyx Pharmaceuticals. He is also the Executive Chairman of Cellanyx and Chair of the Board for Enlivity. He currently serves on the boards of several organizations including IndUS, Oceanyx, Cellanyx, Enlivity, and Sindu Research Laboratories. He has previously served as the President, CEO, and Board of Director for Pivot Pharmaceuticals and Scion Pharmaceuticals and has also served on the boards of Pivot, Scion, Bach Pharma, PRADAN USA, FuelEd Schools, Sindu Pharmaceuticals, TiE Boston, and ResoluteBio. Over his career, he has also been a part of multiple national and international strategic partnerships with large pharmaceutical companies as well as governments and has served on several advisory boards.

Prior to his current leadership responsibilities as (President/CEO/CSO roles in various companies), he served as the Head of Lead Evaluation at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He held scientific positions at Alkermes and Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer). He also contributes significant time to teaching and serves as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown Medical School. He holds a doctoral degree from West Virginia University and an undergraduate degree in pharmacy from the University of Bombay.

Transcripts

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Pravin Chaturvedi

Naji Gehchan: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the 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 for this podcast, having the pleasure to be joined by Dr Pravin Chaturvedi a veteran drug developer, serial biotech entrepreneur, and seasoned CEO/CSO, Board member of many life science ventures. Over his 30+ years in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, he has participated and led the drug development teams for multiple drugs across the several therapeutic areas.…

Authentic Imperfect Leadership – Lisa Matar

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Authentic Imperfect Leadership - Lisa Matar
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Many talks about authenticity in leadership, being true to self, and vulnerability, Lisa Matar exemplifies this leadership style and added to those words “imperfect” leadership. From a childhood spent in bomb shelters to being the first woman serving on the Board of Directors of Innovative Medicine Canada, Lisa summarizes her success through hard work to bring some normalcy to life, and resilience. “Succeeding is easy when it is the only option you have, adversity shapes your identity thanks to resilience”. Hear incredible stories, learnings, and how Lisa challenged a system that was not made for her to succeed while challenging her own limits to excel in all she does toward her purpose in healthcare.

“Leaders with grit run a successful business, Leaders paying it forward leave a better legacy.”

MEET OUR GUEST Lisa Matar Global Life Science senior executive.

Lisa Matar is a Global Life Science senior executive with more than 25 years of experience leading organizations and driving significant growth, profitability, and launching excellence across the globe.

Lisa served as President and General Manager of Eli Lilly Canada from 2013 to February of 2020 and was a member of the North American executive committee at Eli Lilly. Lisa served on the Board of Directors of Innovative Medicine Canada from 2013 until early 2020 and chaired the Ethics and Compliance committee from 2018 to 2020.

Lisa currently serves on the boards of Directors of Delphi Diagnostics Inc and Starpax Biopharma Inc. and chairs the compensation and governance Committee of Delphi Diagnostics Inc. a breast cancer diagnostic company with an exclusive license to commercialize SETTM (Sensitivity to Endocrine Therapy) test to guide personalized Breast Cancer Treatment. Starpax Biopharma Inc. is a biopharma/MedTech company that has developed a revolutionary platform for 3D precision delivery of cancer drugs in solid tumors using Magnetodrones TM.

Lisa earned a Doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Saint Joseph in Lebanon.

Transcripts

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Lisa Matar

Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the 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’m Naji, your host for this podcast, having the pleasure to be joined today by Lisa Matar, a global life science senior executive with more than 25 years of experience leading organizations and driving significant impact across the globe. Lisa served as President and General Manager of Eli Lilly Canada for several years and was member of the North American Executive Committee. She…

Immigrant Mindset – Maheen Junaid

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Immigrant Mindset - Maheen Junaid
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A single question Maheen Junaid thinks of daily as she leads her teams in her executive role: “What can we do for patients?” Having this as the true north for a healthcare company and living it is crucial as it ultimately simplifies decision-making. In this episode, Maheen shares her immigrant story, her leadership beliefs, and her learnings building a company from 4 to 1400 employees. Empathy and DEIB are her core leadership elements. And her words of wisdom are so powerful: Become comfortable being uncomfortable.

“Home is an environment of inclusivity, acceptance, love, and opportunity for growth”

MEET OUR GUEST Maheen Junaid, General Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer for KabaFusion.

Maheen Junaid is General Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer for KabaFusion, a home infusion pharmacy provider. Maheen holds a JD/LLB from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from MIT. In her executive role at KabaFusion, she is committed to fostering a positive work environment that celebrates diversity and inclusion. She also loves working for an organization that promotes a culture of prioritizing quality and compassionate patient care while being innovative and entrepreneurial.

Maheen has also worked in the non-profit sector, providing training and legal assistance for minority communities within the greater Boston area. She is passionate about empowering and enabling marginalized people through advocacy, and support.

Maheen was born in Pakistan and was raised in England and Canada. She currently resides in Massachusetts with her family.

Take Risks to Impact the World – Marcello Damiani

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Take Risks to Impact the World - Marcello Damiani
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“What really matters is impact”. Marcello Damiani started with this statement, and we all know now the impact he and his teams at Moderna had on humanity over the past years. He has led teams through those times, delivered on an incredible challenge that became a hope, then a reality: Covid vaccines. Hear him share those stories, his learning, the role of leadership, digital, innovation… From the focus on purpose to the culture and mindset to deliver on it, Marcello gives us great words of wisdom as we continue to navigate times of uncertainty and change. Let’s “not be shy to take risks to impact the world”!

“A leader alone doesn’t serve any purpose”

MEET OUR GUEST Marcello Damiani, Chief Digital and Operational Excellence Officer at Moderna.

Marcello Damiani is the Chief Digital and Operational Excellence Officer at Moderna, where he builds the technology, processes, and digitization landscape required to advance a new class of medicines based on mRNA science. Marcello has a wealth of experience from both Tech and Life Science companies, with a true passion for making digital a reality. He has 20years experience working in the IT field, with the last 10years being spent in leadership roles for multinational companies in Europe and the USA. Prior to joining Moderna, he worked at diagnostics firm bioMérieux and before that at Motorola.

Marcello has a Master of Science degree in Information and Communication Systems Architecture from the University of Toulouse in France, and an Executive MBA through TRIUM.

The Art of Possible – Andrew Bunton

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The Art of Possible - Andrew Bunton
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We have read a lot about leading in crisis. Andrew Bunton has definitely done so, leading his teams during the Covid pandemic and reinventing patient experience in one of the largest retail pharmacies in the US. Hear his thoughts and takeaways also on leading transformations including omnichannel and how focusing on purpose, empowering diverse talents, and helping them grow will lead to exploring the art of possible!

“It’s not just the output, it is about your people’s journey”

MEET OUR GUEST Andrew Bunton Vice President of Pharmacy Omnichannel Customer Experience at CVS Health

Andrew Bunton is the Vice President of Omnichannel Customer Experience at CVS Health, where he leads the efforts to create a differentiated frictionless pharmacy experience leveraging CVS’ digital and physical assets. Andrew has worked at CVS Health for 10 years, including leading the retail pharmacy’s development and management of clinical services to improve patient adherence, Enterprise Workforce Management where he led all aspects of resource planning, labor budgeting, and scheduling for CVS Health’s retail business, Omnicare, MinuteClinic, and Coram, and Retail Health Services Strategy and New Product Development, where he led all aspects of strategic planning as well as the discovery, design, incubation, and scaling of new business lines.

Prior to CVS, Andrew was a Case Team Leader and Consultant at Bain & Company in Boston and a Vice President in the Corporate & Investment Banking Group at Bank of America. Andrew holds a BA from Bates College and earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.

Transcripts

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: Andrew Bunton

Naji: Hello, leaders of the world. Welcome to spread love in organizations, the 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’m Naji your host for this podcast, joined today by Andrew Bunton Vice President of Omnichannel customer experience and at CVS Health, Andrew leads the efforts to create a differentiated, frictionless pharmacy experience leveraging cvs, digital and physical assets. He has worked at CVS Health for 10 years, including leading the retail pharmacies, development, and management of clinical services, retail health…