I think we all agree that new client relationships take time to build trust and must be governed with clear paths of communication and escalation, from the project team to the CEO. Companies must take time to align culturally and embrace various communication styles. There will always be challenges in drug development, but good ethical CRO teams care about the science and the patient journey. Both are critical even in existing relationships.
As a service provider and CRO that serves both small biotech to large pharma clients, I define executive governance as a senior C-suite leader that can facilitate, influence, and drive action with agility when needed.
In addition to the project governance, clients should ask about the executive governance plan and what that means to their service provider. For many clients, it is an identified “figure head” that is available during the sales process, but then disappears throughout the project. The executive sponsor plays a vital role in linking an executive to project governance for faster escalation and early risk identification. The executive sponsor is not an added layer but is the bridge for our project teams and champions the project, including advocating and securing support from cross-functional departments. They should attend internal monthly project reviews to look at key metrics and dashboards that are required by the client. A good rule of thumb is to hold quarterly governance meetings to start, especially with new relationships to talk through any misperceptions or challenges our team or the Sponsor is experiencing. Always look for lessons learned and any systemic issues you might notice when first working with a service provider. This model works best in small, flat organizational structures, where interactions between cross-functional groups is a natural part of a “right-sized” CRO’s culture. There are few, if any, silos in this model, which is an added advantage for clients. Governance should never be perceived as limiting or stifling for the CRO or client. Removing the siloed approach in a CRO may help reduce the large industry turnover, perceived project “failure” between service providers and client organizations and may increase the ability to connect day-to-day tasks to the science, ultimately impacting the patient.
Today's competitive landscape demands a fully engaged and committed project team and an assigned client-facing executive that effectively works alongside their “internal and external” customers. The benefits of being fully engaged at every level include lower staff turnover, increased productivity, less “red tape,” and improved project execution for repeat business with clients, to name a few.
Effective governance meetings require the assigned executive to “dig in” and get to know the client for mutual benefit and understanding in advance of the 1st governance meeting.
- Align on meeting frequency and tentative dates
- Make the first meeting more than an intro; make it about getting to know one another better
- What Therapeutic Areas (TAs) are the client most focused on?
- Who does the client partner with (pharma or biotech) and how does it work?
- What are their business goals for the year?
- What type of CRO partnership are they seeking?
- How do they share pipeline information?
- This is important to securing the “right” resources
- Lessons learned and sensitivities – yes, every company has them
Executive engagement and governance are critical in any industry and if a company is going to be successful long-term, it starts at the C-suite modeling integrity, transparency, and setting realistic goals with staff and clients alike.
Fundamentally, it is about leaders demonstrating to their teams that they are committed to providing better patient therapies worldwide through their employees, their clients, and exhibiting empathy for the patient journey.
Author:
Clareece West
Linical President & CCO, America & Europe