Can you tell us about your background and why you pursued a pharma MBA at GBS?

I am an organic chemist by education. I graduated and did my PhD in Kyiv, Ukraine, and initially, I focused on academic scientific work. Later, I joined the Ukrainian chemical company Enamine Ltd, built my career here, and finally became the Head of the Medicinal Chemistry department, which supported early-stage Drug Discovery projects for our customers from Pharma and Biotech. I was delighted with my job, my department developed very well, and I looked forward to further growth… Everything turned upside down on February 24, 2022, when Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The company has stopped operating for more than a month. It was a critical and stressful time, and I assumed several non-typical roles. For instance, I became spontaneously “a press secretary” of the company, recording videos, posting on social media, and speaking with numerous customers, partners, and journalists about the situation in Ukraine and our company.

After several months of the war, the leadership team of Enamine decided to set up a new site in Frankfurt to extend our presence in Europe. I was involved in launching this new facility. I quickly realized that I lacked knowledge and experience in this new role. That’s why I applied for the Pharma MBA. I need to comprehensively understand finances, marketing, accounting, management, and strategy. I need to learn more about how the Biopharmaceutical industry operates, and it is also extremely valuable to extend my network with professionals in the field. And I suppose the Pharma MBA at GBS is precisely what I need now.

What inspired you to apply for the thought leader scholarship, and how did you feel when you found out you were selected as the recipient?

First, I needed help to bring myself to start working on an application for the scholarship; I was still determining whether I fit the purpose. However, listening to previous recipients who participated in a couple of Zoom sessions organized by GBS was inspiring. There were several valuable insights and advice, and these meetings finally stimulated me to prepare and submit the essay. When I got the letter about the award, I felt grateful for the decision and the responsibility. And it was also a confidence that I was on the right way!

As the recipient of this scholarship, what are your long-term goals and aspirations, and how do you plan to leverage this opportunity to achieve them?

First, I aim to grow professionally and develop my skills, which will help me create the company we build in Germany. Leadership is essential in such an endeavor, and the scholarship motivates further learning and training to apply leadership skills effectively in my work.

What role do you believe thought leadership plays in the pharmaceutical industry, and how do you see yourself contributing to it in the future?

Without a shadow of a doubt, it is one of the most important skills for the industry. I’m confident that the leaders are the main drivers of innovation in the pharmaceutical sector; their major role is to inspire and guide the development of novel therapies and drugs. There are also several other roles, e.g., establishing trust and credibility among stakeholders, creating a collaborative environment, addressing ethical and social responsibilities, etc. I aim to make our new facility a powerful component of the Drug Discovery ecosystem in the Frankfurt area, leveraging versatile support for Pharma and Biotech companies and Academia to accelerate their Drug Discovery programs. This is my contribution to the field, and I’m trying to do my best to reach this goal in the near future.

What advice would you offer to other students aspiring to follow a similar path in the pharmaceutical industry and strive for thought leadership in their respective fields?

I suppose “education” is extremely important. I mean a comprehensive meaning of the word. You cannot strive for thought leadership in a field you do not understand and “feel,” such a “feeling” comes after continuous learning, communication with professionals in the area, critical analysis of various data, and following the trends. If you have a passion for learning more about some particular field, you’ll later have a passion to influence and change it. And I think this is the right path towards leadership.