The PharmaBrands Podcast

We’ve had a number of entrepreneurs on the show over the years, but few have taken the kind of leap that Rola did when she stepped far outside her comfort zone and started a children’s clothing company. Back in Pharma and in leadership at Merck, Rola reflects on the lessons learned from both radical and lateral moves through her career. She shares her perspective on the power of curiosity, the imp...

It is striking that an industry with such impactful stories to tell so rarely tells those stories impactfully. In this episode award-winning filmmaker Calvin Hudson Hwang shares how he marries two career paths (seasoned pharma executive and acclaimed filmmaker) to create impactful long-form content focused on health, health access, and health equity. In our conversation we dive into Clavin's...

Our guest for this episode, Jenny Plant, has spent a large part of her career demystifying the role of the agency Account Manager, so it should come as no surprise that she articulately covers so many topics in one conversation. From ‘selling’ (not a word Jenny uses, by the way!), to partnering with Procurement, to the value of differentiated Account and Project roles, to the place for Account Lea...

With the ‘Age of AI’ being a cornerstone event for PharmaBrands, it makes sense that we’ve had lots of AI-focused conversations on the podcast. This episode picks that topic but with a twist. Our guest Sara Rodrigues shares her personal AI adoption journey, taking us from feeling left behind to becoming an AI Champion within Vertex. Placing that journey in the context of working in a large and dyn...

Health tech — from wearables, to platforms to med devices — continue to transform condition management and care delivery. In this episode Jamie Harsevoort, CEO of LaunchIt Solutions, traces the arc of his entrepreneurial journey, highlights the incredible impact of a principled approach to partnership, and shares his criteria for success in market. This conversation comes at a time of great scale...

It feels like we are all tackling some transformation challenge these days – whether it is evolving the way we work personally, adopting new tools and tech on our teams or helping to steer a brand or division onto the right path for the future. Bayer has gone all in and is undergoing transformation on a global scale as they shift to a model called Dynamic Shared Ownership. With candor, humour and...

We all know that big milestones are an opportunity to reflect and that’s just what Dave does on this episode. In conversation with our host Neil Follett, Dave reflects on the motivation for Maven when it was just an idea and shares the moment he took the leap to start out his own business. He reflects on staffing and scaling up and talks about the clients and changes that have powered Maven’s succ...

Orbiting around the major galaxies of pharma, insurance and health delivery organizations is an entire universe of entrepreneurs and disruptors looking to make a meaningful impact. As the CEO of Matter, a global healthcare startup incubator, community nexus and corporate innovation accelerator, Steven Collens has an incredibly unique perspective on the connections, insights and business that drive...

Tony Miller has had one heck of a career. After an early run of hopping between agency roles he landed in the creative department and has never looked back. In this episode Tony shares his enthusiasm for the craft while reflecting on what makes a client a great partner, the genesis of breakthrough ideas (hint: it is all about teamwork!) and the power of creativity within constraints. Tony speaks w...

Being in leadership positions since the mid 90s Dave Drodge has seen his share of digital transformation. From early web implementations, to social and mobile adoption to today’s AI rollouts, Dave has been at the forefront of what’s next. In today’s episode Dave shares some of the insights he’s gained from the past and some of his thoughts on where we are going in the future. Through it all he als...

Even a passing glance at the industry news will reveal that agencies are under siege. Downward pressure on rates, a rush to “in house” work and the threat of AI as the next AOR has both independents and networks alike trying to figure out what comes next. In this episode Neil talks to Michael Farmer, author of Madison Avenue Manslaughter and Madison Avenue Makeover , on the math, metrics and machi...

Perspective is everything in Pharma right now, and few have the perspective that Suzanne Jacobs brings to her leadership role at Real Chemistry. From Brand Manger, to Founder, through to agency executive post-acquisition, Suzanne shares her journey and insights with us in this episode of the podcast. Committed to growth, service, team and client Suzanne is leading a global organization navigating...

“To submit or not to submit (your work to awards, of course)” is the age-old question that every creative agency must ask. It is a question that leaves the industry quite divided, and in this episode Emily Seal helps answer that question and so many more. In a time when creativity seems both under siege, and more important than ever, Emily shares her view on the impact of highly differentiated wor...

On this episode of The PharmaBrands Podcast, we welcome not one, but two guests to the show: Rob McEwan, EVP of Health, and Michael Service, SVP of Healthcare Strategy at Changemakers. In a world where the lines between marketing, PR and reputation management are more blurred than ever, Michael and Rob share their views on the value of a multidisciplinary approach. Changemakers partnered with Phar...

After more than 20 years with a variety of manufacturers in pharma, Frank Fascinato recently made the leap and started his own consultancy. In this episode Frank shares insights he gained through his various roles — from combating imposter syndrome to adding value for HCPs — and brings us along on his entrepreneurial journey. Frank’s energy, enthusiasm and experience shine through in our conversat...

On this episode of The PharmaBrands Podcast, Neil sits down with a Doctor, an author, a keynote speaker, a former competitive slam poet, a mother of two with her third on the way, a TIME magazine nominee for next generation leaders, a MacLean's Power 50, and the inspiration for Matel's Role Model Barbie. No, this isn't a multi-guest episode, this is all the fascinating world of Dr....

Pavel Goldvasser has been a researcher, a marketer, a rep and is currently a National Sales Manager. In this episode Pavel brings all those perspectives to bear on the role of the rep, the impact of Omni, the power of partnerships and so much more. Pavel speaks with passion and purpose in this broad reaching conversation and you can hear his energy come through in the conversation. This is a must...

In our first episode after a late-summer break, our guest Daniel Smedley looks back on key lessons learned through his career and looks forward to where he sees innovation making the biggest impact. Thoughtful and candid, Daniel shares his journey from CFO of AZ to leading a multidisciplinary team tackling some of the biggest challenges the industry has ever faced. Daniel’s perspective and vantage...

There is an old saying that, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” Today that could be, “If you have AI, everything looks like it can be fixed with AI.” In this episode of the PharmaBrands podcast, Karim Vassanji, discusses how discipline, curiosity and consensus building are fundamental to the success of any digital transformation effort. Links mentioned on this episode:...

In this episode we have a spirited conversation with Neill Brown, President of IPG Health. Drawing on his globe-spanning career Neill shares his thoughts and insights on timely topics such as: how AI can help us focus on the ‘good stuff’, what drives the most impact in 2025 and how we can inject more creativity into the way we work. Our host is Neil Follett, Co-Founder of PharmaBrands and our Prod...

Everyone who listens to this show knows that outstanding customer experience is hard to achieve in healthcare—no matter who your customer is. Paul Tunnah's new book is a practical guide for improving customer experience and in this episode we dive deep into the tools and techniques he recommends for improving trust, adherence and outcomes. Prescription for Success is now available for purchas...

Our guest this episode has a circuitous route to her current role leading BeLuz for AZ. Time in Canada, Japan and in Global roles has informed her perspective and shaped her approach as she now leads two countries launching over a dozen new drugs in the next two years. In our conversation Angela shares that perspective and reflects on all that is to come. After you check out the episode, don’t for...

David Churchill’s career in healthcare sales, marketing and communications has been powered by curiosity and a lot of hard work. Over 20 years, and increasingly senior roles, in medical device, pharma and agency have given David a unique perspective that he brings to bear on his team and clients. In this episode he shares his perspective and passion as he tells his personal story, talks about what...

In a time when there is so much focus on the pace of technological change, it’s refreshing to hear Lita’s take on how impactful some of the basics are: great customer service, caring deeply, delivering on commitments, these are some of the pillars upon which she’s built LSD, The Agency. In this episode Lita shares stories from myriad stops on her 40 year journey in pharma. After you check out the...

Data driven marketing (the term Aletta much prefers to “omnichannel”) is something a lot of brands and businesses are trying to get just right. In this episode Aletta shares her perspectives on what success looks like and how to drive meaningful behaviour change – hint: it’s about making the most of the channels and content available to a brand. After you check out the episode, don’t forget to hea...