What inspired you to set up Pharma Integrity?
I held various in-house Compliance leadership roles for about 10 years which brought opportunities to work closely with EFPIA, the PMCPA/ ABPI in the UK, and IPHA in Ireland, including being a panellist for the IPHA Code Council. After relocating from the UK to Ireland I saw an opportunity to provide specialist independent Compliance guidance and support to companies operating in either country or both. The codes and legislation that govern conduct are similar but importantly different. Some companies felt that there was great in-house focus on the requirements of the ABPI’s Code of Practice, but not on that of the IPHA’s. Pharma Integrity provides expert specialised support and training on the advertising of medicines in both the UK and Ireland.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I generally take a collaborative approach to leadership and drive cross-functional engagement. Naturally there are times I’ve had to take a hard line on certain activities and situations. In doing so I’ve had to appreciate the emotions that are involved. My approach is to present information factually, ensuring stakeholders have a good understanding of the situation and decisions that have been, or have to be made. Good communication is critical,and by being clear everyone should have a shared learning.
What do you consider as your greatest professional successes?
Establishing a European Healthcare Compliance function for a large pharma and developing the Compliance framework within a post-audit organisation were great in-house challenges, but I’m immensely proud of the strong launch of Pharma Integrity over the past 18 months. We had excellent feedback from our inaugural conference that took place recently in Dublin, and we have consistently good feedback from clients that we bring Code and legislative requirements to life. Being able to use our experience of working in large and small specialist companies to support and deliver value to clients is so invigorating.
To what do you attribute your success?
I love what I do, and I think that is the most important thing. I feel fortunate that having held a number of varied roles in industry including in Sales, Medical Affairs and Compliance, I have a genuine appreciation of what everyone’s trying to achieve. I keep abreast of what’s happening in the Compliance arena, and remain commercially aware; I like to find opportunities to make innovative ideas workable. I have a real passion for the industry and what we deliver, and taking a collaborative and solutions orientated approach has been vital.
Where do you see yourself and company in ten years time?
I have so many ideas about what we can offer, and what we can achieve – the most difficult thing will be to remain patient and pace things carefully! I have confidence that Pharma Integrity will become a well-recognised and trusted partner for companies looking to better understand the advertising requirements in the UK and Ireland. In doing so, I hope our annual conference and other events become regular fixtures in everyone’s calendars.
