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Thought leadership and innovation for the Pharmaceutical Industry

We profile the four worthy finalists selected based on a consistent and determined approach to innovation, resilience & value creation.

By Paul Simms on Apr 22, 2016

FINALIST:

Freda C. Lewis-Hall, Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Pfizer

Before joining Pfizer in 2009, Lewis-Hall held senior leadership positions in medical affairs and new product development with Vertex, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pharmacia and Lilly.

Lewis-Hall actually started her career outside of pharma working in front-line mental health services for families and communities. A passionate advocate for empowering patients through knowledge, she speaks frequently in venues from TEDMED to the Essence Music Festival, appears regularly on television shows including The Doctors and Dr. Phil, and shares health and medical information at GetHealthyStayHealthy.com.

Lewis-Hall has been selected for the following reasons:

• Industry leadership: Lewis-Hall was appointed by Obama Administration to the inaugural Board of Governors for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
• Patient empowerment: She is committed to helping patients make informed treatment decisions.
• Commitment to non-commercial objectives: Lewis-Hall serves as a board member at Harvard Medical School, Save the Children among others.
• Women's health and mental health thought-leadership: Lewis-Hall has a huge list of publications to her name, including the book “Psychiatric Illness in Women: Emerging Trends and Research.”

 

FINALIST:

Annalisa Jenkins, CEO, Dimension Therapeutics

Annalisa Jenkins came into pharma after service within the UK armed forces, with the Minesweeper Squadron during the first Gulf War. She returned to the UK to train in cardiovascular medicine in the UK National Health Service, before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb as a Cardiovascular Medical Advisor in 1997. From this role, she was rapidly promoted before reaching Senior Vice President of Global Medical in 2008, where she oversaw the company's Medical Division worldwide. In 2011, she left to join Merck and in 2013 Jenkins was promoted to Executive Vice-President and head of Global R&D.

Having worked as a surgeon during the Gulf War, within the National Health Service as a cardiovascular expert, and having led R&D at the highest level within pharma, Jenkins has shown excellence in all that she does. Since 2014, she has also been leading cross-industry efforts to accelerate the delivery of quality medicines to patients, as the Chair of the Board of Directors at TransCelerate.

 

FINALIST:

Christi Shaw, former U.S. Country Head, President of Novartis

Christi Shaw showed outstanding leadership in the re-positioning of Novartis' US business around patient-centric values. Prior to Novartis, she also worked at Johnson & Johnson for eight years, rising to Vice President of New Business Development & Strategic Analytics. Throughout her career, Christi Shaw has also led in challenging gender inequality within pharma through support for young women leadership programs. 

Christi was nominated for the following reasons:

 

• Industry leadership: Shaw is a board member of BIO advocacy group to improve biotech innovation
• Innovation: Shaw created the groundbreaking ‘Signature’ program that shortened clinical trial recruitment from an average of six months to just six weeks.
• Commitment to workplace diversity: Shaw has worked to reinforce norms on diversity and encouraged initiatives that make hiring practice transparent and fair.

 

Finalist:

Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann, CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Before becoming the CEO of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Desmond-Hellmann had already succeeded as a physician, as a scientist, and as an academic. While president of product development at Genentech, she was credited for her role in the development of two of the first gene-targeted therapies for cancer, Avastin and Herceptin.  

The launch of these break-through products led to awards from Forbes’ “World's Seven Most Powerful Innovators”, Fortune Magazine’s “Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business”, as well as an honorary degree from Princeton University.

In her work as an academic, Desmond-Hellmann gained a reputation as a coalition builder, forming research partnerships with Pfizer and Bayer while Chancellor of the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), and co-chairing the National Academies committee on precision medicine. 

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Looking for inspiration? Follow these innovators and others as they battle it out at this year's Philadelphia Awards.  The winners will be announced on May 2nd at eyeforpharma Philadelphia 2016.