Please share a bit about your background

My background is completely in medical device development. After I achieved my master’s in computer science, I worked mostly for large medical technology companies, Abbott, Medtronic, Boston Scientific (then Guidant), leading teams to develop and deliver to market CT scanners and implantable medical devices for cardiology and epilepsy management. I also joined a startup for a cardiac wearable monitor. That’s been my background until I joined Phillips Medisize.

What led you to move from working in a large med device organization to a CDMO?

I wasn’t specifically looking to move from a medical device organization to a CDMO. I’ve always been interested in learning new things and experience building new teams and new capabilities. Having worked in OEMs for a long time, I’ve been exclusively on the customer side of the CDMO equation. When the opportunity to work on the other side came up, it was just a very interesting opportunity to learn about what it takes to be in a CDMO. It’s easy to ask the questions from the customer side, but now from the CDMO side I’m going to have to provide the answers.

So that was really the motivation to move. It’s something new, something that keeps my interests alive and continues to be in tech and serve patient needs.

What surprised you most about the change?

I knew it would be a big transition moving from a publicly traded company to a private organization—one of the largest privately held companies in the country. But what most surprised me was the scale of Koch, Molex and Phillips Medisize and the vast capabilities that exist across the overall organization. I had heard of Phillips Medisize but didn’t pay attention to Molex or Koch. The scope of these companies provides Phillips Medisize with a level of investment and access to answers on almost any technology questions that I’ve not seen before.

What challenges, expected or unexpected, did you experience when you made the move?

I would say the biggest challenge has been understanding and adapting to the complexity of the organization. While the benefits of being part of this larger organization are clear, it’s still more complex, with the way the business is structured and the number of stakeholders. I’m still learning who needs to be informed, who is accountable, who has decision rights, etc. I am creating a whole new network and that will take a bit of time. While the culture and principles of Phillips Medisize support autonomy and principled entrepreneurship, my role and team impact many more areas of the organization than I have in past roles, when things seemed more self-contained. So, I have to be very thoughtful and communicate with a lot of people when I’m changing something.

How would you describe the benefits and positive aspects of making this career change?

Again, I’m not sure this is specific to CDMO vs. OEM, but I was surprised that the culture was as well-formed and caring, if you will, as I’ve experienced it to be. The people within Phillips Medisize actually walk the talk. I think that the culture is real, the caring for people, the desire to enable people to be the best they can be, valuing respect—it’s very authentic, which is not always the case in large, publicly traded companies. The culture is a large part of the very pleasant difference that I’ve experienced.

How has working for a large, global, privately held organization differed from a large publicly traded company?

The focus changes from the stock price, the quarterly, short-term budget chasing—can’t look more than three months out, use it or lose it budgets—it’s difficult to do long-term investments and planning. It’s always moving, always in flux. I think the biggest learning I’ve had coming here is that it’s a much more long-term focused environment. The investment decisions are thoroughly analyzed, but once the decision is made, the focus is on the long term, not what did you do this month or next month. Tracking for the long term really helps in execution and planning and managing your capabilities.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about making a change from medical device OEM to a CDMO?

First, I would say, yes, do it! The second thing I would recommend is to be prepared to shift your style of working and your understanding of concepts you think you already understand, like customer centricity, for example. Be prepared to encounter a different universe of how things operate.

Be prepared to no longer have firsthand impact on a physician or patient—we definitely have impact, but it’s a bit more removed. Offsetting that is the breadth of capabilities you get to experience. Your work is not just impacting people who need an implantable device, but people who have cancer, cardiac disease, diabetes care and more. Rather than being very niche and impacting one patient population, I’m really able to make an impact across healthcare.

Finally, be prepared for the diversity of experience you will have as you’re working on products. You have to be good at a lot of things, rather than focusing on just one piece of product development. It really expands your horizons, you have no choice but to broaden your thinking and be more expansive in your skills and capabilities. In an OEM, you may never speak with customers, but in the CDMO, you need to be willing to talk to customers. You’re always customer facing.