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European Biopharmaceutical Review
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Shayesteh Fürst-Ladani talks to EBR about her future goals, advice for
aspiring entrepreneurs and what the pharma industry needs to focus on
EBR: What attracted you to the pharmaceutical industry?
Shayesteh Fürst-Ladani: The fact that it is a sector that is very
dynamic and thrives on advances in science and medicine. It has been
fascinating to experience the incredibly fast development in natural
sciences over the last 20-30 years that has led to new drugs to address
unmet medical needs.
What qualities do you need to be a leader?
While there is no magic formula, there are certain factors which I
consider central to our company philosophy and success. From the outset,
I felt it was essential to build a winning and motivated team that
would grow with the company, and that is still something I strongly
believe in. In practice, this means strengthening the sense of ownership
and independency for each team member, regardless of hierarchical
setting. Leaders also have to be analytical in identifying upcoming
trends and challenges, as well as defining measures for how best to
prepare for them. As I mentioned before, we work in a dynamic industry,
and so you must be fl exible to address changes that could not have been
foreseen. SFL has a range of clients.
What is the secret to your success?
At SFL we look to foster partnerships with clients and aim for long-term
relationships. Financial interest is never the primary motivation. The
highest priority for the team is providing solutions for each of our
partners and clients. We do not differentiate in our services between
small and big clients – each client receives a premium service. It is
important to be seen as reliable and focused on delivering the highest
quality possible. Our growth and expanding client base shows that
companies recognise and value the approach that we have to business.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
It is important for entrepreneurs to plan ahead, as they will be seeking
to break new ground. The key is having a clear vision and understanding
of your products and services, the client needs you would like to
satisfy, and how you differentiate yourself from your competitors. These
points are equally important, whether you are trying to launch a
business after fi nishing education, or thinking about self-employment
after a successful industry career. Especially in the latter case, it
might be diffi cult coping with the sudden loss of convenient support
functions and the difference of talking peer-to-peer with colleagues in
other companies versus contacting them to discuss your own business.
What are your goals for the coming year?
SFL’s strength is our understanding of the interconnectedness of the
different stages and functions in the lifecycle of a product. Clients
value our multidisciplinary approach. To keep in line with current
developments in the industry, and at the request of clients, we have
decided to expand into new specialist areas such as health technology
assessment. To make these decisions with the best possible preparation,
we have recently constituted an advisory board. Its members combine a
broad range of different expertise to provide, on one hand, strategic
advice and recommendations on the long-term development of SFL and its
service offers. On the other, hand we support clients in their strategic
decisions in the light of their in-depth knowledge of policy,
regulatory and scientifi c developments, legal standards and company
infrastructures.
What will be the big trends in pharma over the next few years?
There is no shortage of exciting developments for the pharmaceutical
industry. Areas of importance that I can see include: personalised
medicine; e-Health; increased data transparency; and patient/academia
involvement. Other trends include: developing home use products to
differentiate from competitors; new strategies to extend product
lifecycles; and further measures to control healthcare budgets.
Additionally, there has been increasing interest from Big Pharma
companies to invest in orphan drug development.
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