Program
Final Agenda
Monday, May 7
8:00 am Workshop Registration and Morning Coffee
9:00 am – 12:00 pm Pre-Conference Workshop*: The Key Skills of the Alliance Manager: Models, Tools and Frameworks for Maximum Impact
All Alliance Managers want to have impact, and most have the natural core skills to do so. That said, to have true impact, Alliance Managers need to move beyond their natural ideas and inclinations, and get ever more systematic and clear about their approach,
and get better at applying specific models and tools to their role. In this highly interactive, experiential and case study-based workshop, Alliance Managers will learn about, discuss and practice using an Alliance Manager toolkit that, coming out
of the session, will enable them to both immediately and continually over time enhance their ability to make a real and positive impact on their alliances and those alliances’ ability to execute toward their goals.
Instructors:
Adam Kornetsky, Senior Consultant, Vantage Partners LLC
Electra Hui, Senior Consultant, Vantage Partners LLC
*Separate registration required
12:00 pm Main Conference Registration
1:10 Organizer's Welcome and Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Micah Lieberman, Executive Director, Conferences, BioPharmaceutical Strategy Series, Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI)
Lena Frank, Executive Director, Program & Alliance Management, Oncology Business Group, Eisai Inc.
1:15 Welcome Progress with Observations on Partnering
Dana Hughes, Vice President & Global Head, Integration and Alliance Management, Worldwide Business Development
Group, Pfizer
As we gather for another year of discussions and the sharing of stories from our organizations, we wanted to start with some framing on the current state of the marketplace. This short presentation will set the stage for the conference and prepare everyone
for a deeper interactive discussion at the end of the day in the form of the “Big Pharma-Biotech Back-and-Forth: Tell Me What’s Wrong, and How I Can Help!”.
1:35 CO-PRESENTATION: Shaping a New Company Capability in Alliance Leadership
Mark Coflin, Head, Alliance Management, Corporate Planning & Program Management, Shire
Jeffrey Hurley, Director, Alliance Management, Shire
Shaping a new company with an innovative approach to Alliance Management leadership is an exciting opportunity! Shire is the leading rare disease-focused biotech focused on rare disease targeting highly specialized conditions. This presentation will discuss
key learnings on designing and building the organizational Alliance Management capability, championing change and overcoming obstacles in the journey. This presentation will share the vision of success, the roadmap, and practical tips for everyone.
2:20 People in Alliance Management
Lena Frank, Executive Director, Program & Alliance Management, Oncology Business Group, Eisai
Inc.
Whether you are considering hiring your first alliance manager, developing an alliance management group or looking to transform your group, there are a number of factors to consider: 1. Should alliance management be a standalone function? 2. Is there
a difference between alliance management and project management? 3. What skill sets and capabilities are needed in alliance management? 4. How do you find your next alliance manager?
2:50 Networking Refreshment Break with Exhibit Viewing
3:40 Chairperson’s Remarks
Mark Coflin, Head, Alliance Management, Corporate Planning & Program Management, Shire
3:45 Principle-Centered Alliance Management
Michael Kennedy, PhD, MBA, Director, Alliance Management, Business Development &
Licensing, Bayer HealthCare
Developing a corporate partnering capability and culture takes time and goes through many stages, from establishing the role of alliance management through ensuring that alliance-involved individuals are equipped with the skills and competencies required
to manage complex collaborative relationships. Few endeavors go further toward achieving these objectives than aligning leaders, teams, and organizations around a carefully defined set of partnering principles.
4:15 Evolving Alliance Management for the Partnering Everywhere World
Jan Twombly, CSAP, President, The Rhythm of Business
The structure, size, scope, and responsibilities of alliance management departments are evolving to address the increasing amount of partnering activity everywhere throughout the business. Based on a recently completed research study covering companies
of varying sizes and maturity of alliance management practices, data will be presented to highlight: 1) How the alliance management function is evolving to meet the needs of their internal stakeholders as well as partners; 2)
The challenges encountered and how they are being addressed.
4:45 Pharma-Biotech Back-and-Forth: Tell Me What’s Wrong, and How I Can Help!
Dana Hughes, Vice President & Global Head, Integration and Alliance Management, Worldwide Business Development Group,
Pfizer
Join a frank, open (and ideally fun) ice-breaking exercise meant to involve all conference participants on those real issues that time and again rise in partnerships between large and small companies. Often each side is unaware of how to improve alignment
with their partner. This session provides attendees with a safe means to expose these frequent pain-points and hear the perspective of “the other side.” If successful we will have the opportunity to discuss potential practices to alleviate
common issues and ideate on more difficult issues.
5:30 Welcome Reception with Exhibit Viewing
6:30 Close of Day
Tuesday, May 8
7:30 am Registration Open
8:00 Interactive Breakout Discussion Groups and Speed Networking with Continental Breakfast
Grab a cup of coffee and delve deeper into some of the overarching concerns facing alliances today. These are moderated roundtables with brainstorming and interactive problem-solving, allowing conference participants from diverse backgrounds to have
frank discussion while exchanging ideas, experiences, and developing future collaborations around a focused topic.
Table 1: Alliance Management at the Forefront of Deal-Making
One of the principal roles of an alliance manager is to manage the collaboration based on an agreed-upon contract. Ahead of the contract signing, during the negotiation process, alliance managers are in a unique position to provide input based on
the management of past deals. This group will explore ways in which Alliance Management can get involved earlier in the deal-making process, transferring the knowledge and experience of managing other partnerships.
- At what point should Alliance Management get involved in the deal-making process?
- What contributions can an alliance manager make to the negotiation process?
- How would a partner perceive Alliance Management at the table? What message would that deliver about your company's approach to partnership?
- What steps are required to gain alignment in your own organization about the role of Alliance Management in the deal-making process?
Table 2: Alliance Launch
Organizations commit significant resources to alliance deals that are central components of the organization’s long-term strategy. Too often, however, such deals get “thrown over the fence” from those who identify the asset, to those
responsible for negotiating and closing the deal, to those finally responsible for managing the working relationship with the partner organization. This group will explore some of the challenges and some best practices for launching an alliance
for success.
- How, if at all, does your organization employ a systematic approach to launch alliances?
- What are the initial challenges, necessities and opportunities during an alliance launch?
Table 3: Alliance Management & Project Management – Managing the Divide
Alliance Management (AM) and Project/Program Management (PM) can be similar enough that many companies struggle to manage the divide between the functions, or debate if the two functions need to be separate. This roundtable will tackle the issues
of whether alliance management and project management should be treated separately or as a combined function, including the following topics:
- Benefits of separate functions versus single function
- Assigning roles and responsibilities
- Ensuring responsibilities of both functions are managed adequately
Table 4: Introducing Alliance Management to a Growing Biotech Company
A larger percentage of alliance deals in the life sciences space involve a Big Pharma – Biotech partnership. This group will discuss the key aspects to consider before introducing alliance management to biotech companies.
- What types of alliances should innovative enterprises form?
- Which alliance management skills and tools do companies need to possess?
- How can organizations develop a culture of open innovation?
- What are the ways to create value and share it among stakeholders involved?
- How do you get CEO & senior management engagement?
- What questions should senior management ask as they implement policies, processes, and SOPs that will apply to (and possibly conflict with) partners?
Table 5: A Review of Best Practices for Collaborations between Pharmaceutical Companies and Companion Diagnostic Providers
At some point, most pharmaceutical companies look for a diagnostic partner. This group will discuss issues surrounding selecting a partner and avoiding challenges in managing these types of partnerships.
- What factors do you consider in selection of a companion diagnostics partner?
- What are the key milestones and associated decision points moving forward in diagnostic development?
- How long does it take to complete an agreement with a CoDx partner?
- Is it a fee for service, pay as you go or broader alliance?
9:25 Chairperson’s Remarks
Anna Maroney, PhD, Vice President, Head Alliance Management, Corporate Strategy Office, AbbVie
9:30 Case Study: Can Gaming Play Nicely with Pharma
Joseph Koziak, CEO, Executive, Amblyotech Inc.
Amblyotech is a life sciences company that has partnered with Ubisoft, a gaming company. The collaboration created the Amblyotab, a novel, patented medical device to treat Amblyopia, a condition that has remained effectively untreated for over 300
years.
10:00 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Selecting and Managing Complex Technology-Based Relationships
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Stuart Kliman, Partner, Vantage Partners
Ben Siddall, Partner, Vantage Partners
Pharma/biotech firms are increasingly pursuing partnerships with technology firms, and other non-traditional partners, to create differentiated value propositions, broaden their customer base, and enable new financial models. Success in these relationships
can be difficult given the significant differences between pharma and tech business models. This presentation will focus on how your organization can clarify its purpose for pursuing alliances with technology companies, ensure that these alliances
are supportive of your overall business strategy, think holistically about how these new types of alliances fit within your existing ecosystem of relationships, and identify, evaluate, and select potential partners to meet your specific needs.
10:45 Networking Coffee Break with Exhibit Viewing
11:30 CO-PRESENTATION: Pfizer in the World of the “Pharma-Biotech Back-and-Forth”: Showcasing Syndax and its Use of Global Biopharmaceuticals to Accomplish its Mission
Anjali Ganguli, Ph.D., Executive Director Corporate Development, Syndax Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.
Judy Baselice, Director, Worldwide Business Development Alliance Management, Pfizer
Pfizer works in an industry that has been rooted in multi-stakeholder partnerships for decades, with partners large and small. This doesn’t make them easy. We have shared some of the practices Pfizer uses to manage its largest relationships,
most often with peer global biopharmaceuticals. But Pfizer also regularly partners with small companies in research, development and commercialization. We wanted to share one specific story of working with a Boston-area start-up. This relationship
is within the context of our broad and bold avelumab relationship with Merck KGaA. Syndax is a Boston-based company, with facilities in Manhattan, currently focused on developing an innovative pipeline of combination therapies in multiple
cancer indications. Syndax is at the center of multiple partnering relationships with research institutions, independent researchers and with the key global biopharmaceuticals in immuno-oncology. They look forward to sharing their experiences
of working with large players, especially Pfizer. .
12:00 CO-PRESENTATION: Zero to 100MPH – Mobilizing a Strategic Oncology Alliance
Joseph McCullough, Alliance Director, AstraZeneca
Adrienne Robinson, Executive Director, Strategic Alliances, Oncology, Merck
Learn about some of the challenges in starting up one of the largest and complex Alliances established in oncology. Through deployment of a strong alliance management team and some unique approaches and solutions the alliance is off to
a great start. We will share our approach and learnings that we hope can help others in their alliance startups.
12:45 Networking Luncheon
2:10 Chairperson's Remarks
Karen Denton, Director, Alliance Management, Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals
2:15 Working Together for Better Health
Mark Ralph, Global Head, Contracts and Alliance Management, Boehringer Ingelheim
Boehringer Ingelheim seeks to establish mutually beneficial collaborations with academic, biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners in areas of strategic interest. We see these partnerships as being critical to the success of our drug
discovery efforts and our pursuit of better therapeutics for the patients we serve. This presentation will give an overview of Boehringer Ingelheim, our partnering philosophy and strategic interests, in addition to detailing our approach
to alliance management and how we seek to drive collaborations to have mutually beneficial outcomes.
2:45 Establishing Option-Based Deals that Work for Both Parties
Anna Maroney, PhD, Vice President, Head Alliance Management, Corporate Strategy Office, AbbVie
At AbbVie, we have an integrated approach to business development where Alliance Management is engaged at completion of diligence to deal execution. As part of our corporate responsibility, Alliance Management is best positioned to understand
and help the organization become “partners of choice”. This presentation will share insights from an internal contract initiative to identify areas of consideration in partnerships constructed via option-based deals.
3:15 Role of Alliance Management in Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestments at GSK
Steven Pessagno, Alliance Director and Head of CoE Operations, Alliance
Management, Worldwide Business Development, GlaxoSmithKline
Across the life sciences industry, we spend billions each year on mergers, acquisitions and divestments of all types in order to ensure R&D portfolios are shaped so that the right companies are developing the right medicines
for patients given company strategies and competencies. Ultimately, we hope that patient benefits from innovative medicines involved in MA&D transactions are optimized and shareholder values of the companies are increased.
We all have our own stories to tell about how MA&D transactions are structured, how the work is carried out, and how value is delivered as a result. The role of Alliance Management in MA&D transactions continues to
evolve at GSK and, presumably, the industry – though the AM role tends to vary from deal to deal. Based on the current state of play, how does the profession think AM should be involved in MA&D for optimal impact?
INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION: How Alliance Management Can Make MA&D Work Less Maddening – and Optimize Value
Steven Pessagno, Alliance Director and Head of CoE Operations, Alliance Management, Worldwide Business Development, GlaxoSmithKline
Mergers, acquisitions & divestments tend to be viewed and managed as time-limited projects within companies, yet they are business alliances entered into for a certain period in order to accomplish specific strategic goals
and deliver a targeted amount of value. Is the role of Alliance Management in MA&D where it should be across the industry?
- How does Alliance Management tend to be involved in MA&D transactions at your company, and what are the determining drivers?
- In what way(s) would you like to see the profession of AM think about our role in MA&D differently; likewise, how do we want our companies to view and employ AM in MA&D transactions?
- What are best practices and lessons learned you can share from an AM perspective in MA&D work you’ve led or been involved with?
4:00 Networking Refreshment Break with Exhibit Viewing
4:45 Celgene’s Alliance Management – Building Capabilities with Diverse Relationships
Krishnan Viswanadhan, PharmD, MBA, Vice President,,
Business Development & Global Alliances, Celgene Corporation
This presentation will provide an overview of Celgene’s story, including details on its driving culture, core focus and pipeline, including the alliance management history. Discussion will focus on how we build and manage
diverse partnerships and our approach to managing the portfolio of alliances, as well as share what’s next for Celgene’s partnerships.
5:30 Industry Alliances with Advocacy: A New Era of Opportunities
Beth Aselage, Patient Advocacy & Alliance Development Specialist,
Retrophin
Quick to be claimed, but slow in its actual implementation, the concept of ‘patient-centricity’ is transitioning from being an industry buzzword into a new paradigm of operational necessity and opportunity in healthcare.
The importance of industry alliances with advocacy remains an overlooked capability within most organizations. Through highlighting some of the [lesser known] benefits of partnering with advocacy, and observations from
a case study describing a recently formed research partnership between industry, advocacy, and the NIH, the importance of alliance managers in advocacy will become transparent to anyone trying to incorporate patients into
the foundation of their organization.
6:00 Close of Day
Wednesday, May 9
8:00 am Morning Coffee
8:25 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Joy Dicker, Director, Alliance Management, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, Mount Sinai Health System
8:30 KEYNOTE CO-PRESENTATION AND CASE STUDY: Enabling the Greatest Medical Advance in 2017: An Alliance to Cure Incurable Cancers
Dana Hammill, MS, MBA, Director, Business Development and Alliances, Center
for Cellular Immunotherapies, University of Pennsylvania
Simon Bateman, PhD, Executive Director, Global Strategic Alliance Management, Novartis
Oncology
What makes an alliance between a pharmaceutical and academic institution successful when commercializing the nation’s first ever genetically engineered product? This talk will explore the best practices used when forming
the alliance and when facing strategic and operational challenges throughout the collaboration.
9:15 Alliance Capability – How to Develop a Corporate Capability and Explore the Upsides for the Organization
Karen Denton, Director, Alliance Management, Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals
Nancy Griffin, Vice President, Alliance Management, Novartis
This presentation will detail a recent initiative at Bayer to develop and implement an over-arching alliance management competency model and associated developmental pathways for both alliance managers and those working on
alliances.
10:00 Networking Coffee Break with Exhibit Viewing
10:30 Optimizing Academic-Industry Partnerships and the Role of Alliance Management
Joy Dicker, Director, Alliance Management, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners,
Mount Sinai Health System
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology companies are increasingly looking toward Academia for research programs that can turn into new life-saving therapeutics. However, Academic Research organizations are different from Commercial
organizations which presents a unique challenge for Alliance Managers.
11:15 The Three Laws of Success in Alliance Strategy
Ben Gomes-Casseres, Professor, International Business,
Director, Asper Center for Global Entrepreneurship, Brandeis University; Author of REMIX STRATEGY
When your business depends on alliances, failure is not an option. You need to follow three rules to succeed: (1) target joint value; (2) govern collaboration effectively; and (3) share value fairly. These rules are based on
Ben’s 30 years of work with companies in pharma and other industries. This interactive session will explore what the three rules mean for you.
12:00 Teaming Alliance Strategies to Capture Non-dilutive Funding
Pamela Duchars, Director, Government Consulting, Latham Biopharm
Group
In order to provide a solution that meets all of the their requirements, funding agencies are big champions of collaboration to win federal contract opportunities. So what teaming strategies help bring two or more companies
together to win a federal contract opportunity? This presentation will explore best practices for building alliances to win non-dilutive funding from funding agencies..
12:30 Close of Conference