Speaking with Global Pharmaceutical Marketing Leader, Elisabeth Mostofi Nejad-Duernsteiner

We recently sat down with Elisabeth Mostofi Nejad-Duernsteiner, a Global Pharmaceutical Marketing Leader with a breadth of experience across a variety of therapeutic areas and regions around the world. She has a proven launch record with innovation and digital health and applies a patient-centric mindset with the vision to drive equity and equality to improve healthcare. 

An Economist by trade, Elisabeth brings an alternative business approach to pharmaceutical marketing and starting in the industry as a Commercial Representative, she recognises the importance of the customer and how to sell to your audience. 

Elisabeth is extremely passionate about driving patient centricity, focusing on individual patient needs. She discusses how many healthcare care research tools such as questionnaires and research studies are often biased to a certain group of people, sometimes unconsciously, and how this can have an effect on the wider population and underrepresented groups. Data on the safety and efficiency of drugs are normally derived from male patients and therefore we need to include data from females and people of different ethnicities to generate data and research that is truly representative and inclusive. 

Along with this disparity in research, Elisabeth also discusses the issues concerning access to healthcare, particularly in countries such as Latin America and Africa, a cause that she is extremely passionate about. 

In this interview,  Elisabeth also shares her insights on leadership. She discusses how to establish an area of “psychological safety”, an environment where people can feel comfortable voicing their uncertainties and can ask questions, express concerns and put forward ideas without judgement is extremely important. Elisabeth advises that an increase in agility and curiosity paired with an organisation that allows failure can drive transformation success forward. 

Check out the full interview below to listen to all of Elisabeth’s insights into the world of pharmaceutical marketing and what it takes to be a great leader.