From Forests to Pharma: Rasmus Jensen on Cultural Intelligence and Career Transformation - Ep. 8

Join Marcus Metcalfe as he sits down with Rasmus Jensen for a captivating conversation about one of the most unconventional career journeys in pharma. Starting with ambitions to become a forest ranger, complete with chainsaw training. Rasmus shares how he transformed his forestry economics background into a successful pharmaceutical career spanning global corporations and dynamic startups.

In this episode, Rasmus reveals crucial lessons on cultural intelligence in international business, the art of clear communication in leadership, and the challenges of transitioning from Big Pharma to startup environments. He candidly discusses his experiences at companies like Novo Nordisk and Johnson & Johnson, before taking the leap into biotech with Camurus, where he started with just "a PC, an office package, and a blank piece of paper."

Listeners will gain valuable insights on navigating cultural differences in global organisations, the importance of gaining commercial experience for career growth, and how to leverage diverse functional expertise in leadership roles. Rasmus also shares a powerful story about learning from failure and using AI tools to enhance cross-cultural communication.
Perfect for pharmaceutical professionals considering career transitions, leaders working in multicultural environments, and anyone interested in building a unique career path in life sciences.

Key Topics Covered

Unconventional career paths in pharma
Cultural intelligence and communication
Transitioning from Big Pharma to startups
Leadership lessons and learning from failure
Building breadth across functional areas
The value of commercial experience
Danish vs international corporate cultures
Using AI for cross-cultural communication

Notable Quotes

"If you want to have a career in Pharma, go close to the business... it gives you a breadth of understanding and more gravity in your arguments."
"You start with a PC, an office package, and a blank piece of paper."
"Some of the failures that one has done in careers... are often the biggest opportunities for learning and development."

Chapters

00:23 - Rasmus's unexpected origin story as a forestry student
06:58 - Career advice on getting close to the business
10:50 - The reality of joining a startup
18:09 - Discussion on clarity in leadership
31:08 - Cultural blindness and learning fr

Connect with Marcus and Elucid8: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-metcalfe-8938a35/ Marcus helps US & European Biotech & Pharmaceutical clients by providing Interim/Fractional & Advisory consultants for operational & strategic needs.

I also work selective Executive Search (perm) projects.

I have helped Clients when there is no headcount, when they can't find the right permanent candidate, when they have a spike in business, as an alternative to an external vendor or for those simply needing an extra pair of hands.

If you need a partner with an extensive network in HEOR and Market Access - this is his sweet spot.

He has placed over 120 HEOR and Market Access candidates during my time across US and Europe.

With his business partners, he covers the below functional areas.

• Biometrics • Business Development
• Clinical Research • Drug safety & Product safety
• Engineering • Health Economics
• Medical Affairs • Market Access
• Regulatory Affairs • Compliance/Quality Assurance
• Marketing & Medical • Scientific & Preclinical
• Communications

Sponsor Message

This episode is brought to you by www.elucid8.co - Connecting Talent, Strategy, and Investment to Transform Life Sciences

Podcast produced by www.podforge.co.uk

Value-Based Healthcare: Lessons from a HEOR Expert | BioPharma Unscripted! Ep.7

Join Marcus Metcalfe as he speaks with Colette Mankowski, a veteran in Health Economics, Outcomes Research & Market Access with over 25 years of industry experience. In this candid conversation, Colette shares her unconventional journey into health economics, her career trajectory at Astellas, and her transition to independent consulting and mindfulness coaching.

Colette explains how she rose from medical information to become Executive Director of a 25-person regional HEOR team, while providing valuable insights on the evolution of health economics in pharmaceutical decision-making. She discusses why health economics should be integrated from Phase 1 trials, the importance of value-based evidence, and how the US pharmaceutical market is changing through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Beyond her technical expertise, Colette opens up about leadership values, the importance of psychological safety in teams, and how mindfulness techniques have transformed her approach to challenges in her career and personal life.

In this episode you'll learn:

How health economics evolved from an overlooked function to a strategic necessity
Why value-based pricing requires early HEOR integration in drug development
The challenges and rewards of transitioning to independent consulting
How mindfulness can address mental health challenges in high-pressure environments
Colette's plans to demystify HEOR and market access through educational content
The critical attributes of effective leadership in pharmaceutical organisations
How pharmaceutical companies can strategically use interim consultants

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and reconnection
01:28 Colette's unconventional entry into pharma
03:45 Career trajectory at Astellas
05:30 The evolution of health economics in pharma
07:55 Explaining the importance of early HEOR integration
10:42 Value-based pricing and evidence generation
12:35 Leadership influences and psychological safety
15:20 The challenge of failure in pharmaceutical development
17:30 US healthcare system and regulatory changes
19:15 Transition to interim consulting
21:08 Mental health challenges in career transitions
22:45 Introduction to mindfulness techniques
24:30 Demystifying health economics through content
27:10 Final thoughts on connection and transformation

Connect with Marcus and Elucid8: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-metcalfe-8938a35/ Marcus helps US & European Biotech & Pharmaceutical clients by providing Interim/Fractional & Advisory consultants for operational & strategic needs.

I also work selective Executive Search (perm) projects.

I have helped Clients when there is no headcount, when they can't find the right permanent candidate, when they have a spike in business, as an alternative to an external vendor or for those simply needing an extra pair of hands.

If you need a partner with an extensive network in HEOR and Market Access - this is his sweet spot.

He has placed over 120 HEOR and Market Access candidates during my time across US and Europe.

With his business partners, he covers the below functional areas.

• Biometrics • Business Development
• Clinical Research • Drug safety & Product safety
• Engineering • Health Economics
• Medical Affairs • Market Access
• Regulatory Affairs • Compliance/Quality Assurance
• Marketing & Medical • Scientific & Preclinical
• Communications

Sponsor Message

This episode is brought to you by www.elucid8.co - Connecting Talent, Strategy, and Investment to Transform Life Sciences

Podcast produced by www.podforge.co.uk

Building Successful Market Access Strategies from Day One - BioPharma Unscripted Ep. 6

In this episode of BioPharma Unscripted!, host Marcus speaks with pharmaceutical market access expert Ana Filipa Alexandre, PharmD, MPH about the critical importance of early access planning in drug development.

Ana shares insights from her extensive career spanning regulatory affairs, health economics, and market access, explaining why companies must consider access strategies from the earliest stages of development.

In This Episode You'll Learn

• What market access truly encompasses beyond regulatory approval
• Why companies frequently fail to start market access planning early enough
• How to build a compelling "value story" with evidence-based value propositions
• The specific consequences when market access planning is inadequate
• Special considerations for small biotech companies with limited resources
• The critical relationship between health economics and market access functions
• Why post-launch market access activities remain important throughout a product's lifecycle
• How the upcoming Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA) might impact European market access

Whether you're a pharmaceutical professional, biotech entrepreneur or healthcare policy expert, this episode offers valuable insights into how successful drugs make the journey from lab to patient.

Ana Filipa Alexandre, PharmD, MPH: Ana is a pharmacist by training with extensive experience in market access across affiliate and global roles. Connect with Ana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-filipa-alexandre-pharmd-mph/

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Ana's background

01:31 Ana's journey into pharmaceutical market access

02:25 Defining market access as a process

04:44 Why companies fail to start market access planning early

07:06 Cross-functional collaboration in market access

08:26 Building the value story for new products

11:04 Challenges for small biotech companies

13:24 Example of effective early access planning

16:38 Advice for early-stage biotechs on market access

19:40 The role of consultants vs in-house expertise

21:42 Consequences of inadequate market access planning

24:16 Career development in market access

27:11 Post-launch considerations in market access

29:19 Concluding remarks

Connect with Marcus and Elucid8: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-metcalfe-8938a35/ Marcus helps US & European Biotech & Pharmaceutical clients by providing Interim/Fractional & Advisory consultants for operational & strategic needs.

I also work selective Executive Search (perm) projects.

I have helped Clients when there is no headcount, when they can't find the right permanent candidate, when they have a spike in business, as an alternative to an external vendor or for those simply needing an extra pair of hands.

If you need a partner with an extensive network in HEOR and Market Access - this is his sweet spot.

He has placed over 120 HEOR and Market Access candidates during my time across US and Europe.

With his business partners, he covers the below functional areas.

• Biometrics • Business Development
• Clinical Research • Drug safety & Product safety
• Engineering • Health Economics
• Medical Affairs • Market Access
• Regulatory Affairs • Compliance/Quality Assurance
• Marketing & Medical • Scientific & Preclinical
• Communications

Sponsor Message

This episode is brought to you by www.elucid8.co - Connecting Talent, Strategy, and Investment to Transform Life Sciences

Podcast produced by www.podforge.co.uk