The Pharma Files: With Colin Williams from Astellas Pharma
pharmafile | October 5, 2025 | Feature | Medical Communications, Research and Development |Â Â Astellas Pharma, Corporate, The Pharma Files, pm societyÂ
Pharmafile chats with Colin Williams, Head of Marketing Excellence, Global Capabilities, Learning & Development at Astellas Pharma about the best parts of his job and his proudest moments.
What excites me about working in pharma is…
It’s an industry that, despite its regulations, is always looking to innovate, move with the times and be the best it can be, whether that’s internally in a pharma company or agency, or how it best serves healthcare professionals (HCPs) and most importantly, patients, making a real difference to people’s lives across the world.
What I’m most proud of achieving in my career is…
As an active board member of PM Society, having a real impact in the industry in terms of advancing standards within it. Evolving our awards to showcase and celebrate best practice, forming interest groups full of experts across a range of key topics and shining a light on pharma as a career destination to the world outside are just some examples, and the work continues!
In terms of my day job, there are so many examples, but one that always comes to mind when I was on the agency side was being able to bring an early access programme to people across the world with metastatic melanoma. It was a breakthrough treatment at the time that I know improved outcomes for many.
The biggest change since I started working in pharma has been…
I’d have to say technology, and what that means in terms of how pharma engages with HCPs and patients, and how these groups expect to be engaged with. With HCPs, the rep visit was king, and while still important, is now part of an increasingly complex engagement web, but one that if executed right delivers a far richer and better customer experience.
The next big thing that I’m excited about is…
Definitely AI, using it to cut through all the noise and find the true value for pharma and its stakeholders in terms of practical application. L&D (my current space), brand representation and market research are just some of the areas where I see huge potential for our industry.
What motivates me the most is…
Continuous learning and development, and not just because that’s my job currently! Throughout my career, I’ve always felt that I was learning and developing, and with the current pace of change all around us, the opportunities for us all to do so are incredibly exciting!
The most important skill I’ve learnt is…
Emotional intelligence (EQ). As a manager and communicator, continually prioritising and developing EQ has been a foundation for everything I do. In my opinion, it’s an often de-prioritised soft skill that underpins and drives so much of what we do in our careers.
The most difficult part of my job is…
I’d say prioritisation. In a global role, with a huge number of stakeholders and shifting enterprise priorities, deciding where to focus and prioritise efforts in order to maximise outcomes and impact is a constant intellectual challenge, but an enjoyable one nevertheless.
The piece of work that was so good I wish I had been involved is…
Through the PM Society I am fortunate to see so many examples of wonderful, award-winning work. I honestly couldn’t pick one, but I continue to be impressed by what pharma companies and their agency partners are working on and achieving, which often makes me wish I wore more hats than I do already so I could have been involved!
The most positive part of working in the industry is…
Making a real, positive difference to the lives of people. COVID-19 and our vaccines of course is a fantastic example of this and there are so many more. Two of my personal examples are: using our ‘awards and creativity for good’ programmes at the PM Society to generate funds, awareness and support for a host of healthcare charities for many years now; and being given the opportunity to become a trustee at beelievefoundation.co.uk/, where talented industry friends have helped us to deliver increasingly positive impact on young people’s mental health across the UK, something I am hugely passionate about.
The best advice I’ve been given is…
Be yourself! Especially when it’s early in your career, its so easy to try to conform to what you believe the expectations around you are, or to be someone you’re not. People buy people, and they buy authentic people at that. The world is a wonderfully diverse place and better for it, and there is a place for us all to shine in the true version of ourselves.
This article featured in: October 2025 – The Pharmafile Brief
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