Genioo WOW Series: Backstage with visionary leaders in Life Sciences

Laurent Attias is living proof that you don’t need to change companies to succeed. While he’s spent his entire career so far at Alcon, he’s also enjoyed a wide and diverse range of roles, in a range of markets – and that breadth of experience has been a key factor in his rise to the top. He’s also proof that a successful career trajectory doesn’t always follow a straight line, and sometimes a sideways or even downwards move can be the best investment in your learning, and yourself.
In this podcast, Laurent talks about how making genuine connections with people has been critical to his success and why there is no substitute to getting in front of customers. He also explains why success is not a goal in itself, but a by-product of using your talents and skills to do work you love.

Markus has been in the workforce from a young age. He entered the workforce at 16, in the punch card era of IT. Since then he’s worked in a wide range of countries across a wide range of industries, from investment banking to consumer goods, media and now in life sciences.
He’s spent much of his career in emerging markets, drawn by the positivity, ambition and willingness to learn in these regions that still excites him after almost thirty years.
This podcast illustrates how Markus built a hugely successful career through his total commitment to achieving a goal - and his ability to motivate other people to work towards a shared cause. Markus also shares his thoughts on the role his military training has played in his career, the importance of getting your hands dirty and continually learning, the secret to his success as an outsider in the pharmaceutical industry, and the relationship between success and happiness.

David Murray’s path to the top has had a myriad of twists and turns. Beginning in the Oil & Gas industry in his native Aberdeen, David then successfully transitioned into senior roles in a diverse range of industries from financial services to automotive and now life sciences. He has also made a successful transition from blue chip multinational companies to the very different challenges of the Private Equity sector.
Throughout these different (sometimes unexpected) roles, David’s career has been characterised by his willingness to move out of his comfort zone and stretch his boundaries. In this podcast David talks about his non-traditional career path and the factors behind his success. He also shares insights from his business experience on a range of topics including why forming opinions from first appearances can be dangerous, how an 80% solution is often better than 100%, and why you have to be prepared to fail in order to succeed.

Moving at a young age from Seoul, Korea to Cleveland, Ohio, Julie Kim often felt different. Much of her successful career and life has been shaped by that experience of being an outsider.
As the only non-medical doctor in her family, she has also forged a different career path. She started her career in consulting, where the fast pace and opportunity to work on difficult, complex problems was a good fit for her intellectual curiosity. But despite her perception of the pharmaceutical industry as ‘too big, too bureaucratic and too slow,’ a persistent recruiter persuaded her to take an interview at Baxter – and the rest is history.
The opportunity to make a difference has seen her progress through different roles at Baxter, Shire, and now Takeda, where as part of the executive team she was also tasked with creating a new business unit focusing on plasma-based medicines.
In this podcast Julie explains how diversity drives better decisions – but only if organisations have the courage to accept and embrace it. She also describes the experience that led her to fundamentally change her approach to leadership, the importance of trust, and how finding purpose in her work has helped her achieve both happiness and success.
*At the time of recording, Julie's title was President, Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit, Takeda. Her new title is President, U.S. Business Unit, Takeda.

Growing up in a business-owning family, where business was the main topic of conversation at the dinner table, it’s perhaps no surprise that Peter Goldschmidt is today a highly successful CEO. But more surprising is the path he took to get there.
Rather than a business degree, Peter’s interest in what makes people tick saw him study sociology instead. Since beginning his working life as a market researcher, Peter has succeeded in a range of different roles across different geographies.
In 2018 he changed tack again, moving from CEO of a Fortune 100 company to be CEO for a leading private-equity owned pharmaceutical company. That willingness to continually seek new learning opportunities is a hallmark of Peter’s career.
In this podcast he talks about his own personal development journey from ‘doer’ to leader, what he looks for in people and the importance of ‘hiring for attitude’, and how to manage your fears and move beyond your comfort zone. He also explains why sometimes, what could be seen as ‘sideways’ moves can be the best opportunities of all.