Working Life: Astellas Pharma Europe’s chief operating officer
pharmafile | January 4, 2011 | News story | Business Services, Sales and Marketing | Astellas, Ken Jones, Working Life, recruitment
Ken Jones tells Pharmafocus about how his field is changing, starting with how he found his way into his current role of chief operating officer:
Managing a global organisation has been my ambition since I left college. Astellas formed in 2005 from the merger of Fujisawa and Yamanouchi; I joined Yamanouchi in 2003 as European vice president of marketing and I worked through a number of senior roles, leading functions including sales and business development, before I became COO of Astellas Pharma Europe in 2007.
Before Astellas, I spent 17 years with SmithKline and Allergan, working on pharmaceuticals, including Botox, as well as eyecare products and medical devices. These sectors have shorter innovation cycles, and require organisational agility, and a constant customer focus.
I have found my learning and experience, in all these, invaluable in today’s rapidly evolving pharmaceutical market.
How is your field changing?
Since the global financial crisis in 2008, all customers have had to become tougher in their decision-making, so, more than ever, we must articulate clearly the value of our product.
By understanding our stakeholders, we can continue to work best for the patient. Our aim is to continue to bring a pipeline of innovative products to market as rapidly as possible.
Partnership and collaboration are increasingly important: as an example, we brought our first pain management product, Qutenza, to the European market just nine months after signing the in-licensing deal with a US-based biotech.
Through all the shifts in the operating environment you have to keep a firm eye on the basics of your business. Global issues like environment and CSR have also risen up our agenda.
Astellas has a number of environmental commitments in place, including reduction of CO2 emissions and programmes for chemical substances and waste.
What are the most enjoyable things about your role?
It is great to be in an industry that makes a difference to people’s lives, addressing unmet medical needs and supporting a healthy society.
For me, it makes a huge difference to hear stories from patients about the impact of our medicines. It is fulfilling to motivate staff to see them realise their potential. We have an ethos at Astellas of ‘Changing Tomorrow’ and it is exciting to be part of an initiative like ‘Changing Tomorrow’ day, which this autumn gave each office-based Astellas employee around the world the opportunity to spend a day as a volunteer for a local charity.
And the least enjoyable?
Something I find frustrating is when people get preoccupied with their own issues and lose sight of the common goal, so we put considerable effort into clarifying and communicating our objectives to the entire Astellas team across Europe – for instance with Vision 2015, which is the expression of our mid-term strategy.
What are the most common misconceptions about your field and the people in it?
When people accuse pharma companies of only focusing on the bottom line, they are forgetting the huge investment and huge risk involved in pharmaceutical innovation; it’s worth remembering that 90 to 95% of new products in our industry fail to reach the market, and that the average cost of researching and developing a new chemical or biological entity is over €1 billion.
Contrary to perceptions of pharmaceutical companies as conservative and inflexible, I am pleased to be part of a young company that is dynamic, creative and agile and responds rapidly to both opportunities and challenges. At Astellas we make clear that we value new ideas and reward people for learning new skills.
Is there someone in your field who has inspired you or from whom you have learnt a lot?
Frank Faduccia, my first boss when I joined SmithKline Beckman on the management training programme, was my mentor for many years and recommended me for a six-month assignment in Japan; that had a lasting influence on my career. He was competitive, tough when necessary, but no matter what the situation, he was fair and treated people with respect. I try to live by the same values.
Similarly, is there someone outside your field who has been a source of inspiration for you?
My father, who died seven years ago, was a constant adviser to me. He was an engineering executive in the international oil industry and worked in the Middle East, Asia, the US and Mexico. Despite working in a high stress environment, he was always level headed and calm in a crisis. He inspired me to be involved in a global business and I have him to thank for giving me my perspective and for my sense of humour in pressure situations!
What is the secret to a happy working life?
Working in an organisation that believes in its principles, values new ideas and empowers people to grow. I believe people need to have a sense of responsibility and to be able to take pride in their work – which is about making a difference to people’s lives. At Astellas, these elements all feed into our commitment to being an employer of choice.
If you had advice for anyone starting out in your field now, what would it be?
Love what you do, retain a sense of curiosity and focus on your customers and on what you want to achieve; learn from your mistakes and gain a breadth of experience.
Make a difference and you will make sure that people remember you.
BIOGRAPHY
Ken Jones, chief operating officer of UK-headquartered Astellas Pharma Europe Limited, is responsible for business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
His experience in the international pharmaceutical industry covers some 25 years in sales, marketing and general management.
He joined Astellas (then Yamanouchi) in 2003 after 17 years with Allergan including an initial period with SmithKline Beckman.
A native of California, Ken Jones started his career in the US and has also lived and worked in Japan and France.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Occidental College (including time at Waseda University, Japan) and a Master’s degree from London Business School.
Related Content
Astellas and Elpiscience enter collaboration for novel bispecific macrophage engager
Elpiscience Biopharma and Astellas Pharma have announced that they have entered into a research collaboration …
EMA accepts Astellas’ MAA for Zolbetuximab
Astellas Pharma has announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has accepted the company’s marketing …
Astellas and Cullgen enter into $1.9bn strategic collaboration to progress protein degraders
Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas and US-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Cullgen have announced that they have …
