What is your background and current role?
I have worked in pharma/biotech my whole life – first at GSK, then Eli Lilly and Sanofi before setting up Uptake Strategies 15 years ago. My current role is managing director of Uptake Strategies, a global, award-winning healthcare consultancy specialising in planning, capability and launch. We specialise in and are passionate about brand, business planning and strategy, helping companies to build marketing capabilities, building processes and plans to deliver exceptional launches. I’m also delighted to be a member of a number of business and entrepreneurs’ groups: Goldman Sachs’ 10KSB, Ernst and Young’s UK Winning Women Entrepreneurs and the Women’s Enterprise Connect International (WEConnect) business network.
What inspired you to establish Uptake Strategies?
When I founded Uptake Strategies in 2005 I was driven by a vision to create a completely different kind of healthcare consultancy – bringing industry experts together with a common goal to support pharma/biotech teams with deep, practical expertise that delivers measurable results for brands and businesses – but with a strong focus on the patient and a flair for innovation.
Has gender equality always been a priority for the firm, and why?
In a word, yes! We have recruited talented individuals at all levels over the years, with our flexible working policy for both our office and consulting team appealing to both men and women. We have successfully recruited some of the most talented women in our industry – at new graduate level and at a more senior level – by offering much more flexible working conditions and a unique culture of agility, professionalism and kindness. 90% of our team are women, however, we have an increasing number of capable and experienced men successfully applying to be part of our team as we grow.
What is your future vision for the company?
The Uptake Strategies team and I have a vision to be the ‘go-to partner’ for the next generation in healthcare for planning, capability and launch. We have moved quickly to virtual working with our global teams across the US, EU and Asia and have delivered projects and workshops virtually with great impact and at a much lower cost using the latest technology. We are investing heavily in our industry with our fundraising for the Institute of Cancer Research, pro-bono Graduate Pharma and Biotech Academy and our help with other SME businesses to build high growth business plans.
Which successes are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the phenomenal growth and industry recognition we have received over the past five years – we have grown by three times in the past three years in terms of our team and consulting revenue and won multiple pharma industry awards! We have received the most amazing feedback from our clients on how we have delivered inspiring and practical outputs that are delivering measurable business impact on the biggest and most successful pharma brands. We are nuts about KPIs and business impact! I’m so proud of the industry awards we have won and our hard-working team.
