Breadth versus depth in R&D management

Takeda’s Georgia Keresty is one of the only chief operating officers (COOs) for R&D in the industry. She tells us what the role involves and why it has been important for Takeda’s R&D strategy in the wake of the Shire acquisition.

By virtue of overseeing several different departments across the drug development process, the role of COO of R&D requires a breadth of skills uncommon in an industry that typically focuses on specialisation. Keresty, though, says this path was a conscious choice for her.

“Early on in my career I had to choose whether I wanted to be a deep expert, taking every opportunity to hone my craft in one area, or developing breadth by understanding the entire process,” she says. “I’ve focused my entire career on understanding the industry end-to-end from discovery research through to product development and manufacturing as well as all the functions that support that, such as Quality and IT.”

Now Keresty is in a role that requires understanding of how the entire complex pharma machine works.

• Read the full article in pharmaphorum's Deep Dive digital magazine