Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008 - (Page 13)

Executive recruitment At a decision-making level, this “different experience” may well be more creative — not a word that is particularly ubiquitous in the world of pharmaceutical production. Still, it is one that can translate into business success in a crowded (or even niche) market place. It also Ugo Bettini affords for a more individualistic approach, giving greater scope for personal contribution. “It’s a lot harder in a larger company to move the needle,” says Nicholas Franco, senior vice president, International Commercial Operations, with Axcan Pharma (France). “In a small company you can have much more influence on all aspects of the business and you see the impact of your work much more rapidly, whereas in a big company it often gets diluted.” Franco spent 16 years at a Big Pharma company before seeking out a creative change and he was enlightened by Axcan’s approach, which he sees as much more entrepreneurial. “Smaller companies tend to avoid a bureaucratic approach to things,” he says. “To be able to bring my experience to a small company as it grows to the next phase, while still keeping that creativity, is very appealing to me.” The important thing to remember is that a career is about personal growth as much as it is about company growth. There has to be individual fulfilment even in the most regulated and tightly focused of industries. Today’s pharma industry is moving more towards the individual, not just in terms of the treatments it is developing, but also with regard to the skill sets that candidates acquire as they move from position to position. “If you stay with the same company, as I did (Novartis), for 15 years, you get institutionalised; you stagnate a bit,” says Dr Iain James, vice president of Discovery Biology at Almac, (UK). “It’s important now to move around and to see things from different perspectives.” This goes too for those who have already scaled great heights within the necessarily in a secure environment. If industry. Martin Hogan, for example, is you leave your safe corporate culture now managing director at Stethos and make a success outside of that, then International (UK), but formerly he was obviously you’ve clearly displayed that a country manager for Roche at the age diversity and adaptability.” of 32. “That can be a big ‘so what?’ from Using agencies a personal perspective, and then there’s At the most senior levels this new era of a big ‘what next?’” he says. ”Having that company-hopping would be very great experience at a young age with a difficult to facilitate without the help of true global leader gave me a substantial recruitment agencies. Agencies are vital learning experience in addition to a new to the Big Pharma-to-small biotech and valuable business perspective, which dynamic. As I've used to develop my career Graham Dixon, senior without the baggage of Big vice president, Drug Pharma politics.” Discovery, with Such an approach can only Galapagos (Belgium) make a candidate more says, “The specialist appealing to the growing senior appointments number of small pharma and aren’t advertised, so biotech companies that are the consultancies are actively looking for versatile crucial. The number of senior staff. Jennifer Chase, MD people moving into of executive search agency biotech and the number Euromedica in France, offers Nicholas Franco of opportunities is the recruiter perspective on increasing.” As a this: “Diversity and the ability recruiter, Dixon uses to adapt are the key qualities that Euromedica. Earlier in his career, he says companies are looking for today, and to that all the moves he made after leaving get those skills you have to put yourself Big Pharma were facilitated by agencies. in a situation where you’re not 15 Executive Recruitment The value of recruiting experts on an as needed basis 19 Meet unmet needs Natalie Douglas on named patient programmes 22 Pharma in Turkey Interviews with the country’s leading executives 37 Last words Who said what in pharma’s last four weeks

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008

Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008
Contents
News and Analysis
Calendar
BioFutures
Strategy Fundamentals
Executive Recruitment: Small Company, Big Career
Executive Recruitment: Instant Pharma
Named Patient Programmes
Executive Review: Turkey

Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2008