The last issue of 2016, with articles from K. Hariram and Vivek Hattangadi and new authors, Dr. Ashwin Bonde and Diksha Fouzdar. Diksha's article is the highlight of this issue - an in-depth look at how to embed compliance in the very DNA of a pharma company.
After settling down comfortably into my seat on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco, I started browsing through my digital copy of the latest issue of The Economist. Much to my surprise, I saw an article titled, The Usefulness of Managers beginning with the sentence, "Is your manager really necessary?"
Bingo!!! My mind went back to so many discussions we keep having about our Indian Pharma industry and the various arguments about line management and their contributions, role clarity, their usefulness and the often-asked question, “Are they really effective?”
When the top leadership says, that effective managers are a rare breed with comments such as, “they are the weakest link in our chain”, my mind keeps racing through with the thought as to, “if they are not, who has to be responsible to make them effective?”
Having been a line manager and climbing the ladder against odds, I can understand and empathise with both sides of this management world.
However, when these doubts and questions keep raising its head often, my curiosity quotient kept raising a question, “Are we in Indian pharma very unique to have such challenges?” A chance meeting I had with a team of Google senior management personnel based in Google’s headquarters in California during this trip gave me an interesting insight on what Google did and what it continues to do.
Much to my solace I found that their apprehensions were similar to what we in Indian Pharma face. The differentiating factor was that their "people operations" team (HR) has applied the Google Way (data analytics) to management analysis and developed a manifesto entitled Eight Habits of Highly Effective Google Managers.
The pharma industry in India is entering a very interesting variant of the post-digital marketing era. The term “post-digital marketing” is used to depict a state where the lines between physical and digital blur considerably for a customer. However, in the context of pharma, this means a state where the industry has stopped questioning the need for digital and has begun to implement very interesting digital marketing initiatives.
Addressing the media at a roundtable this morning, Vani Manja, Managing Director, Boehringer Ingelheim India said, “Boehringer Ingelheim India aspires to be amongst the top five multinational pharmaceutical companies in India over the next few years. We have been enabling access to our innovator products to patients across India and the neighbouring markets in the diabetes, cardiovascular, stroke and respiratory diseases segments. Our plan in these therapy areas is to build sustainable partnerships to ensure an ecosystem of access and care for patients. We have initiated action in that direction.”
It’s very common for a pharma professional having neighbors, friends and relatives to engage in conversation over medicines. One such conversation – a pleasant surprise – which intrigued me to dig deep into internet dynamics was one with the local roadside Sabziwali.
BrandStorm is the annual event for Pharma Brand Managers. The event features thought leaders in pharma brand management addressing the hottest topics of the day.
Past topics include:
UCPMP & MCI Guidelines – Implication for Pharma Marketing
Brand Building: Case Studies from the Indian Pharma Market
Unleashing the Power of Digital Marketing – Case Studies
From Brand Management to Therapy Shaping
Marketing to Hospitals
Case Study Zifi-AZ
Field Force – Doctor Interaction through use of Digital and Social Media
How to Optimise Healthcare Communication Creative Agency Services
Past Speakers include:
PV Sankar Dass – CEO & Director, CURATIO
Darshan Patel – Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Daleep Manhas – General Manager & Associate Vice President at McCann Health
