Kelly Chamberlain may not have been at the company very long, but that didn’t stop me swooping in to find out a little more about her. Kelly has joined Norstella, Evaluate’s parent company as Partner, Market Intelligence. She’s an expert in supporting competitive intelligence workflows and ensuring that CI teams can maximise the strategic value of market intelligence across cross-functional stakeholder groups. I caught up with Kelly to talk about her approach to leadership, background in neuroscience and what she has in common with small children.
- What do you think is the most common mistake that pharma companies make?
A common challenge I see in my role supporting market and competitive intelligence workflows is siloing of the strategic decision-making process. It is sometime akin to a game of telephone – by the time an internal colleague or external vendor is asked to provide supporting intelligence, the ultimate business objective or goal has been lost or distorted. Context is paramount! It’s important to maintain fidelity of the underlying business goal to ensure that the appropriate intelligence and implications are delivered in an efficient manner to support timely and confident decision making. - Which areas of the industry are you most fascinated by? Why?
All things neuro! As a neuroscientist by training, I will never stop being humbled by the complexity of the brain. It’s going to take continued resilience and innovation to identify appropriate biomarkers and optimally bypass the blood-brain barrier to tackle neurogenerative diseases. - Other than working for Evaluate (of course!), what’s your career highlight to-date?
My proudest career moments all relate to leadership, whether in my prior consulting roles or at the bench. If I had to pick one highlight, it’s having learned to lead with empathy, encouragement and enthusiasm. These qualities have helped me build resilient teams and gain support when rapid pivots are needed to better support clients with evolving market needs. - How did you end up working in this industry?
I never grew out of that annoying “but why?!” phase young kids are famous for. A few of my college professors swiftly pivoted me towards neurobiology, encouraging me to figure it out for myself! After over 12 years at the bench, I was motivated to learn more about what it takes to actually bring innovative therapies to the market. I shifted to supporting life science organisations through various consulting roles and haven’t looked back! - What’s the best thing about your role?
The continuous challenge! Our customers have unique business priorities, competitive intelligence needs and investment preferences. Active listening and creative solutioning is the name of the game to support them optimally. It’s particularly rewarding to take on this challenge at Norstella – with so many strong data resources, capabilities and subject matter experts to leverage, it is incredible to watch these deployed to support strategic decision making and bring more therapies to patients. - What’s your favourite drink?
Old Fashioned (with Bulleit Rye if I’m being specific!) -
