Professor Brian D. Smith

Supporting strategists in the life sciences

Who I am

I research, teach and write about strategising in pharma and medtech and I help you to strategise and execute better than your competitors.

As a thought leader, I’ve published hundreds of articles and books. In two decades in the industry as a scientist and marketer, then two decades as an academic, author and advisor, I’ve helped hundreds of life science companies to achieve their goals.

If you share my fascination with strategy in the life sciences, let’s chat.

Who I am

I research, teach and write about strategising in pharma and medtech and I help you to strategise and execute better than your competitors.

As a thought leader, I’ve published hundreds of articles and books. In two decades in the industry as a scientist and marketer, then two decades as an academic, author and advisor, I’ve helped hundreds of life science companies to achieve their goals.

If you share my fascination with strategy in the life sciences, let’s chat.

How I can help you

Creating strong strategy

Your job is to create and execute strong strategy.

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Validating your strategy

You need to know that your strategy will work.

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Anticipating the market

You must anticipate your market, not react to it.

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Mentoring strategists

Strong strategists must grow and develop.

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Aligning strategy and culture

Your culture must amplify your strategy.

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Creating market insight

Strong strategists know what their competitors don’t.

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Training cross-functional teams

Strategizing is a team game.

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Enhancing your meetings

Meetings and conferences must add value.

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Creating value beyond the product

Your product is only a fraction of the value you create.

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Transforming your business model

Your business model must fit your market environment and goals.

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My published work

Browse my hundreds of articles, about strategy in the life sciences and ask for any you want.
Or click on any of curated collections below.

Cross-functional implementation

Strategy without execution is just a fantasy. These articles cover the human side of strategy execution through cross-functional teams.

Leadership in
the life sciences

The life sciences industry is not like any other. These articles explain how its leaders adapt to their unique context.

Becoming a
strategy expert

True strategy expertise is rare. These articles cover the three things you must master to achieve it.

Making strong strategies

Strategy is simple but not easy. These articles define what strong strategies look like and how they are made.

Industry evolution

The life sciences industry is a complex, adaptive ecosystem. These articles explain its evolution and how to manage your own.

Strategy’s human side

Strategy is a social process. These articles explain the cultural and behavioural issues that can strangle or supercharge your strategy.

Cross-functional implementation

Strategy without execution is just a fantasy. These articles cover the human side of strategy execution through cross-functional teams.

Becoming a
strategy expert

True strategy expertise is rare. These articles cover the three things you must master to achieve it.

Industry evolution

The life sciences industry is a complex, adaptive ecosystem. These articles explain its evolution and how to manage your own.

Leadership in
the life sciences

The life sciences industry is not like any other. These articles explain how its leaders adapt to their unique context.

Making strong strategies

Strategy is simple but not easy. These articles define what strong strategies look like and how they are made.

Strategy’s human side

Strategy is a social process. These articles explain the cultural and behavioural issues that can strangle or supercharge your strategy.

My book seminars

My online book seminars let your team learn quickly and easily from my industry-specific research. Each seminar:
Summarises one book’s key points | Includes discussion | Take only 2 hours | Includes signed books
If you want your team to understand your industry better, let’s chat.

My latest work


2024.10.30.


Bayer’s Octopus

Darwinian thinking helps us understand Bayer’s restructure

Bayer has restructured, decentralising decisions in an attempt to become more responsibe to the market. In this article, I explain how the example of the Octopus’s 9 brains tells us what would need to be true for this move to work.

Request the PDF. Watch the YouTube video. Listen to the podcast.


2024.10.16.


Does it fit?

Strategies are like jigsaws; they only work if their parts fit together

This is the third in a series of four articles and seminars about the hardest questions you will be asked at a strategy review. In this article, I explain why you should ask, “Do the parts f my strategy fit together?” and how you can answer it well.

Request the PDF. Watch the YouTube video. Listen to the podcast.


2024.09.10.


What’s the Difference?

Strong plans are strategically differentiated from competitors. Is yours?

This is the second in a series of four articles and seminars about the hardest questions you will be asked at a strategy review.  In this article, I explain why you should ask “Is my strategy any different from my competitors’?” and how you can answer it well.

Request the PDF. Watch the YouTube video. Listen to the podcast.


2024.08.09.


Strategising Fast and Slow

The best strategists understand their own thinking flaws

We’re all prone to cognitive errors like attribution bias and framing errors. In this article, I explain how Kahnman and Tversky’s Nobel prize winning ideas can help you strategise more effectively.

Request the PDF. Watch the YouTube video. Listen to the podcast.

Contact me

If you share my fascination with the life sciences industry and how pharma and medtech strategies and business models are evolving, then I'd love to chat.

You don't need to fill in a form, speak to an assistant or give me your life story.

Just click here.

Your mail will come directly to me and I'll reply with times when I'm free.

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