Interactive Breakout Discussions

Breakout Discussion Groups provide the opportunity to discuss a focused topic with peers in an open, collegial setting. Select from the list of topics available and join the moderated discussion to share ideas, gain insights, establish collaborations or commiserate about persistent challenges.

TABLE 1: The Value of Alliance Management
Jan Twombly, President, The Rhythm of Business
Demonstrating the value of alliance management services can be challenging, especially when not directly connected to revenue generation. This roundtable looks at the essence of alliance management and asks:

• What are the alliance management services stakeholders value the most?
• In what ways do you measure and report alliance management activity?
• How would you like senior management to describe the value of alliance management?​

TABLE 2: The Pros and Cons of Centralized AM: Fit for Purpose Operating Models
Elizabeth Rex, Associate Director, Alliance Management & External Innovation, Janssen R&D
Whether building a new AM team or evolving the current, how to we strategically position the Alliance Leaders for success. This round table will discuss the following:

• What are the benefits/drawbacks of centralized vs. regional based Alliance Leaders?
• Impact on communication and ‘partner of choice’
• Discuss decision processes and culture. How do we position AM within an organization?

TABLE 3: Alliance Leadership after M&A: Virtual Integration, Managing New Partnerships
Harry Atkins, Senior Director Alliance Management, Global Strategy and Corporate Development, Incyte
Tayseer Ghazzouli, Senior Director, Head of Alliance Management & IC Support, Immunology TA, Janssen R&D
Lisa Keough, Director, Alliance Management, Eli Lilly
During these unprecedented times, the role of alliance leadership is paramount to delivering value on external innovation in our new virtual world. This round table will examine the following discussion points:

• Why is alliance management becoming more involved in M&A and integration activities?
• What new approaches are needed as we pivot from face-to-face interaction to virtual engagement?
• Following deal close, how do you integrate and deliver value on new partnered assets?​

TABLE 4: Establishing Alliance Management as a Strategic Brand in Your Organization
Carrie Helland, Senior Director, Global Alliances, Vir Biotechnology
Gabriella Salvatore, Head, Solution Design & Innovation, Vantage Partners
Cheryl Marr, Business Development Associate & Alliance Manager, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures

Building your Alliance Management function so that it is viewed as a strategic and value-adding partner within your organization is a difficult task. This roundtable looks at how Alliance Management can build up its brand and asks:

• In what ways can Alliance Management demonstrate value throughout alliance lifecycles?
• How can Alliance Management effectively communicate its value so that it is viewed as a strategic partner in the organization?
• What makes an Alliance Management team a “partner of choice”?​

TABLE 5: Best Practices for Managing a Large Alliances with Many Programs
Joy Dicker, Director of Alliance Management, Mount Sinai Innovation Partners, Mount Sinai Health System
Aida Bendt, Director, Head of Alliance Management Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca
Adam Kornetsky, Principal, Vantage Partners
Janice Lin, Assistant Director, Corporate Partnerships, Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures
Managing large partnerships with multiple internal and external stakeholders is challenging and requires governance, clear roles and responsibilities and aligned business/operational guidance. This group will explore strategies to overcome the challenges and complexities of such alliances.

• Creating and managing complex governance systems
• Aligning internal stakeholders
• Information sharing across the organization​

TABLE 6: The Importance of Change Management to Support Successful Alliances
Mark Lane, PhD, Head, Center for Global Drug Development, PRA Health Sciences
Richard Vatcher, Head, Alliance Management, GlaxoSmithKline
Aida Bendt, Director, Head of Alliance Management Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca
Alliances more often than not involve partners with different cultures and ways of working. There is also typically an urgency to getting work on the programs or projects involved. As a result, change management, which is critical to success, is often overlooked or minimized in the interest of getting down to business. This group will explore change management strategies and how they can impact alliance success.

• How can change management impact alliance success?
• Why do 70% of change management programs fail?
• How can fit for purpose change management help improve alliance performance and success?​