
Ben Doran — Global Head of Insights
Insights, New York
“Being at the cutting edge of drug development and commercialization and working with a team that has trust and can inspire internally and externally.”
I am from Derby, England, so I am a diehard Derby County fan, regardless of all the troubles and turmoil over the years! I also enjoy taking inspiration from the world around me and seeing how I can apply those learnings to my life, both personally and professionally.
What did you do before joining Prescient?I was a Preclinical Project Manager/Translational Scientist at Antisoma.
What appealed to you about Prescient?[What appealed to me about Prescient was the opportunity for] gaining a broader perspective of the pharma and biotech industry and accelerating personal and professional development. [This has led to] a journey of self-discovery, one that I am still on eight years later.
What do you value about your job?Being at the cutting edge of drug development and commercialization and working with a team that has trust and can inspire internally and externally.
What impact do you feel you are making?Clients make decisions all the time based on the intelligence that we provide; multiply that by numerous brand and product development teams across projects, then there is an impact so broad it can be difficult to imagine. Sometimes we know exactly what the impact is, but sometimes there could be an internal client stakeholder that makes a decision based on our information and it is gratifying to learn of this, even when it is years later.
How do you develop your team?Provide an environment that balances freedom and control, empowers the project manager to take project responsibility and creates empathy. The ultimate aim is to achieve complete trust within the team, celebrate coaching and support that drives growth, recognize important nuances that can be important drivers of final delivery, and encourage curiosity and creativity that can be spread company wide.
How do you support and nurture talent?Provide opportunities as often as possible in a safe environment and gradually give more exposure and responsibility as confidence increases. Encourage and support new opportunities; do not just give people experiences but grow their ability to learn and hopefully a path to master their consultative skills.
What do you like about working with clients?The ability to learn from multiple clients in different companies, giving broad exposure and opportunities to meet new challenges that are usually unexpected and finding new opportunities for growth, regardless of the client and specific situation.