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	Titre	Date	Durée
	Why systems beat metrics in life sciences with Gabriel Morelli	13 Apr 2026	00:53:27
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Gabriel Morelli, Global Freelance Consultant, Advisor and Certified Mentor and Coach. Gabriel Morelli has spent over 25 years in life sciences, spanning generics, CDMOs, consulting and private equity-backed organisations. His career began in Montevideo, was redirected by a British Council scholarship MBA at Cranfield, and has since evolved into an independent advisory practice across the pharma value chain. In this conversation, he explains why most generics and CDMO companies chase the wrong metrics, how to assess a new role within 90 days, and why the freelance leap demands more preparation than most executives expect. Key Takeaways • Learn why integrity, curiosity and genuine interest in people are Gabriel's three non-negotiable leadership qualities, shaped across generics, CDMOs and private equity. • Discover how the systemic view of commercial excellence separates strong generics and CDMO businesses from those that optimise one element while quietly failing everywhere else. • Understand why private equity operates by different rules from corporate life, and why more than half of senior hires struggle once the armies of support are gone. • Explore Gabriel's 90-day rule for assessing whether you can succeed in a new role, and why acting on an honest answer early signals clarity rather than weakness. • Apply the planning principles behind a credible freelance advisory career: a defined niche, consulting skills and commercial fitness before leaving corporate employment. • Gain a clearer view of idea diversity and why teams built around genuine intellectual friction produce stronger outcomes than diversity defined by demographics alone. • Identify why the value most senior executives believe they carry is tied to their company and title, and why most discover this too late to act. • Uncover how Gabriel grew from 5,000 to 22,000 LinkedIn followers through daily publishing, and why a consistent point of view wins more advisory work than any CV. • Take away why adaptability will define the next generation of life science leaders as geopolitics, technology and talent continue to accelerate. Snippets • “The moment you feel that you will not be successful, just push the eject button, disappear, and, focus on something else.” • “It doesn’t really matter if you do something great downstream. If upstream, you’re doing everything wrong… it’s better to do everything average than to be great at KPIs.” • “I’m not so fixated on the diversity, equity and inclusion… To me, what is important is, is ideas… You want people with different ideas with some tensions, some friction, but it needs to be operational.” Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: • [00:00] –– Intro: Gabriel Morelli’s career across generics, CDMOs, consulting and private equity • [04:14] –– Career Origins: From Montevideo to Cranfield and the MBA that led to life sciences • [18:47] –– Commercial Strategy: The systemic gap in commercial excellence across generics and CDMOs • [21:59] –– Private Equity: Cash discipline, no place to hide, and why most corporate hires struggle • [29:20] –– Quit Fast: The 90-day rule and why staying for appearances is the wrong move • [35:29] –– Second Wave: Defining a niche and why LinkedIn replaces traditional business development Resources • Follow Gabriel Morelli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morelligabriel/ • Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Building Trust Across Cultures In Biotech With Alexandre Joyeux	16 Mar 2026	00:56:16
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove speaks with Alexandre Joyeux, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and President of FatiAbGen International GmbH. Alexandre Joyeux has led global patient access and market access functions at Novartis and Merck KGaA, shaped a $9 billion gene therapy acquisition, and built biotech organisations with Korean and Asian partners. In this conversation, he shares how he first learned to lead without formal authority, what it took to step into an interim franchise head role during a blockbuster drug launch, and why he treats patience as a strategic asset when working across cultures. He also offers practical advice on building high-performance teams, career reinvention, and what will separate the best leaders as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the workplace. Key Takeaways · Learn how trust, curiosity and purpose combine to form a leadership flywheel, and why inspiring others starts with building bridges, not issuing directives. · Discover how to lead without formal authority by bringing the right external voices into the room to shift perspectives that no internal voice could move. · Understand what it takes to step fully into an interim role from day one, and why the mental switch matters more than the job title. · Explore the structured feedback sessions that accelerate trust between new leaders and their teams, and why acting on the outcomes matters as much as receiving them. · Gain practical advice on building high-performance teams in life sciences, including why a shared vision and a can-do attitude often matter more than the perfect CV. · Apply the principle of patience as a strategic asset when working across Asian cultures, where investing in relationships before business is a prerequisite, not a courtesy. · Identify when the moment to reinvent your career has arrived, and how to use purposeful networking to move from large pharma into biotech building. · Take away a simple principle for cross-cultural working: focus on what unites people first, and differences become far easier to address. · Consider what will separate the best leaders as AI reshapes the workplace, and why Joyeux believes human qualities such as empathy, intuition and curiosity will matter more, not less. Snippets · "It's in your head. It all starts in your head. Right? So if you're all in, then things will flow from that." · "I thought, if I don't have authority, who does? And it's the customer in the end." · "Self-awareness sometimes is difficult to have on your own without the feedback and without having a mirror once in a while." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: · [00:27:52] – Intro: Alexandre Joyeux’s career in global biotech and market access · [00:28:36] – Key Ingredients: Trust, curiosity and purpose as leadership foundations · [00:31:19] – Early Career: From rural Quebec to biotech via a borrowed conference fee · [00:37:50] – First Leadership Moment: Influencing without authority at Merck KGaA · [00:44:39] – Enterprise Leadership: Stepping into the Novartis neuroscience franchise head role · [01:04:48] – Career Reinvention: Moving from big pharma to building biotech · [01:11:44] – Cross-Cultural Leadership: Building trust with Korean and Asian partners · [01:18:23] – Future Trends: AI, pricing pressure and the next generation of life sciences leaders Resources · Follow Alexandre Joyeux on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajoyeux/ · Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Multidimensional Leadership and Failing Forward with Cliff Pacaro	03 Nov 2025	01:07:33
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Cliff Pacaro, an HR executive with an illustrious career in the life sciences. Cliff's unconventional journey from aspiring astronaut to transformational HR leader reveals how multidimensional thinking and embracing failure can create exceptional leadership in the life sciences. His experience spans biopharma, CDMO, and beverage industries, demonstrating how stepping outside traditional HR boundaries and into business leadership roles builds the adaptive capabilities pharmaceutical executives need to thrive. The conversation explores how authenticity, calculated risk-taking, and leading through the messy middle of transformation drive organisational success in an industry facing talent development challenges and increasing consolidation pressures. Key Takeaways Discover how recognising everyone's human lays the foundation for effective leadership, especially when navigating pressure-filled transformations in pharmaceutical and biotech environments. Uncover why viewing failure as testing and evolution rather than defeat builds resilient leaders who can navigate the uncertainty inherent in drug development and organisational change. Understand the power of multidimensional leadership by stepping into different functional seats, allowing you to view business challenges through finance, operations, and supply chain lenses beyond your primary role. Explore how curiosity and asking "why" help develop authentic leadership, rather than simply copying other leaders and taking only the pieces that resonate, while staying true to yourself. Take away strategies for leading through the messy middle of transformation by celebrating small milestones, reassessing progress, and maintaining momentum even when things don't go to plan. Gain insights into breaking linear career progression assumptions by placing strong leaders in unfamiliar roles, as Cliff demonstrates through his experience stepping into a general manager position. Apply frameworks for staying anchored during complex transformations through meditation, reflection, and connecting with mentors who can provide perspective when chaos threatens to overwhelm progress. Snippets “Don't be afraid of failure... failure is testing. It's evolving. It's trying something new.” “Leadership is coming with a clear understanding and direction, but it's also leveraging the skill sets and resources around you.” “We're all human, we're all trying to get through our lives, be successful, grow, develop, encourage others, make cool choices, build great humans ourselves, and experience the world around us.” “Become the leader you are meant to be through the eyes that you have.” “We're not developing dynamic leaders. We're developing a repetition of what we're seeing within leadership in the organisations today.” Timestamps & Topics 01:35:52 -- Three Active Ingredients: Humanity, embracing failure, and authentic leadership 01:39:22 -- The human foundation: Why people are not obstacles but essential to success 01:44:19 -- The leadership spark: How a university program ignited leadership development 01:56:22 -- Multidimensional leadership: Viewing business through multiple functional lenses 02:00:39 -- Stepping outside HR: Taking on a general manager role without traditional qualifications 02:12:23 -- Failing forward: Using failure as a learning tool rather than an anchor 02:36:26 -- Future of life sciences: Talent development challenges and the need for dynamic leaders Resources Follow Cliff Pacaro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffpacaro/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune in to our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Building High-Performing Teams Under Pressure With Jason Martin	08 Oct 2025	01:07:24
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Jason Martin, a seasoned biotech leader with extensive technical operations experience across pharmaceutical and biotech organisations. Jason's career spans from pharma giants to smaller biotech companies, demonstrating how leadership fundamentals remain constant while adapting to different organisational sizes. The conversation explores building trust in new environments, managing CDMO relationships, and creating high-performing teams under pressure. Jason shares practical frameworks for life sciences executives navigating transitions between large pharma infrastructure and biotech agility. Key Takeaways Learn how communication serves as the foundation of technical operations leadership, requiring clear messaging with validation loops to ensure teams execute effectively. Discover the trust equation framework for building credibility in new organisations, combining reliability, authenticity, and minimal self-interest to establish leadership reputation. Understand how to transition successfully between large pharma and biotech settings by adapting leadership style to match organisational resources and culture. Explore situational awareness when selecting CDMO partners, evaluating leadership quality, compliance history, and long-term relationship potential for strategic products. Implement practical hiring strategies that utilise personality assessment tools to complement teams with the right mix of drivers, integrators, and analytical guardians. Apply the "teams" framework of trust, engagement, accountability, and making stars to create psychological safety and ground rules for pharmaceutical teams. Gain insights into managing upwards through breadcrumb communication, helping leaders reach conclusions gradually rather than overwhelming them with direct feedback. Snippets "I love the life sciences. I love the aspect of creating health care, and that's pretty much what drew me into the desire to be a surgeon…Using science to help people with my hands." "Trust is not instantly given or taken away. It's really a history of experience that people trust you or not." "Every role in the company has a purpose. Every role in the company is precious and valuable." "Always leave relationships and jobs in a better state than when you joined" "Walk the floor, talk to people, understand what's going on in the organisation. You'll hear and learn things that you would never get from a conference room." Timestamps & Topics 00:14:50 -- Three Active Ingredients: Communication, trust building, and visionary leadership as core foundations 00:25:52 -- Transition to Leadership: Moving from managing to leading leaders at Novartis Sandoz 00:34:18 -- Trust Equation: Building credibility through reliability, authenticity, and minimal self-interest 00:43:08 -- Startup Mindset: Adapting to smaller organisations and wearing multiple hats effectively 00:52:19 -- CDMO Management: Navigating contract manufacturing relationships and leadership assessment 00:59:07 -- High-Performing Teams: Building excellence under pressure during pivotal clinical trials 01:10:30 -- Team Ground Rules: Creating psychological safety and accountability frameworks Resources Follow Jason Martin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-m-741bb98/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune in to our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	The Unconventional Path to Life Sciences Leadership with Jesse Sibarium	28 Sep 2025	00:58:15
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Jesse Sibarium, a seasoned life sciences executive with experience spanning supply chain and commercial leadership across multiple continents. Jesse's unconventional path from Manhattan to Moldova, Romania, the Netherlands, and Switzerland demonstrates how cultural immersion and calculated risk-taking can create what he calls "leadership luck." His journey through organisations, including Amgen and PTC Therapeutics, offers insights into building credibility through lived experience rather than traditional career progression. The conversation explores global adaptability, decision-making under pressure, and the evolving landscape of pharmaceutical leadership in an increasingly interconnected world. Key Takeaways Learn how curiosity and inner drive serve as foundational leadership qualities, particularly when entering unfamiliar territories or industries where traditional experience may not apply. Discover the critical importance of selecting diverse teams with complementary skills, personalities, and nationalities who will challenge you while supporting your vision through difficult periods. Understand that resilience and grit become essential when carefully crafted plans inevitably face unexpected challenges, requiring leaders to adapt quickly without losing momentum. Explore how cultural immersion creates competitive advantages, with Jesse's language learning experiences in Moldova and the Netherlands opening doors that traditional qualifications could not. Take away strategies for creating "leadership luck" by positioning yourself in uncomfortable situations where unique opportunities may emerge for those willing to take calculated risks. Gain insights into transitioning between large pharma and smaller biotech environments, understanding when each setting serves different career development purposes. Apply frameworks for building international teams that can operate seamlessly across multiple jurisdictions and cultural contexts in today's globalised pharmaceutical landscape. Uncover how soft skills increasingly function as hard skills in leadership roles, particularly in relationship-building and cross-cultural communication within life sciences organisations. Snippets "Some people see things as they are and ask why. Some people dream things that never were and ask, why not?" "I thought, there is no way I can quit, because if I can make it here, I can make it anywhere." "Don't underestimate those soft skills, because the soft skills are really the hard skills." Timestamps & Topics 00:16:27 -- Introduction: Jesse's journey from Manhattan to international pharmaceutical leadership 00:17:56 -- Three Active Ingredients: Curiosity, team selection, and resilience as leadership foundations 00:23:05 -- Early Formation: High school performing arts lessons that shaped professional mindset 00:28:12 -- Global Awakening: Meeting international people and developing an appetite for a European career 00:30:01 -- The Moldova Gamble: Taking risks through Peace Corps to create an unconventional pathway to Europe 00:42:59 -- Leadership Luck: Creating opportunities through cultural immersion and language learning 01:02:25 -- Future of Leadership: Diverse backgrounds, international experience, and evolving pharmaceutical landscape Resources Follow Jesse Sibarium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sibarium/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune in to our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Building Global Leadership Through Cultural Curiosity with Erin Federman	14 Sep 2025	00:59:20
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Erin Federman, a Global Life Sciences Commercial Leader. As a seasoned "global American" who truly integrated into European culture over a decade, Erin shares her transformation from a fired retail manager who was "a baby dictator" to a seasoned life sciences leader. Erin discusses the reality of "de-Americanising" your worldview, from navigating salary perceptions to rewiring your brain for slower, more integrated ways of working. The conversation explores how leadership isn't a template but lived experience, why career curiosity trumps straight-line progression, and how internal mobility challenges strangle talent development across the life sciences. Key Takeaways Learn why leadership isn't a template but lived experience, moving beyond "be yourself" advice to understand that authentic leadership comes from trial, error, and evolution through real challenges. Discover the reality of "de-Americanising" your worldview when relocating to Europe, including salary evaluation beyond dollar amounts and embracing slower, integrated working styles. Explore how career curiosity beats straight-line progression, with Federman demonstrating how following intellectual spark across functions creates more valuable leaders than rigid career ladders. Understand moving from judgement to curiosity as a leadership tool when managing diverse, international teams. Take away Federman's framework for breaking down complex challenges by working backwards from end goals and creating manageable 30, 60, and 90-day implementation chunks. Apply practical strategies for internal mobility by demonstrating capabilities and advocating for team members to cross functional boundaries, especially for diverse candidates facing higher barriers. Gain insights into building teams as "living recipes" where different communication styles and personalities create stronger outcomes than homogeneous skill sets. Uncover how to maintain your spark through career transitions, recognising when you've outgrown systems and need to seek new challenges to avoid professional burnout. Snippets "Leading is not being a dictator. Because you grow up thinking leading is telling people what to do." It's not just doing the thing, it's actually being able to communicate what you're doing in a way that gives other people trust and confidence that you can do the thing.” “Curiosity versus judgment, which sounds so obvious when you say it, but it's so easy to come from a place of judgment without even thinking." “It is a responsibility to not just climb the ladder and holler down some advice. Reach not only reach down and pull people up, but look to the side who is also trying to get somewhere and they just need a bridge across." Timestamps & Topics 00:40 -- Introduction: Erin's background across pharma, biotech and diagnostics 05:42 -- Leadership Foundations: Beyond templates to lived experience and three key ingredients 15:33 -- Early Leadership Lessons: Retail management failure and learning that leadership isn't control 25:15 -- Global American Transformation: The reality of relocating from Seattle to Europe 35:20 -- De-Americanising Your Worldview: Salary perception, lifestyle changes, and cultural integration 45:18 -- Career as Curiosity: Following intellectual spark across functions and building capabilities 55:12 -- Internal Mobility Challenges: Breaking down barriers and advocating for career transitions Resources Follow Erin Federman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinfederman/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Leading Through Crisis and Self-Awareness with Rochelle Trow	31 Aug 2025	00:59:01
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Rochelle Trow, Founder of The Change Canvas and Interim HR Executive. Rochelle shares her transformational journey from growing up under apartheid in South Africa to leading in European boardrooms, ultimately experiencing burnout and discovering the power of conscious leadership. The conversation explores fear-based versus values-driven leadership, the hidden costs of corporate performance culture, and practical frameworks for emotional regulation. Rochelle reveals how leaders can stay authentic in corporate environments without losing themselves, offering actionable insights on self-awareness, conscious decision-making, and leading with courage and compassion in today's challenging life sciences landscape. Key Takeaways Discover the three pillars of conscious leadership: self-awareness that extends beyond behaviour to triggers and empathy, conscious choices that serve the greater good rather than self-interest, and courage paired with compassion. Learn to distinguish between fear-based and values-driven leadership using Rochelle's framework of 20 questions that help identify when decisions stem from fear versus authentic alignment. Understand how burnout manifests differently - not from workload volume but from the quiet erosion of self and constant misalignment between personal values and corporate demands. Explore the concept of radical self-responsibility as the foundation for surviving toxic environments, focusing on your response and choices rather than blaming external factors or waiting for organisational change. Apply the "smoke alarm" decision-making approach by pausing before choices to ask where the decision stems from, whether it represents real warning signals, and how it aligns with your core values. Gain practical methods for giving difficult feedback to managers and colleagues by focusing on situations and impact rather than personality traits, maintaining integrity while preserving professional relationships. Take away tools for emotional regulation that enable leaders to maintain authenticity and effectiveness even in challenging corporate environments, proving that internal strength can overcome external toxicity. Identify the warning signs of becoming a "problems sponge" and learn strategies to avoid absorbing organisational dysfunction while still caring deeply about team and company success. Snippets "Now what I do is, or at least what I think is important, is to actually pause before you make that decision and ask yourself, where am I making this decision from?" "My entire philosophy is you don't need to burn out. You need to focus on leading yourself first." "So one of the biggest shifts in myself is before I judge somebody, I go, what might be driving that person's actions." Timestamps & Topics 00:00 -- Intro: Rochelle's journey from apartheid South Africa to European boardrooms 05:42 -- Three Key Ingredients: Self-awareness, conscious choices, and courage with compassion 18:33 -- Career Wake-up Call: The toxic positivity meeting that changed everything 36:12 -- From Security Guard to Regional Manager: Early leadership lessons at Woolworths 45:16 -- Fear-Based Leadership: How corporate environments erode authentic leadership 55:30 -- Burnout Reality: The emotional weight of misalignment, not workload 67:45 -- Radical Self-Responsibility: Taking ownership in toxic environments Resources Follow Rochelle Trow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rochelletrow/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an EpisodeRemember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Leading at Different Altitudes with Derek McCaig	17 Aug 2025	00:51:12
In this episode of the Active Ingredientspodcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Derek McCaig,Commercial Strategist and Transformation Leader. Derek brings decades of experience launching life-changing medicines across some of healthcare's most complex corners, from the first wave of HIV treatments in the 1990s to rare diseases and gene therapy today. His career spans leading organizations at Big Pharma, scaling biotech startups, and bringing commercial clarity to breakthroughs. In this conversation, Derek shares insights on leading at different altitudes, balancing compassion with pragmatism, and why the most meaningful wins often come from the people and lessons rather than the product itself. Key Takeaways Discover how trust, empowerment, and adaptability form the foundation of exceptional leadership, fostering environments where teams take calculated risks and deliver outstanding performance in life sciences organizations. Discover practical approaches for leading through uncertainty in emerging therapeutic areas, such as gene therapy, where answers aren't predetermined, and teams must collaborate to explore new solutions together. Understand the art of intellectual leadership when navigating between commercial realities and scientific passion, helping R&D teams broaden perspectives whilst respecting their life's work. Explore how to scale leadership across different organizational sizes, from managing 200-person sales forces to intimate rare disease teams, whilst maintaining core empowerment principles. Take away Derek's framework for building a high-performing team that incorporates diverse perspectives, robust debate, consensus-driven decision-making, and an unwavering focus on patient outcomes. Gain insights into leading during setbacks and failures, understanding how commercial leaders can maintain team motivation when clinical trials fail but still contribute valuable data to the industry. Apply lessons from Derek's experience transitioning between Big Pharma and biotech, learning when to trust teams versus when to roll up sleeves in smaller, agile environments. Uncover strategies for maintaining purpose-driven leadership in rare diseases and gene therapy, where individual patient stories provide powerful motivation for commercial teams. Snippets I think it's really important to build trust with your team within the organization. I think a big part of that is also integrity." "When people don't feel that trust and don't feel that integrity, they're just a little more reticent." "There's nothing better than working on genuine innovation. Where you are helping the community...to really solve those problems." "The wisdom is in a team, you know, it's not in me. "I do believe that everybody comes to work in this industry with the ultimate aim of getting medicines that really change diseases and change people's lives." Timestamps & Topics 00:08:00 -- Introduction: Derek McCaig's journey from HIV treatments to gene therapy 00:09:30 -- The Three Active Ingredients: Trust, empowerment and adaptability in leadership 00:12:30 -- Early Career Foundation: From pharmacy school to first leadership role at age 21 00:17:00 -- Leading Through Innovation: HIV treatments and working at the cutting edge 00:28:00 -- Scaling Leadership: Managing large sales forces versus intimate rare disease teams 00:35:00 -- Intellectual Leadership: Bridging commercial realities with scientific passion 00:47:00 -- Building High-Performance Teams: Risk-taking, debate and consensus in biotech Resources Follow Derek McCaig on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-mccaig-51a15638/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don’t Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Feedback Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Building Leadership Through Bold Career Moves with Vlad Makarenko	03 Aug 2025	01:01:34
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Vlad Makarenko, Global HR Leader at Alphasigma. Vlad shares his unconventional path through the life sciences industry, from achieving the head of HR role by age 32 to boldly stepping out of HR to gain firsthand business experience. This episode explores the essential components of effective leadership through Vlad's "leadership triangle" framework, the importance of owning your career direction, and why self-development often represents the most challenging yet critical work a leader can undertake. His journey from the Soviet Union to global pharmaceutical companies offers unique insights into building credibility and leading across cultures. Key Takeaways Discover the leadership triangle framework, comprising strategic leadership, people leadership, and decisive execution. Learn how to own your career direction by establishing a clear North Star and acting as if you're already in the role. Explore the power of seeking discomfort as a development strategy, where 6-7 out of 10 tasks should challenge you enough to "pull your hair out". Understand why stepping into the business from enabling functions like HR provides invaluable credibility and empathy when serving stakeholders in pharmaceutical and biotech organizations. Take away the importance of psychological investment in coaching, mentoring, and self-analysis before pursuing traditional qualifications like MBAs or professional certifications. Gain practical approaches for global leadership that emphasize authentic connection, servant leadership principles, and genuine care for team members across virtual environments. Uncover how AI can enhance human leadership by handling administrative tasks, freeing leaders to focus on empathy, coaching, and meaningful feedback conversations. Apply the fundamentals of outstanding leadership through empathy, asking coaching questions, providing constructive feedback, and understanding individuals' long-term career aspirations. Snippets "The CEO is normally for me, the chief people officer." "If you really mean well for the organization and for the people and for the business, try to get to a position of leadership where you can influence things in a positive way". "So whenever I felt that I was comfortable, that was a signal for me to look to fork." "Get the basics right. Feedback, constructive, open, sometimes hard but honest feedback. How often do leaders do that? Unfortunately, not that often." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: 00:00 -- Intro: Overview of Vlad's unconventional career path and leadership philosophy 05:42 -- Leadership Triangle: Strategic leadership, people focus, and decisive execution framework 18:33 -- Career Ownership: Setting North Stars and acting as if you're already in the role 28:15 -- Bold Moves: Leaving comfortable positions and embracing discomfort for growth 36:12 -- Business Experience: Why HR leaders benefit from stepping into commercial roles 45:30 -- Self-Development: The critical importance of psychological coaching and mentoring 52:18 -- Global Leadership: Leading authentically across cultures and virtual environments Resources Follow Vlad Makarenko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlad-makarenko-global-hr/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Loud, Proud and Authentic Leadership with Audrey Greenberg	03 Jul 2025	00:47:57
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Audrey Greenberg, CEO at AG Capital. Audrey shares her remarkable journey from investment banking and real estate to founding a cell and gene therapy CDMO that scaled to a billion-dollar valuation. This conversation explores how C-suite authenticity, executive flexibility, and people-first leadership have powered her success across pharmaceutical, biotech, and MedTech industries. Key Takeaways Learn how C-suite authenticity breeds trust and respect in pharmaceutical and biotech leadership by being genuine rather than following corporate norms, especially when handling high-stakes patient programs. Discover the power of executive flexibility in today's dynamic life sciences market, where political changes, biotech funding shifts, and pharmaceutical disruptions require senior leaders to pivot quickly. Understand why putting people first drives success in MedTech and biopharma, from hiring exceptional talent in pharmaceutical companies to respecting and learning from life sciences clients. Explore how curiosity and connection accelerate career growth for biotech executives by genuinely wanting to help others, taking cold calls, and building authentic relationships. Take away practical methods for making bold career transitions within biopharma by combining thorough research with gut instinct, ensuring the right people and aligned investors are part of your journey. Apply the "GSD" (get things done) hiring philosophy for biotech talent acquisition by screening for grit, positive attitude, and the ability to move multiple pharmaceutical initiatives forward. Uncover strategies for transitioning from corporate pharmaceutical roles to private equity advisory by marketing operational excellence to investors and packaging your track record for life sciences-focused funds. Snippets "Authenticity. It matters because people know you're not faking it. A lot of people can spot a fake from a mile away." "Playing safe being a sheep doesn't work. You get average returns and average results when you play it. Safe opportunities come from saying yes to high-risk, high-potential moves." "If I'm the smartest person in the room, I need to leave that room. I want everybody around me to be smarter than me." "I come from a perspective of abundance instead of scarcity. People generally want to help other people. So reach out to people. Don't be afraid. People will help you." "Don't be afraid. Make bold moves. Leadership is taken, not given." Timestamps & Topics 00:14:49 -- Three Key Leadership Ingredients: Authenticity, flexibility, and people first 00:24:55 -- The GSK Building Story: How real estate led to cell and gene therapy CDMO 00:30:24 -- Becoming a Leader: Being "loud, proud and ready" in life sciences 00:32:08 -- Boardroom Authenticity: Communicating transparently with investors 00:41:12 -- Fixing the Broken, Growing the Bold: Helping investors spot opportunities 00:47:23 -- Leading as the Only Woman: Using visibility as an advantage 00:51:40 -- Transitioning to Private Equity: Marketing operational excellence to investors 00:56:00 -- Future of Leadership: Convergence of digital biotech and personalised medicine Resources Follow Audrey Greenberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreygreenberg/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring leadership insights from preeminent leaders in the life sciences. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Building Resilient Global Supply Chains With Frank Binder	20 Jun 2025	00:59:47
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Frank Binder, Global Supply Chain Transformation Leader and former executive at Santen, Celgene, and Novartis. Frank shares his remarkable journey from a self-described "non-born leader" to becoming one of the most trusted voices in global pharmaceutical supply chain leadership. This episode examines how supply chain leaders can elevate their role from operational support to strategic boardroom influence while developing the leadership capabilities necessary to thrive in today's complex global environment. Key Takeaways Discover the three essential ingredients of successful leadership: ambition with purpose, listening and engaging with people, and developing a clear vision that guides team direction and decision-making. Learn how to transform reluctant team members into confident leaders by creating safe spaces for feedback, demonstrating vulnerability as a leader, and coaching through career transitions. Explore Frank's approach to building diverse, high-performing global teams by seeking people with complementary strengths rather than hiring clones of yourself. Understand practical techniques for managing across cultures, including the traffic light feedback system that enables honest input without direct confrontation in hierarchical cultures. Gain insights into creating constructive cultures where mistakes are acceptable, ideas can be critiqued regardless of source, and team members feel safe to disagree with leadership. Take away strategies for cross-cultural negotiations that emphasise respect, patience, and understanding different approaches to confrontation and consensus-building across regions. Apply lessons from Frank's military leadership breakthrough, where he learned that effective leadership involves achieving outcomes through others that cannot be accomplished individually. Uncover how supply chain leaders can maintain strategic relevance by managing expectations transparently, explaining trade-offs clearly, and positioning supply chain as a critical business enabler. Explore the future of supply chain leadership in an era of increased geopolitical complexity, where leaders must consider political factors alongside traditional metrics. Snippets "If you want to be a leader, you have to know where you want to go. And because that's what people want to know from you." "For me, a productive discussion is when somebody in my team is able to tell me, hey, Frank, you're wrong." "Supply chain is not complicated, but it's complex. It's like a reflection of life. Everything fits together and is influenced by so many factors." "You have to trust in each other, and you have to have a unity of purpose." "As a leader of a cross-cultural team, you need to provide a space where people feel safe to really give their opinion." Timestamps & Topics 00:22:27 -- Leadership Philosophy: The three key ingredients of successful leadership 00:27:46 -- Leadership Discovery: Swiss Air Force experience that revealed leadership potential 00:45:17 -- Building High-Performing Teams: Creating diverse, complementary leadership teams 00:50:07 -- Cross-Cultural Leadership: Managing teams across different cultural contexts 01:03:26 -- Post-COVID Supply Chain: How the pandemic elevated supply chain's strategic importance 01:09:14 -- Future of Supply Chain: Next five years Resources Follow Frank Binder on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pharmaglobalsupplychain/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an EpisodeRemember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring leadership insights from preeminent leaders in the life sciences. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Feedback?Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Channeling Energy and Building Excellence with Tom Merriam	04 Jun 2025	01:01:03
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Tom Merriam, Head of Corporate Strategy and Chief of Staff to the CEO at Organon. Tom shares his remarkable journey from MedTech manufacturing to McKinsey consulting and into pharmaceutical executive leadership, driven by a personal mission to expand access to healthcare. After experiencing serious health challenges in his teens,Tom developed a deep appreciation for quality healthcare and has dedicated his career to solving complex problems at scale across biotech and biopharma organizations. Throughout the episode, Tom explores how C-suite leaders and senior executives can effectively harness their energy, build resilient teams during crises, and drive meaningful change in life sciences organisations. Tom's insights on vision-driven leadership, thoughtful execution, and caring for stakeholders provide essential guidance for pharmaceutical and biotech executives navigating talent acquisition challenges and the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Key Takeaways Learn how pharmaceutical and biotech executives can identify and channel their natural energy toward solving complex biopharma challenges that align with personal mission and organizational values. Discover how C-suite leaders can translate organizational vision into compelling narratives that motivate teams across medtech and pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. Understand how crisis management reveals executive character in life sciences organizations and the importance of establishing clear dual mandates in pharmaceutical leadership. Explore strategic career navigation for life sciences professionals by choosing opportunities based on potential impact rather than conventional wisdom. Apply the principle of progress over perfection to drive incremental improvements across pharmaceutical operations that C-suite executives can implement immediately. Gain insight into building competitive team dynamics within pharmaceutical manufacturing environments through KPI tracking and operational excellence. Take away leadership strategies for managing high-energy executive talent by creating environments where intensity becomes a strategic asset for life sciences organizations. Timestamps & Topics 05:42 -- Three Key Leadership Ingredients for life sciences executives 13:18 -- Becton Dickinson medtech rotational program and manufacturing leadership 21:40 -- Building pharmaceutical team culture through competitive dynamics 32:18 -- Executive mentorship and growth in pharmaceutical operations 36:37 -- Crisis leadership in life sciences during pandemic response 56:10 -- Future of life sciences leadership: Innovation, M&A, and regulatory predictions Snippets "The most difficult managerial challenge you will have in your entire life is that of managing yourself." "If you can't find a way for your people to care, you're going to have a really difficult time accomplishing whatever it is that you're after." "The energy is the capacity to do work right. That's the physics definition of energy." "We were losing money on every prescription, right, because of the cost of the airfreight. But we still kept the product flowing because that was the right thing to do." "Progress versus perfection. If you allow yourself to just focus on what perfect is, you oftentimes miss a lot of things." Resources Follow Tom Merriam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmmerriam/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don’t Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Leading With Learning and Resilience With Aditi Singh Ulvskjold	02 Mar 2026	00:58:39
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove speaks with Aditi Singh Ulvskjold, Vice President, Global Marketing & Urology at Ambu A/S. Aditi Singh Ulvskjold is a commercial and transformation leader across pharmaceutical and medical device organisations. From dental surgeon to global marketing executive, she has navigated growth, entrepreneurship and reinvention. She discusses learning, resilience and humility as active ingredients of modern leadership. She shares lessons from founding and closing her own venture, moving from clinical to commercial roles, and adapting to change in life sciences. Key Takeaways Learn why continuous learning helps leaders stay relevant as they move between therapeutic areas and challenges. Understand how resilience means dancing as tectonic plates move, maintaining clarity whilst leading through disruption. Discover why humility empowers leadership by creating psychological safety for pharmaceutical teams to perform. Explore how early mentorship shapes career trajectories, building empathy and purpose for executive roles. Apply lessons from entrepreneurship to corporate leadership, including end-to-end thinking and trusted networks. Identify how the three Ps framework creates scalable systems that align purpose, people and performance. Examine how artificial intelligence and consumer-centricity are reshaping the life sciences, and what leaders must do. Snippets “The currency that human beings trade in is trust. If you fail in that currency, you can forget about the rest of the things." “It's not about the process… It's actually about how we clarified the purpose. And then you get the people, and the multiplication of it will give you the performance." "You're the guy who's mopping the floor, but you're on the team that's building that rocket ship to the moon. Just remember that." Timestamps [00:19:40] – Intro: Leadership journey [00:21:06] – Key Ingredients: Learning, resilience, humility [00:30:09] – Educational Foundation: Early exposure [00:36:18] – Career Pivot: Surgery to pharma [00:48:31] – Strategic Clarity: Driving business forward [00:53:04] – Entrepreneurial Journey: Founding and closing [01:02:22] – Three Ps: Purpose, people, performance [01:12:04] – Future Leadership: Evolving attributes [01:13:59] – Future Life Sciences: AI and consumers Resources Follow Aditi Singh Ulvskjold on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditiulvskjold/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠, ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Empowering Teams and Building Legacy With Ian Wells	26 May 2025	00:57:27
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Ian Wells, former CFO at Hoya Vision Care, whose leadership approach redefines what finance leadership can be. Ian reveals himself as "a business-focused and people-focused person" rather than just a numbers specialist, sharing how this mindset helped him build teams with zero attrition over five years. His journey from KPMG to the mining industry and finally to life sciences showcases how finding purpose in each role shaped his leadership style. Ian's philosophy of "eliminating the pedestal" in hierarchical structures and his commitment to being "a good human being" have created remarkable business results. With insights on empowerment through his "RA" framework - resource, authority, responsibility, and accountability - Ian demonstrates how modern CFOs can drive transformation through human connection. Key Takeaways Discover the three key ingredients for leadership success according to Ian Wells: purpose, passion and vision; empowering teams to succeed; and being a good human being who is approachable and open. Learn how empowering teams directly impact financial results through increased engagement, better performance, and remarkably lower attrition - Ian experienced zero direct report turnover in five years. Explore the concept of "eliminating the pedestal" in leadership by asking "stupid questions," giving credit to team members with frontline knowledge, and creating a more flat organisational structure. Take away a practical framework for resource management using Ian's "RARA" approach - providing the right resources, authority, responsibility and accountability that allow teams to execute their responsibilities and be accountable for results. Understand how purpose-driven leadership transcends industry boundaries. Ian shows how finding meaning in mining and life sciences helped him connect teams to larger societal impacts beyond profit. Uncover strategies for building high-performing finance teams by defining the right structure, bringing in the right people, setting up regular touchpoints, and defining multi-year development paths. Gain insight into Ian's "traffic light" leadership style, where leaders primarily direct, support, and remove barriers for their teams rather than do the tactical work themselves. Learn why healthy leadership practices focusing on physical and mental well-being create better leaders. Ian shares his journey toward health-conscious leadership without becoming preachy. Snippets “Give a man a fish or teach them how to fish. I’d rather teach people how to fish.” I'm not a finance-focused person. I'm a business-focused person and a people-focused person." "Without a doubt, you cannot be a modern leader if you're not empowering teams because, without the team's success, you as a leader will not be successful." "Bad leadership is just a lesson to make every leader better. Good leaders drive engagement. They have passion. They drive psychological safety, which is one of my non-negotiables of a workplace." Timestamps & Topics 00:15:13 - Three key ingredients of successful leadership 00:31:32 - Becoming CFO and COVID challenges 00:36:30 - Eliminating the pedestal in leadership 00:44:33 - Building teams with zero attrition 00:50:20 - Healthy leadership and wellbeing 01:00:59 - The future of leadership Resources Follow Ian Wells on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianwells-globalcfo/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don’t Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Leading With Impact and Authenticity With Kenneth Lee	15 May 2025	00:49:09
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Kenneth Lee, EVP and Head of Biopharma at Impact Global. Kenneth shares his unconventional career journey across Eastern and Western business cultures, from his beginnings as an introverted researcher to becoming a commercial leader. The conversation explores his formula for balancing precise metrics with genuine human connection, his experiences adapting leadership styles between Korea's intensive work culture and America's remote teams, and how taking calculated risks shaped his success. Throughout the episode, Kenneth reveals practical approaches to leadership that combine structured systems with the freedom for teams to excel independently. Key Takeaways Discover how genuine care transforms leadership effectiveness by dedicating meaningful time to team member. Kenneth follows a "70/30 rule" where 30% of his time is set aside for his team beyond task-focused interactions. Take away Kenneth's strategy for building credibility within your team by taking a challenging, high-impact project off their shoulders, demonstrating you're in the trenches with them. Understand how quantifiable, measurable metrics create freedom in remote and hybrid work environments, allowing team members to be rewarded for efficiency rather than hours worked. Explore the power of breaking down KPIs across the business cycle, measuring effort throughout the process rather than focusing solely on end financial results. Gain insight into the transformative impact of thinking in other people's shoes, a principle Kenneth applies to leadership, relationships, and business negotiations. Uncover how cultural transitions can catalyse personal growth. Kenneth shares his journey from being an introverted student in Korea to becoming an extroverted business leader after moving to the United States. Snippets "Think in other people's shoes. If you do that, you will be successful as a leader, as a husband, as a friend, whether it be your career, your life, you will be liked and respected." "I had a personal motto at the time, challenge over stability, happiness over money. And that was when I was in my 20s, I set that motto and I completely followed that rule of my life." "It's not the work hour. It's about people's happiness, people's incentive, and a measurable and very well-defined KPI that drives people naturally." Timestamps & Topics 00:00 - Introduction: Thomas introduces Kenneth Lee and his unique leadership journey 06:09 - Kenneth's three key ingredients of successful leadership 07:07 - Genuine care and the 70/30 rule for leadership attention 08:42 - Smart but "lazy" leadership: creating systems that run themselves 09:42 - Taking on tough projects to demonstrate capability and build trust 12:00 - Early life and transformation from introvert to extrovert 14:25 - Career transition: from researcher to business development leader 17:28 - Choosing passion over finances: cutting salary in half for opportunity 19:23 - First leadership role and early misconceptions about leadership 21:51 - The most important leadership principle: thinking in others' shoes 24:02 - Moving back to the US to lead commercial operations 28:15 - Contrast between Korean and US work cultures 34:04 - Kenneth's commercial leadership formula and comprehensive KPI approach 36:32 - Creating structure that provides freedom: Kenneth's meeting framework 44:04 - Reflections on risk-taking and career development Resources Follow Kenneth Lee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scholarken/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don’t Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Vision, Integrity & Taking Chances with Alexandre Montague	10 Apr 2025	01:04:39
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Alexandre Montague, a purpose-driven CEO in the vision care space whose leadership philosophy centres on integrity, transparency, and empathy. Alexandre's journey takes us from launching businesses in Japan with just "a desk and a phone" to leading global organisations with over 20,000 employees. His career path began with a teacher's comment about Japan that sparked a lifelong passion and shaped his entire trajectory. With a mission focused on helping people see better and preventing childhood myopia, Alexandre shows how purpose drives business growth. He shares insights about building teams by empowering experts and then "being as lazy as possible" – stepping back to let them excel in ways he couldn't himself. This episode reveals how serendipity and the courage to take chances have built Alexandre's career across continents. From eye care camps in Africa to strategies for the global myopia epidemic, his story demonstrates leadership that combines commercial success with meaningful social impact. Key Takeaways Embrace Alexandre's three leadership essentials: integrity to build trust, transparency to create clarity, and empathy to connect with and support your team's needs. Discover how chance moments can reshape your path, as a single comment about Japan in school sparked a passion that defined Alexandre's entire career trajectory. Shift from "taking risks" to "taking chances" — a mindset focused on opportunities rather than downsides when making bold career moves. Use purpose as a business accelerator that drives team engagement while creating market differentiation and opportunities for growth. Practice "lazy leadership" by hiring experts, providing clear direction, then stepping back to let them excel in ways you never could yourself. Welcome "stupid questions" that challenge assumptions and reveal the blind spots that inevitably come with industry experience. Create boundaries between work and life, following Alexandre's example of strict disconnection from Friday evening to Monday morning. Snippets "I like to use the word risk. I like to use taking chances. Chances come, they come with risks. But it's about taking chances. And no one is looking actively for risk. But people are looking for opportunities." "I think it's leaders who believed in me that drove my career. It's all about people." "The only thing that I know is that I don't know anything. And I think that's a very powerful statement. And I think we should all try to keep at the back of our mind." "When you have a mentor leader who is supportive, who helps you and says, go for it. We'll support you. Whatever happens." Timestamps & Topics 00:17:50 - Intro: Overview of Alexandre Montague and his leadership philosophy 00:19:49 - The Three Key Ingredients: Integrity, transparency, and empathy 00:21:57 - Early Life: Education and the teacher who sparked interest in Japan 00:30:47 - First Steps into Life Sciences: A serendipitous career beginning 00:40:50 - Leadership Development: Influential mentors and taking chances 00:54:54 - Purpose-Driven Leadership: Using vision care to impact communities 01:00:26 - The "Lazy" Leadership Style: Empowering experts and stepping back 01:10:39 - Future of Leadership: The importance of empathy and transparency 01:18:49 - Work-Life Balance: The importance of disconnecting and "wine time" Resources The Blue Line Imperative by Kevin Kaiser - Book mentioned by Alexandre about building trust in organisations Follow Alexandre Montague on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/medtechchiefexecutiveofficer/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Loved this episode? Subscribe to the channel for more inspiring leadership stories. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Braving Ambiguity with Deanna Angello	10 Apr 2025	01:03:29
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Deanna Angello, a veteran commercial leader in the life sciences industry with over two decades of experience. With a career spanning major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Genentech, Janssen, and Kite Pharma, Deanna has successfully launched seven blockbuster drugs, generating over £7 billion in revenue. Now mentoring seed to Series A CEOs, she helps early-stage companies scale with strategic clarity and a patient-first mindset. Deanna shares her remarkable leadership journey throughout the conversation, from her psychology background, consulting foundations, and taking on commercial leadership roles nobody else wanted. Her career has been defined by authenticity, adaptability, and resilience in the face of ambiguity. Key Takeaways Discover how authenticity creates trust in leadership, allowing teams to connect withyou as a person rather than just a Job title. Deanna's refreshing approachmakes others feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work. Learn to embrace ambiguity as a career accelerator. Deanna explains how taking oncomplex, uncertain situations that others avoided became opportunities thatadvanced her leadership journey. Understand the power of cross-functional leadership in life sciences, bringingdiverse expertise together with a genuine appreciation for each specialist'scontribution toward patient-focused goals. Explore the path from large pharma to advisory roles by recognising your transferableskills, building new networks, and finding the courage to follow your uniquepath. Gain insight into "market development" for successful drug launches,particularly when changing standards of care. Waiting until approval oftenlimits patient access to breakthrough treatments. Take away practical wisdom on career transitions by trusting your gut, aligningwith your values, and surrounding yourself with inspiring people who challengeyour growth. Uncover strategies for developing blockbuster drugs by putting patients at thecentre of decision-making and understanding their journey rather than relyingon outdated playbooks. Snippets "Being yourself, bringing your whole self to work and what you do in a career, and most importantly as a leader, helps people feel comfortable." "I consider this a gift; what do we get to do? But I always say to put the patient at the centre of our decision-making." "It's about having the courage to strike out and follow your path. We're not all the same." "Always bet on yourself. So believe in yourself and bet on yourself, and you'll never go wrong." Timestamps & Topics 00:12:00 - Thomas introduces DeannaAngello 00:14:37 - The three key ingredients ofsuccessful leadership 00:17:30 - Deanna's early career andeducational background 00:21:04 - How consulting experienceprovided foundational skills 00:25:18 - First steps into the lifesciences industry 00:27:02 - When Deanna first felt like aleader 00:36:56 - Pivotal career move from Pfizerto Genentech 00:39:54 - Taking on leadership roles thatno one else wanted 00:45:41 - Lessons learned from poorleadership experiences 00:50:36 - Insights from launchingblockbuster drugs 00:56:18 - The "Dolomitesmoment" - finding clarity and changing direction 01:01:31 - Transitioning from corporatelife to advisory roles 01:09:58 - The future of leadership inlife sciences 01:12:15 - Advice to Deanna's younger self Resources • Follow Deanna Angello on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannaangello/ • Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Loved this episode? Subscribe to the channel for more inspiring leadership stories. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Adapting Leadership Across Borders with Laurent Abuaf	02 Apr 2025	01:25:02
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Laurent Abuaf, a seasoned commercial leader with a diverse international career spanning industries, continents, and leadership levels. Laurent shares his fascinating journey from his early days in the automotive industry and consulting at BCG to senior leadership roles at AstraZeneca, where he spent over 15 years, and subsequently into the biotech world with Amarin. As a self-described "dreamer" who evolved into a strategic commercial leader, Laurent's story reflects the power of taking calculated risks and embracing new opportunities. With over 15 years as an expat across six countries including Belgium, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, and now Switzerland, Laurent offers valuable insights on adapting leadership styles across different cultures, building high-performing teams in diverse environments, and successfully transitioning between large pharmaceutical organisations and smaller biotech companies. Key Takeaways Discover the power of Laurent's "no regret philosophy" for making critical career decisions that align with personal values and build confidence. Learn how to transition from large pharma to SME by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset where impact outweighs function and roles extend beyond job descriptions. Uncover strategies for building a cross-cultural career through adaptability, local respect, and balancing global standards with cultural sensitivity. Explore how board experience enhances understanding of company dynamics at all levels, creating complementary insights between executive and non-executive roles. Take away insights on work-life harmony while pursuing an international career, including supporting your partner's growth and building strong foundations at home. Gain perspective on leading through challenges and recognising when some situations require the wisdom to step away. Learn why Laurent believes "people do what they do because they're smart" as a key leadership principle for building empathy and understanding motives. Snippets: "I have a sort of philosophy that I discovered a bit late in my career, which is the no regret philosophy. Making sure that whatever you do, whatever you decide in each of these critical points in your career, ask yourself the question: am I okay with this?" "Fear is never a good advisor. It's good to keep you on your toes, though." "For the new generation, the sense of purpose is very important, and the sense of purpose is going far beyond making money for the shareholder. It's really making that difference. And being true to it." Timestamps & Topics 00:08:21 - Thomas introduces Laurent Abuaf 00:11:45 - The key ingredients of successful leadership 00:15:15 - Laurent's early career and educational background 00:27:01 - Transition from BCG consulting to the pharmaceutical industry 00:43:18 - Laurent's international career across multiple continents 00:52:36 - Building a strong foundation at home while pursuing a global career 00:57:19 - Leadership challenges throughout his career 01:03:25 - Transitioning from large pharma to smaller organisations 01:09:55 - Experiences with board and non-executive director roles 01:18:39 - The future of leadership and adapting to new generations 01:21:25 - Advice to his younger self 01:24:18 - The "Why Worry" decision-making framework 01:26:37 - Quickfire questions Resources: Follow Laurent Abuaf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurentabuaf/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Loved this episode? Subscribe to the channel for more inspiring leadership stories. Feedback? Have questions or feedback about the podcast or want to feature as a guest? Email us at activeingredients@fraserdove.com
	Strategy Meets Reality in Pharma Manufacturing Transformation with Karsten Pietron-Kattmann	16 Feb 2026	01:04:39
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Karsten Pietron-Kattmann, Strategic Advisor at k2pharmaCon. Karsten Pietron-Kattmann has spent his career leading operational transformation at major pharmaceutical companies including Novartis, GSK, Bayer, and BioNTech, where he played a key role during the Covid vaccine response. In this conversation, he shares his framework for aligning strategy, culture, and organisation during transformation. He explains how pharmaceutical leaders can drive change by focusing on what teams can control, tailoring communication to different audiences, and building trust that survives uncertainty. From leading through the Covid vaccine response to managing site divestments during lockdown, Karsten reveals what transformation looks like when strategy meets operational reality. Key Takeaways Understand the magic triangle framework that connects strategy, culture, and organisation in pharmaceutical transformation, and why changes fail when leaders underestimate how disruption in one area affects the others. Learn why authenticity forms the foundation of effective leadership in pharmaceutical and biotech organisations, and how trying to be someone else erodes team trust and credibility. Discover how trust operates across three levels in life sciences companies: trusting your employees, trusting your own capabilities, and trusting your organisation to navigate complexity. Understand how early career experiences shape leadership approaches. Karsten Pietron-Kattmann’s path from lab technician to executive taught him empathy for frontline teams and the value of hands-on operational understanding. Explore how collaboration solves problems that individual teams cannot address alone, and why successful leaders look beyond their immediate resources to find solutions across organisations. Gain practical insight into leading global teams across different cultures and accepting that multiple pathways can reach the same goal, even when they differ from your preferred approach. Apply lessons about balancing technology adoption with human-centered leadership as artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics reshape how life sciences organisations operate and make decisions. Snippets “Self-confidence without reflection is not such a sharp knife." "The worst you can do to teams is to take away the purpose of their work and the purpose of their day-to-day efforts. You will have a break of loyalty and integrity in your team." "If you spent most of the time making slides for the review, you will not focus on delivering on the clean room wall, on the HVAC system, on the process machinery." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: [21:23] – Intro: Karsten Pietron-Kattmann's leadership journey in biopharma [23:37] – Key Ingredients: Authenticity, trust, curiosity in pharma leadership [26:29] – Career Path: From lab technician to pharmaceutical executive roles [29:31] – Mentorship: Early influences shaping collaboration and problem solving [77:27] – Cultural Leadership: Managing global teams across different methodologies [79:31] – Industry Outlook: Modular manufacturing and AI in life sciences [82:07] – Future Leaders: Embracing diversity and technology in biopharma teams Resources Follow Karsten Pietron-Kattmann on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karsten-pietron-kattmann-7300ba24/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Amazon⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Trust, Vision, and Human-Centred Leadership With Thomas Jaecklin	02 Feb 2026	00:54:12
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Thomas Jaecklin, Chief Medical Officer and Strategic Pharma Consultant at TJ Pharma Consulting. Thomas shares his journey from paediatric intensive care physician to C-suite executive, revealing how clinical precision and human-focused leadership create sustainable success in biotech and pharma. The conversation explores trust building, team dynamics, leadership transitions during company maturation phases, and how globalisation is reshaping pharmaceutical leadership. Key Takeaways Learn how generating trust serves as the foundation for effective leadership, creating environments where teams communicate early warnings and innovate freely. Discover why vision requires constant communication, as leaders must continuously refocus teams, investors, and partners toward shared goals through repetitive messaging. Understand how self-awareness drives leadership development, particularly how doubting yourself can become a strength when it helps identify your own blind spots. Explore complexity differences between hospital and pharma leadership, where drug development requires integrating diverse mindsets from commercial, regulatory, safety, and scientific teams. Take away frameworks for recognizing leadership expiry dates during transitions, especially when projects move from research to clinical development or development to commercialization. Gain insights into building teams using the bicycle wheel analogy, where elements like psychological safety and integrity must be strengthened iteratively rather than focusing on single aspects. Apply hiring strategies that prioritize belief over checkbox qualifications, understanding how playing into strengths creates more energised teams than forcing fit against rigid job descriptions. Snippets "Building high performing teams is like building a bicycle wheel… You can't go and connect the hub to the rim and tension that first spoke to the desired tension…, ignoring all the other spokes…" “I'd rather play into someone's strengths and try and fill the gaps that this person leaves open…, because that person will be much more motivated, will be much more energised, fulfilled…” “It's not the computers or the machines that we buy that make the great work. It's the people that operate those computers and machines…. So why are we treating people so badly?” Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: 00:20:44 - Three Key Ingredients: Trust, vision, and constant communication as leadership foundations 00:28:24 -- Transition to Industry: Moving from academic medicine to pharma's collaborative research environment 00:32:04 - Becoming a Leader: Recognizing impact through team feedback and psychological safety 00:36:19 - Hospital vs. Pharma: Understanding complexity and diverse team mindsets 00:44:19 - Leadership Expiry Dates: Navigating transitions from research to development to commercialisation 00:54:12 - Building High-Performing Teams: The bicycle wheel framework for iterative trust building 01:04:23 - China's Innovation Challenge: How rapid development is reshaping global Pharma Resources Follow Thomas Jaecklin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-jaecklin/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Building Patient-Focused Teams with Nageatte Ibrahim	19 Jan 2026	00:50:06
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Nageatte Ibrahim, CEO and Founder of Arc Nouvel Clinical Development Consulting LLC. Ibrahim’s journey spans board-certified medical oncologyist, leadership of oncology trials at Merck, Chief Medical Officer at Arc Nouvel Clinical Development Consulting LLC, and now clinical development consultant for early- and mid-sized biotechs. This episode explores her evolution from hands-on patient care to executive leadership, focusing on the critical balance between clinical excellence and commercial viability. Her insights on building inclusive teams, leading through uncertainty, and maintaining patient focus while scaling biotech organisations offer practical guidance for life sciences executives navigating the modern-day pharmaceutical landscape. Key Takeaways • Learn how caring for people forms the foundation of leadership, recognising that, as a leader, you’re entrusted with the careers and futures of others in pharmaceutical and biotech organisations. • Discover the power of clear focus and realistic goals to align teams behind a shared mission, preventing the chaos that emerges when people move in different directions without understanding their roles. • Understand the critical distinction between leading and bringing people along, as Ibrahim explains how great leaders avoid leaving team members behind while pursuing business objectives. • Explore how early mentorship shapes career trajectories through Ibrahim’s experience with hands-on tumor sample research as an undergraduate, demonstrating the lasting impact of invested leadership on emerging talent. • Take away strategies for growing the next generation of leadership by serving as a model for inclusive, mission-focused team building that develops future pharmal executives. • Gain insights into leading virtual teams in life sciences, including the essential practice of one-on-one conversations to read what body language and facial expressions cannot reveal on screen. • Apply frameworks for transitioning between large pharma and biotech environments, understanding when each setting serves different purposes in executive career development and organisational impact. Snippets • “If you don't feel nervous about a new opportunity, then you're not really taking on something that's upward growth for you.” • “You can't plan everything…You have to leave room for the unexpected, which sometimes can turn out to surprise you in great ways.” • “A lot of focus sometimes is on recruiting the talent. I think the harder part is retaining the talent. And that's where I see not enough investment is made." Timestamps & Topics • 00:14:27 - Three Active Ingredients: People, focus, and bringing everyone along on the leadership journey • 00:17:57 - Early Formation: From first-grade aspiration to molecular biology research with patient tumour samples • 00:22:00 - University Mentorship: The formative impact of Dr. Eric Rubin’s laboratory on career trajectory • 00:38:15 - Clinical to Commercial: Transitioning from oncology practice to pharmaceutical leadership at Merck • 00:45:30 - Leading with Purpose in Biotech: From Oncology Ward to Clinical Consulting with Dr. Nageatte Ibrahim Resources • Follow Dr. Nageatte Ibrahim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nageatte-ibrahim-m-d-56882b8/ • Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don’t Miss an Episode Join the Active Ingredients podcast community at https://activeingredients.fraserdove.com to receive new episodes delivered the day they drop, invitation to Active Ingredients Live events and more. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Leading Pharmaceutical Operations From The Ground Up With Jeff Rope	05 Jan 2026	01:00:18
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Jeff Rope, a pharmaceutical operations executive with four decades of experience in technical operations, supply chain leadership, and acquisition integration. Jeff's journey from aspiring veterinarian to leading global operations shows how failure and rural values shape strong leadership. His experience building teams, coaching systems, and working through the changing generics landscape offers insights for executives. The conversation explores authenticity, site management experience, and staying flexible during industry changes. Key Takeaways • Learn how being authentic makes you a better leader after years of trying to copy others, focusing on being yourself in pharmaceutical leadership. • Discover why integrity stays important in life sciences operations, recognizing that practicing integrity consistently across complex manufacturing requires effort and courage. • Understand how rural farming experiences carry over into operational leadership, including solving problems independently, supporting your community, and staying disciplined. • Explore why the Site Manager role gives the best leadership training, sitting at the intersection of all functions and requiring mastery of compliance, medical, finance, and operations. • Take away the principle of coaching systems rather than individuals, recognizing that long-term change requires fixing structural issues not personal development. • Gain insights into balancing technical skills with people leadership, with Jeff noting few people move from shop floor to senior positions without developing people skills. • Apply methods for staying flexible in pharmaceutical operations, as the generics industry faces patent cliffs, biosimilar complexity, and therapies like GLP-1 creating market changes. • Uncover how continuous learning and effort stay required, with Jeff stressing that applying yourself fully builds the foundation for career success. • Identify important leadership qualities needed during uncertainty, including making strategic choices with incomplete information while keeping flexibility to manage mistakes. Snippets • "Whenever you do something, you have to apply yourself. You have to learn. You have to put time and effort. And it's not enough to think things come naturally to you." • "The Site Manager job was the best job I've ever had. Take two funnels at the pointy end and put them together. The site manager sits right in the joint." • "Very few people make it from the shop floor to senior roles. You're on that journey because there's something about what you've done or accomplished to date that's working." Timestamps & Topics • 00:23:22 -- Introduction: Jeff Rope's journey from New Zealand to global pharmaceutical leadership • 00:24:39 -- Three Active Ingredients: Being authentic, having integrity, treating people with respect • 00:26:25 -- Early Formation: Rural farming values and path from veterinarian to pharmaceutical operations • 00:30:18 -- The Chemistry Pivot: How a failed school exam started a lifetime of learning • 00:45:30 -- Site Management Excellence: Why this role provides the best leadership development • 01:02:15 -- Coaching Systems vs Individuals: Building long-term organizational change • 01:15:36 -- Industry Evolution: Generics changes, GLP-1 impact, leading through industry shifts Resources • Follow Jeff Rope on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-rope-345b84197/ • Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Building Teams With Heart With Paul Janssen	15 Dec 2025	00:53:47
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Paul Janssen, Regional Vice President and General Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland at Advanz Pharma. Paul's career shows how principled leadership under pressure can reshape pharmaceutical organisations. From turnarounds to scaling challenges, his journey highlights the power of listening, building trust through presence, and creating entrepreneurial cultures that put patients first. The conversation dives into how leaders stay clear in crisis, build teams with heart, and develop talent using frameworks that value learnability as much as experience. Paul shares stories from military leadership to million-euro mistakes, demonstrating how vulnerability and accountability fuel psychological safety and innovation. Key Takeaways Learn how the three L's framework guides crisis leadership through listening to every level of the organisation, leading with clear direction, and letting teams execute with trust once alignment is achieved. Gain insights into building companies with heart by establishing patient-centric cultures where teams achieve exceptional market share through responsiveness and genuine commitment to improving lives. Discover why calm presence matters more than perfect solutions when leading through regulatory challenges or market disruptions that threaten patient access and team morale across multiple markets. Understand how patient immersion creates entrepreneurial fire by visiting patients in their homes and witnessing first hand the daily impact of therapies on quality of life and treatment burden. Explore the five-element hiring framework Paul uses to build high-performing teams by assessing winning attitude, impact, learnability, adaptability, and judgment rather than prioritising industry experience. Take away strategies for creating psychological safety where team members can make mistakes, admit errors early, and maintain entrepreneurial courage without fear of punishment when acting in good faith. Apply principles for talent development over experience hiring, understanding that learnability and adaptability predict long-term success more accurately than therapeutic area expertise or established relationships. Snippets "Listening is a very important element to be a successful leader." "In the beginning, I wasn't selling because I didn't know that you have to listen and not talk. That was a big learning for me at the time." "You need to be very calm….You need to be pulling people together, and you need to tell them this is the situation." Timestamps & Topics 00:37:12 - Three Active Ingredients: Listening, leading, and letting teams execute with trust 00:42:28 - Entry into Pharma: Consulting experience that revealed product safety issues and sparked industry passion 00:54:08 - Leading in the Fire: Military leadership lessons applied to pharmaceutical crisis management 01:04:02 - Building with Heart: Patient-centred startup philosophy that drove 50% market share growth 01:12:04 - Million Euro Mistakes: Creating cultures where teams report errors early without fear 01:15:30 - Hiring for Talent: Five-element framework prioritising learnability over industry experience 01:24:01 - Future of Life Sciences: AI integration, digital therapeutics, and human-centred leadership evolution Resources Follow Paul Janssen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-janssen-ma-mba-msc/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune in to our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	The AI-Enabled Procurement Leader With Alan Rankin	01 Dec 2025	01:04:38
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Alan Rankin, Chief Procurement Officer at Moderna. Alan's career trajectory from organic chemist to transformational procurement leader spans some of pharma's biggest names, including Novartis, Sandoz, and Moderna. His journey reveals how technical expertise combined with people-centric leadership creates extraordinary value in life sciences. The conversation explores bold career transitions, the private equity mindset, and how AI-enabled procurement teams will reshape pharmaceutical operations in the coming decade. Key Takeaways Discover how AI agents will sit alongside human teams in pharmaceutical procurement, with Alan explaining Moderna's approach to managing digital and human workforces together, positioning AI capabilities within HR rather than IT. Understand why experimentation with AI technology matters more than fear of job replacement, as Alan shares how Moderna's culture allows people to learn and build with AI tools, enabling workforce reinvention rather than displacement. Learn how curiosity, connection, and the ability to lower judgment form the foundation of impactful leadership, especially in procurement roles where stakeholder influence is crucial in driving organisational change. Discover why asking questions instead of providing answers fosters accountability in teams and strengthens ownership, as Alan explains how this shift transformed his leadership approach from content-driven to people-centred. Understand the private equity lens as a value multiplier rather than cost-cutting pressure, where delivering bottom-line impact translates to exponential enterprise value at exit. Explore the critical importance of data quality as the foundation for procurement value creation, with Alan's framework: data > insights > ideas > projects > savings. Take away strategies for successful transitions from big pharma to smaller organisations, recognising that moving from thousand-person teams to lean operations requires building systems from scratch without the corporate machine behind you. Gain insights into defining personal success internally rather than through external validation, as Alan shares how working with coaches helped him discover that self-defined success metrics around wellbeing and detachment matter more than titles. Snippets "Your job as a leader is to make people who work for you successful. And the theory is if they're successful, then you'll be successful." "Data leads to insights. Insights leads to ideas. Ideas lead to projects. Projects, when executed well, lead to money in the bank. But at the end of the day, it all starts with the data." "The private equity lens is just a wonderful appreciation of what procurement can do and what procurement can bring to the table." Timestamps & Topics 00:30:17 -- Three Active Ingredients: Curiosity, connection, and the ability to lower judgment 00:42:23 -- First Leadership Role: Managing a unionised workforce as the youngest production lead 00:52:13 -- Big Pharma to PE Transition: Building procurement systems from scratch at Stata 01:00:25 -- Moderna Mission: Joining to advance platform mRNA technology in oncology 01:16:46 -- Procurement of the Future: Integrating AI agents alongside human workforce Resources Follow Alan Rankin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-rankin-a2733a6/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune in to our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	From Manufacturing Floor To Commercial Leadership Success With Thomas Wilson	17 Nov 2025	01:18:00
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Thomas Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer at AmbioPharm, a global peptide CDMO. Thomas Wilson brings a unique perspective that spans 30 years at Pfizer, from elite manufacturing and supply chain roles to his current commercial leadership position in the biopharma CDMO space. His journey from military service through frontline manufacturing supervision to senior commercial roles demonstrates how operational fluency can fuel authentic commercial leadership. The conversation explores the critical transition from technical operations to commercial excellence, the mentors who shaped his servant leadership philosophy, and how to build high-performing teams where people are empowered to win. Key Takeaways Learn how having a clear mission serves as your fundamental leadership compass, ensuring every decision aligns with what truly motivates you and drives meaningful results for your organisation. Discover the power of working for your people by giving them a fighting chance, creating conditions where team members can succeed rather than setting them up for failure. Understand why being the honest voice in difficult situations defines leadership credibility, especially when accurately assessing challenges before attempting to solve problems. Explore how servant leadership transforms from management concept to a practical framework, putting leaders in a position to enable others' success rather than seeking personal recognition or ego gratification. Take away strategies for transitioning from superhero to sidekick mentality in CDMO, recognising that commercial success comes from being 'Alfred to your customer's Batman' rather than trying to be the hero. Gain insights into creating non-toxic workplace cultures through structured disagreement, teaching teams how to challenge ideas without being disagreeable and fostering permission structures for open dialogue. Apply the 'Practice of 3' technique for better decision-making under pressure, consciously considering multiple response options before reacting to challenging situations or difficult conversations. Uncover how patient-centricity serves as the ultimate motivational foundation, connecting daily operational challenges to real human impact in the life sciences. Snippets "There's a patient at the end of everything you do." “You have to work for your people. You've got to put your people in a position where they can win.” “Disagreement is where the best ideas come from.” “Sometimes you need to lose to win.” “Make your own choice. You are your own agent” Timestamps & Topics 00:50:16 -- Active Ingredients: Mission, working for your people, and being the honest voice 00:52:00 -- Early Formation: Military service, career transition through What Color is Your Parachute 00:58:05 -- Corporate Adjustment: Moving from military precision to union manufacturing environments 01:01:44 -- Natural Leadership: Boy Scouts leadership retreat and connecting the dots mentality 01:02:52 -- Early Lessons: Learning to lose strategically for better team culture 01:05:05 -- Manufacturing Foundation: Converting raw materials and building deep product knowledge 01:08:57 -- Virtual Plant Innovation: Transforming procurement model to engagement-based CDMO relationships 01:25:08 -- Commercial Transition: From manufacturing interface to selling what you love Resources Follow Thomas Wilson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-p-wilson-pfizer-centreone/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Remember to tune in to our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family or your peers!
	Commercial Leadership In Pharma With Gaurav Jain	27 Apr 2026	00:44:38
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Gaurav Jain, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Modavar Pharmaceuticals LLC. Gaurav Jain is a globally experienced commercial leader with over 22 years in the pharmaceutical industry. He has led business development and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) across branded generics, orphan drugs, and multinational companies in markets spanning Asia, the United States, and beyond. In this conversation, Gaurav explains how he entered the industry by chance and built his career by setting clear goals, staying adaptable, and taking on challenges beyond his experience. He also shares how pharma deal structures have shifted away from large upfront payments toward models in which both partners share risk based on a product's performance. He also discusses how senior leaders can protect their organisations from the disruption caused by rising trade barriers and global supply chain instability. Key Takeaways Learn why clear objective setting forms the foundation of effective leadership in pharmaceutical organisations, and how defining deliverables from day one gives teams direction and prevents wasted effort. Discover how Gaurav Jain's career path from banking into branded generics and M&A shows that subject matter expertise matters less than the ability to work with experts and ask the right questions. Understand how to build high-performing commercial teams by hiring for motivation and mindset rather than industry knowledge alone, and why open dialogue leads to stronger business outcomes. Explore how performance-based deal structures have replaced front-loaded payments in pharmaceutical partnerships, and why shared risk now underpins long-term commercial relationships of all sizes. Identify the steps senior leaders should take to protect their organisations from rising global trade barriers, including diversifying supply chains, monitoring P&L exposure, and engaging proactively with policymakers. Snippets "You don't need to be an expert in every space. What you need to know is how experts perform in their own space, and how to work with the experts to learn enough to work along with the greater organisation." "Even after you close the deal, it's not the end. It's kind of a beginning of another major set of challenges... You might have a great idea, but if you don't really follow up on those ideas during integration, you kind of lose value." "A lot of times I've seen industry professionals look at AI as something that can just shorten the amount of thinking they need to do. AI is not a substitute to strategy, to vision, to thinking, to a challenge." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: [00:29] Key Ingredients: Objective setting, adaptability and strategic planning [00:31] Career Path: From banking into the pharmaceutical industry [00:47] Deal Making: What makes M&A a genuine breakthrough for an organisation [00:54] Partnership Evolution: How deal structures have shifted to performance-based models [00:59] Trade Barriers: Navigating geopolitical disruption and supply chain risk [01:07] Future of Leadership: AI, data and the next generation of life sciences leaders Resources Follow Gaurav Jain on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaurav-jain-032b9417/ ResourcesFollow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	From Site Head to Global Leader in Pharma Manufacturing With Laura O'Brien	30 Mar 2026	00:57:03
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Laura O'Brien, Global Operations and Quality Executive. Laura O'Brien is one of the most experienced operations and quality leaders in pharma manufacturing, having held VP and SVP roles at Sanofi, Novartis and CSL across four site head roles in the UK and beyond. In this conversation, she shares what it means to be the first female leader on a manufacturing site, how to build and retain world-class teams, and why shifting from direct control to influence is a defining challenge for global pharma leaders. Key Takeaways • Learn why Laura O'Brien's three leadership ingredients (authentic, bold, and connected) are daily disciplines tested by the pressures of senior pharma leadership, not abstract values on a wall. • Discover how mentors become sponsors, and why the most career-defining moments come from being placed in roles you never felt ready for. • Understand why the site head role is the single most important step in a manufacturing leader's career, blending total site accountability with board-level visibility. • Explore how to make the shift from direct control at site level to leading by influence across a global network of pharma manufacturing sites. • Apply Laura's hiring framework: going beyond competency-based interviews to find candidates who will genuinely transform the organisation at this specific point in time. • Gain a new perspective on the number one team concept, and why your strongest professional loyalty should sit with your peer group rather than the team you directly manage. • Uncover what walking the talk really demands from a senior leader, and why authentic role modelling is the only reliable way to build lasting organisational alignment. • Take away Laura's advice on balancing a demanding pharma career with family life, and why trading off rather than trying to do everything perfectly is the smarter long-term strategy. • Identify the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, and why true sponsorship means advocating for someone at board level, not just offering guidance. Snippets • "People will not align behind you if they don't see that you believe in it and [that] you're engaged in it too." • "Don't try to be perfect. In my view, it's impossible if you really want to do all of these things really well. So trade off one against the other at different times." • "Surround yourself with the best people... what I'm really looking for is: is this person going to transform the organisation in the way it needs to be transformed at this point in time?" Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: • [05:20] -- Intro: Laura O'Brien's background in global pharma operations and quality • [06:48] -- Active Ingredients: Authentic, bold, and connected as the pillars of leadership • [10:24] -- Career Origins: From pharmacy school to a purposeful industrial pharma career • [17:20] -- Site Head: The role that shaped Laura's leadership, including being the first female site head • [26:16] -- Team Building: Hiring for transformation, not just competency • [38:33] -- Global Leadership: Shifting from direct control to influence across a network • [57:54] -- Future of Pharma: AI, patients, and the leadership qualities that will always matter Resources • Follow Laura O'Brien on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-o-brien-4556557/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Values, Courage and Transformation in Life Sciences with Paula Gildert	11 May 2026	01:05:32
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Paula Gildert, Strategic Advisor & Board Member, Xyant Services. Paula Gildert is a procurement and transformation leader who has worked across AstraZeneca, Novartis and Takeda. She served as President and Chair of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and now advises life sciences organisations on strategy and governance. Paula reveals how values, courage, and commitment fuel her leadership style. She shares frameworks for breakthrough thinking, champions speed and quality over pure cost, and vividly describes her journey from corporate executive to board advisor. Key Takeaways Experience how courage, authenticity, and commitment ignite leadership and help senior leaders build trust across the pharmaceutical landscape. See why “context is decisive” in transformation. Gildert shows how reading your team’s environment sets every strategy in motion. Unlock how breakthrough thinking turns stretch goals into tangible results by zeroing in on what’s missing and boldly making clear promises. Discover how speed and quality ignite value creation in procurement and watch cost savings flow naturally as business processes evolve. Gain practical advice on keeping teams energised during multi-year change by celebrating progress and keeping senior leadership visibly engaged. Identify how communication training gives leaders a lasting edge. Gildert explains why structured frameworks for conversations pay dividends across every setting. Explore how a Royal Marine upbringing shaped Gildert’s early leadership. She traces her resilience, her ability to hold her ground and her openness to being wrong back to her father’s influence. Sharpen your listening and curiosity as a young leader. Gildert shares how face-to-face conversations and focus groups shape strategy from the ground up. Use Gildert’s “third chapter” story as inspiration to shape your own vibrant move from executive to impactful advisory, board and voluntary roles. Snippets Business is mostly bad news with a spattering of good. If you’re in a high change environment, it’s not a balance.” “Once you work in the pharmaceutical industry, and you’re driven by a higher purpose, everything else will pale in comparison.” “Oftentimes, you have the team you need. You just haven’t rallied them around the right challenge.” Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: [00:00] – Intro: Paula Gildert’s leadership journey in the life sciences [01:37] – Key Ingredients: Values, authenticity and commitment [03:51] – Early Influences: Growing up with Royal Marine leadership [16:29] – Delivering Impact: Inspiring teams through large-scale change [23:12] – Value Creation: Why speed and quality beat cost in procurement [27:03] – Breakthrough Thinking: Turning stretch goals into real results [34:30] – Emotional Intelligence: Leading when values don’t align [46:09] – Third Chapter: Leadership beyond the corporate org chart [56:50] – Future of Life Sciences: Access, affordability and new technology Resources Follow Paula Gildert on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-gildert-547b987/• Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Bridging Commercial & Operations in CDMO with Michael Stanek	20 Jul 2026	00:50:48
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove speaks with Michael Stanek, former Vice President (VP) and General Manager (GM) API Global at Thermo Fisher Scientific. With more than 25 years in the contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) sector, Michael has led turnarounds, integrated acquisitions and rethought how commercial and operational teams work together. He shares his dual sales model and what it takes to shift a big pharma culture into a multi-customer CDMO mindset. Key Takeaways · Understand why empathy, listening and curiosity are Stanek’s three core leadership traits, and why they matter most in high-pressure CDMO environments. · Learn how to look beyond first impressions when developing talent, and why investing in people before they believe in themselves can define careers. · Discover why tough environments build better leaders than comfortable ones, and how pressure sharpens the instincts that sustained success can quietly erode. · Explore how to keep teams focused under pressure, from repeating purpose at every level to celebrating small wins during a restructuring. · Identify why the disconnect between commercial and operations in CDMOs is structural, rooted in different time horizons, incentives and definitions of risk between the two functions. · Gain insight into why traditional sales models break in CDMO, and why expecting one person to win new accounts and manage complex long-term relationships rarely works. · Apply the dual sales model that pairs a business manager with a sales manager, eliminating handover gaps and building customer trust from proposal to delivery. · Understand what it takes to shift big pharma culture into a CDMO mindset, and why the cultural shift typically takes two to five years. · Take away Stanek’s advice for the next generation of CDMO leaders: stay curious, communicate openly and invest in people early, before they fully see their own potential. Snippets • "Tough environments teach you things that success simply can't. Success can be comfortable... it can dull your instincts."· • "Selling in our industry is not about charisma or persistence. It requires deep technical understanding, operational willingness, and the ability to navigate uncertainty."· • "Creating trust upfront and accountability downstream; that combination dramatically improves delivery and customer confidence." Timestamps & TopicsResources The following timestamps are approximations: · [00:00] – Intro: Career spanning science, operations and commercial execution · [00:01:40] – Key Ingredients: Empathy, listening and curiosity · [00:06:34] – Early Leadership: Believing in people before they believe in themselves · [00:14:03] – Tough Environments: Why pressure shapes leaders faster than success · [00:19:59] – Commercial vs Operations: The structural disconnect in CDMO organisations · [00:30:06] – Dual Sales Model: Pairing business and sales managers to build trust · [00:38:00] – CDMO Integration: Shifting big pharma culture into a multi-customer mindset · [00:49:07] – Next Generation: Stay curious, communicate openly, invest in people early Resources · Follow Michael Stanek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-stanek-638b453/ · Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Situational Leadership and Team DNA in Life Sciences Operations with Tom Hochuli	06 Jul 2026	00:46:16
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Tom Hochuli, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Member at Millrock Technology. Tom Hochuli is a military-trained operator whose career spans Army platoon leadership to CEO roles in life sciences manufacturing, including at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Lonza. In this conversation, he shares how Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) training gave him the self-confidence at the heart of his leadership philosophy. He covers situational leadership, team DNA, and why reading the room sets great leaders apart. Key Takeaways - Explore situational leadership in practice through Hochuli’s J&J experience, where two teams with different histories required entirely different approaches to change. - Apply the concept of team DNA to understand how aligning mission to the motivations of each group creates cohesion across pharmaceutical and life sciences organisations. - Learn why self-confidence is the bedrock of effective leadership, and how it enables trust, vulnerability, and decisive action in life sciences organisations. - Identify the non-negotiables of high-performance culture: mutual trust, respect, and the readiness to act when individuals undermine team cohesion. - Understand the value of leading by example, and why Hochuli’s refusal to ask his team to do what he wouldn’t do himself built lasting trust throughout his career. - Take away Hochuli’s hiring philosophy: why surrounding yourself with people talented enough to take your job is the hallmark of a self-confident leader. - Discover why military leadership isn’t about giving orders, and how Hochuli’s Army training instead taught him empathy, people development, and the value of leading from the front. - Gain practical advice for the transition from operations to CEO, including how to spot transferable skills, volunteer for stretch roles, and build a leadership team that covers your blind spots. - See how AI is changing life sciences manufacturing, and why human qualities like connection, calm judgement, and decisive thinking will matter more as technology advances. Snippets - "You have to be confident in yourself to trust. You have to be confident in yourself to be vulnerable. And that's how you build trust." - "Move obstacles for people, don't do their job... and then just sit back and be amazed at how good they are." - "What sold our business and our product was not the product, it was the people." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: - [00:00] – Intro: Tom Hochuli’s leadership journey in life sciences - [01:30] – Key Ingredients: Self-confidence, trust and honesty - [11:34] – Tower Story: What poor leadership taught Hochuli about leading - [19:08] – Situational Leadership: Two teams, two cultures at J&J - [26:47] – Team DNA: Aligning mission to different groups - [37:47] – Hiring Philosophy: Build a team that can replace you - [40:01] – Future of Life Sciences: AI as a leadership tool Resources - Follow Tom Hochuli on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cellandgeneceo/ - Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Why Diversity of Thinking Builds Better Oncology Teams with Yariv Hefez	22 Jun 2026	00:43:52
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Yariv Hefez, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Business Franchise Oncology at Merck Group. Yariv built his career across three distinct fields: law, entrepreneurship and pharmaceutical leadership. He has built businesses from scratch, led turnarounds and scaled a €2 billion oncology franchise across more than 60 markets. In this conversation, Yariv shares the three ingredients he believes define strong leadership: clarity, momentum and people. He discusses hiring for diverse thinking, using co-creation to build team ownership, and why taking a role before you feel ready is the only path to real growth. Key Takeaways Learn why clarity means making decisions without complete data, and why moving forward amid uncertainty separates effective leaders from cautious ones Discover how talented teams still stall in large pharma, and why generating momentum through process-heavy environments is a core leadership responsibility Understand why Yariv Hefez deliberately recruits people who challenge his thinking, and how productive disagreement leads to better decisions than consensus-first cultures Explore why turning around a declining product is harder than launching a new one, and why approaching it with launch-level energy is the key mindset shift Identify the three building blocks of a high-performing team: trust, productive tension that encourages challenge, and a co-created vision that the whole team owns Gain practical advice on hiring for genuine diversity: recruiting people who look different but think alike produces diversity on paper only. The goal is diversity of thinking Apply Yariv’s self-direction framework to your own career, including his view that waiting until you feel 100% ready for a role means that moment will never come Take away the lesson Yariv had to unlearn early: good work does not speak for itself, and making your contribution visible is a professional skill worth developing deliberately Uncover how AI and quantum computing could reshape drug discovery, and why tomorrow’s leaders will need the confidence to use these tools and the courage to override them Snippets "The way I did it was really being very open and upfront about the fact that I don't have all the answers." "Only when you have diversity of thinking is when you have real diversity. Otherwise it's just diversity on paper." "If you are waiting to be 100% ready for a role, it's not going to happen. You are 100% ready for a role when you are in the role, not before you start the role." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: [00:00] – Intro: Yariv's career journey from law to global oncology leadership [00:01:18] – Key Leadership Ingredients: Clarity, momentum and people [00:13:51] – Turnaround vs Launch: Why reversing a declining product demands the same energy as a new launch [00:21:41] – Team Building: Why diversity of thinking produces better decisions than demographic diversity [00:31:04] – Self-Direction: How to take career risks and stretch roles before you feel fully ready [00:33:25] – Unlearning: Why great work alone is not enough and making your impact visible matters [00:40:32] – Future Outlook: How AI and quantum computing will reshape drug discovery and life science leadership Resources Follow Yariv Hefez on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yarivhefez/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	What It Really Takes to Build a Commercial Machine in Life Sciences with Elliott Berger	08 Jun 2026	00:55:43
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove speaks with Elliott Berger, Executive Strategy & Marketing Advisor, Board Director at Orientation Marketing & Fractional CMO. Elliott began his career as a Management Consultant before joining Johnson & Johnson (J&J), where he worked across strategy, marketing and sales. He then spent 14 years at Catalent, helping transform a private equity-backed business into a multi-billion dollar public company. He now advises investors and senior executives across the contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), contract research organisation (CRO) and biotech landscape. In this conversation, Elliott shares what it takes to build a commercial engine that delivers results in life sciences. He covers how to align marketing, sales and commercial operations, what makes CDMO commercial strategy different from large pharma, and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning to change the way commercial teams work. Key Takeaways - Learn why a structured commercial system matters more than individual talent, and how even skilled people will underperform without a clear framework. - Discover Elliott Berger’s three ingredients for great leadership: vision and strategy, building a strong team, and finding the right mix of delegation, attention to detail and a drive for excellence. - Understand how to spot where a commercial engine is failing to convert, whether the problem sits at the top of the funnel, during the sales process, or in onboarding and delivery.• - Explore why healthy friction between marketing and sales signals that both teams are doing their jobs, and why the absence of that friction should concern commercial leaders. - Gain practical advice for building commercial strategy in the CDMO space, where selling to pharmaceutical and biotech organisations requires a very different approach from large pharma. - Identify why senior leaders moving from large pharma to CDMO environments often struggle, and what mindset and skill shifts are needed to adapt to faster-paced, more uncertain commercial settings. - Apply lessons from Elliott’s approach to customer experience across the full client lifecycle, from the first site visit through to onboarding and ongoing delivery, and why any weak point can cost you the relationship. Snippets - "Being good or average is not good enough — you have to be excellent. Because if you're good, somebody who is excellent will eat your breakfast." - "I often think of a leader like an orchestra conductor. You've got to know where you're driving the music and who is good at doing what, where." - "You can build a commercial machine on top of good factories. You cannot easily build good factories underneath a good commercial machine." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: - [01:14] -- Key Ingredients: Three essential traits for great leadership - [05:19] -- Career Origins: From management consulting to life sciences - [12:06] -- Leadership Realisation: When Elliott recognised he was a leader - [20:20] -- System Failures: Where most organisations break down commercially - [26:12] -- CDMO Strategy: How commercial strategy differs from large pharma - [44:06] -- AI and Commercial Teams: How AI is changing commercial strategy in life sciences Resources - Follow Elliott Berger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliott-berger/ - Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	The Leadership Shift From Scientist to CEO in Biotech With Abbie Celniker	25 May 2026	00:58:47
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove speaks with Abbie Celniker, Partner at Third Rock Ventures. Abbie Celniker has spent four decades in the life sciences, from early scientific roles at Genentech to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) positions at Taliesin and 11 Biotherapeutics, and now as a partner at Third Rock Ventures, creating and developing new biotech companies. In this conversation, she shares what it means to be a biotech pioneer, why the CEO should act as an emcee (master of ceremonies), and how patient urgency shaped the first generation of company builders. She also covers investor-operator dynamics and what the next generation of leaders will need to succeed. Click or tap the play button to watch the video or tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music. Key Takeaways Learn why authenticity and trust are practical foundations of biotech leadership, not soft skills, and how they hold high-risk teams together when the science becomes uncertain. Discover how patient urgency drove the first generation of biotech builders, and what that mission-driven instinct means when creating new life science companies today. Understand the CEO-as-emcee principle: how surrounding yourself with domain experts and stepping back from the spotlight creates stronger results across every function. Explore why letting go of execution is a requirement at senior level, and how staying too close to the data holds your team and your organisation back. Gain insight into what an integrated leadership team looks like at each company stage, and how to stop internal competition from undermining collective decision-making. Identify the tension between investor and operator perspectives on boards, and why balancing those viewpoints leads to better scientific and strategic decisions. Take away practical advice for stepping into senior leadership before you have all the experience: why your executive team must act as thought partners, not simply direct reports. Snippets "All of a sudden, you don't have any real line oversight of the people who are doing the work for you. You have to lead by influence, and you need to get things done." "I want every single person I hire to know more than I do. I want them to be more expert in every area... I just want them to be superstars." "If they're constantly so out looking to grab the spotlight, they're going to potentially be missing opportunities to be motivating some of the superstars that can actually deliver the goods." Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: [00:00] – Intro: Abbie Celniker’s four-decade career across biotech and life sciences [01:30] – Active Ingredients: Authenticity, trust, and culture as leadership foundations [07:35] – Career Start: Joining Genentech in 1986 and the power of cross-functional project teams [16:38] – Biotech Pioneers: How patient urgency defined the first generation of company builders [29:09] – Letting Go: Why moving from execution to leadership is a requirement, not a choice [37:25] – CEO as Emcee: Leading through experts rather than being the expert in the room [45:41] – Boards and Investors: Navigating operator-investor tension at board level Resources Follow Abbie Celniker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbie-celniker-277a356/ Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/ Don't Miss an Episode Sign up to the Active Ingredients podcast at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.activeingredients.fraserdove.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Remember to tune into our next episode for more inspiring insights. You can also subscribe to the Active Ingredients podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amazon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and other leading podcast platforms. Loved this episode? Share it with your friends, family, or your peers!
	Courage, Reinvention & Talent Development in Life Sciences with Michaela Griggs	03 Aug 2026	01:00:23
In this episode of the Active Ingredients podcast, host Thomas Dove interviews Michaela Griggs, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Ansella Therapeutics. Michaela Griggs is a turnaround CEO and board director whose career has encompassed global commercial leadership at Bayer and Allergan, CEO positions, and board appointments across healthcare, fertility, aesthetics, and biotech. In this conversation, she talks about what drives her to take on challenges others avoid, how a dyslexia diagnosis fuelled her determination, why the best leaders choose the harder path, and the development frameworks she uses with every team she leads. Key Takeaways · Discover why long-range vision grows more critical with every step up, and how thinking five to fifteen years ahead lets leaders adapt when the landscape changes. · Learn how Michaela Griggs turned a failing consumer health brand into a $100 million product by creating space to think clearly and finding the right thought partner. · Understand why building on a person’s strengths, rather than fixing weaknesses, is a more effective development approach, and why it also lifts areas where they struggle. · Explore Michaela’s one-page career mapping exercise that connects today’s role to a ten-to-fifteen-year vision and puts people in control of their development. · Gain practical advice on brave leadership, including how to admit to a sceptical sales team that you got the strategy wrong and present a clear new direction. · Discover the mantra behind Michaela’s approach to talent development: develop every person as if they could one day be your boss. · Understand why a lattice career of lateral moves and steps back can outpace a straight-line promotion path and builds the breadth that senior life sciences roles demand. · Learn why the most valuable feedback Michaela ever received was being told she talked too much, and how it now shapes the way she gives developmental feedback to her teams. · Explore what Michaela believes the future of leadership requires: stronger emotional intelligence (EQ), flatter team structures, and a shift to team-first thinking. Snippets · “Everybody I develop could one day be my boss, so I better develop them really well so that they’re a good boss.” · “I’ve got a rod of steel down my spine and I hide it in kindness.” · “The one big piece of advice I would give people going into leadership today: take your people with you and really lean into that. Think team first versus self first.” Timestamps & Topics The following timestamps are approximations: · [00:01] – Introduction: Michaela Griggs, turnaround CEO and board director in life sciences · [00:01:18] – Key Ingredients: Courage, people skills with integrity, and long-range vision · [00:09:01] – Background: Growing up, boarding school, and discovering dyslexia · [00:17:20] – Leadership Origins: The first moment Michaela knew she wanted to lead others · [00:23:17] – Turnaround: Rescuing a struggling consumer health brand from cancellation · [00:38:23] – Talent Development: Developing every person as if they might one day be your boss · [00:43:59] – Career Mapping: A one-page exercise putting people in the driver’s seat of their development · [00:52:08] – Brave Conversations: Asking for honest feedback after being passed over for promotion · [00:58:19] – Future of Leadership: Why team-first thinking and emotional intelligence matter more than ever Resources · Follow Michaela Griggs on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelagriggs/ • Follow Thomas Dove on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifesciencesexecutivesearch/

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