The Scientist Behind the Strategy
I spent years in a molecular biology lab, running gels, optimising protocols, and publishing research on computational genetics and ion channel pharmacology. I was good at the science. I loved the science. But I kept watching the same pattern unfold: brilliant research would stall — not because the data was weak, but because nobody outside the lab could explain why it mattered.
A gene panel with exceptional clinical sensitivity would lose out to an inferior competitor with better marketing. A diagnostic assay that could genuinely change patient outcomes would sit on the shelf because the commercial team couldn't articulate its value to a procurement committee.
The science was never the problem. The story was.
That observation changed my career. I left the bench, not because I lost interest in science, but because I realised the gap between scientific innovation and commercial success was where I could make the biggest difference. Over a decade later, having worked across five countries and every stage of the life sciences value chain, I can say with certainty: that instinct was right.
My career arc
It started in research. I studied biological sciences, then completed an MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics. After that, I worked as a research scientist and visiting scientist at a university molecular biology department, contributing to peer-reviewed publications on computational biology, genetics, and pharmacology. During this time I also lectured molecular biology — teaching forced me to translate complex concepts into language non-specialists could follow. That skill turned out to be the most commercially valuable thing I've ever learned.
Then I moved into industry. My first role was in technical support and customer success at a global life science tools company. This wasn't glamorous, but it was transformative. I spent every day talking to healthcare professionals about their actual problems: what they were trying to achieve, what wasn't working, what they wished existed. I ranked #1 in customer satisfaction scores and managed key accounts across Nordic markets. More importantly, I learned something that most marketers never experience first-hand: what customers actually think, not what companies assume they think.
From there, I moved into product management. At a global research tools provider — part of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and life sciences groups — I managed a multimillion product portfolio and grew it double digit. I launched a new product that hit >90% profit margins within four months, by identifying a genuine unmet customer need rather than running a campaign. I led commercial due diligence for a major acquisition. I redesigned QA and QC processes that improved Net Promoter Score. And I boosted SEO rankings across the entire product line. This was where I learned that product management, when done well, is really commercial strategy with a science degree.
Next came strategic marketing for genomics. At a Sysmex group company, I managed the product marketing strategy for a diagnostics and genomics portfolio — including rare disease panels and oncology solutions sold into pharmaceutical, clinical, and academic laboratories. I reversed a lagging portfolio through competitive intelligence and customer analysis, delivering double-digit growth. I built relationships with key opinion leaders, managed advisory boards, and spoke at US and EU scientific conferences. I collaborated with regional teams on APAC expansion and supported regulatory submissions. This role taught me what it means to market science globally — the regulatory differences, the buyer differences, the clinical practice differences across continents.
Then came diagnostics at the sharp end. At a genomics diagnostics company, I was Senior Product Manager for a portfolio spanning oncology (tissue and liquid biopsy NGS panels), hereditary cancer, rare diseases, and haematology. I directed the global GTM strategy and achieved 120% uptake targets internationally. The highlight was leading the launch of a country's first approved gene panel for inherited retinal diseases — coordinating regulatory, R&D, and commercial teams across the UK and Japan — working alongside pharma partners and payers to secure National Health Insurance coverage and launch in under a year. I also implemented a brand repositioning strategy that drove a 120% increase in marketing qualified leads, and supported NHS procurement preparation with NICE-aligned positioning. I presented at European oncology conferences and engaged with oncology KOLs across pharma and clinical settings. One of my roles where everything I could leverage would came together daily: scientific depth, regulatory fluency, commercial execution, multi-market complexity.
Independent consulting followed naturally. I've worked as a fractional commercial leader for a genomics startup, developing their go-to-market strategy and investor-ready positioning from scratch. I've built pharma-grade HCP engagement strategy for a leading women's health app — repositioning the platform from a consumer app to a clinical decision support tool, designing an interactive diagnostic experience for a major US medical conference, and delivering a 21% contact capture rate (2x target) with 700+ qualified HCP leads and a 254% increase in conference traffic. Through a healthtech consultancy, I've provided strategic guidance to medical devices, pharma, and healthtech clients on commercial positioning, regulatory frameworks, and market entry across regulated markets.
Brought it all together at enterprise pharma scale. Consulting at director-level for a global pharmaceutical company, I've applied the same commercial strategy, measurement thinking, and cross-functional coordination I've always done across global markets, designing customer engagement pathways, omnichannel strategies, and content effectiveness frameworks.
The difference isn't what I do — it's the scale and rigour I do it at: I don't just build strategies, I build strategies that can be measured.
What I Do Now
I help life sciences companies turn scientific complexity into commercial clarity. That means messaging architectures that give your whole organisation a consistent story. Product positioning that survives scrutiny from KOLs, procurement committees, and payer review boards. Go-to-market strategies that account for regulatory timelines, market access hurdles, and the reality that your first customers are also your hardest to convince. Sales enablement that your commercial team will actually use in the field. And customer insight programmes that ground every decision in evidence rather than assumption.
The common thread across all of it: I've sat on both sides of the table. I've been the scientist frustrated by marketing that misrepresented the data. I've been the customer support specialist listening to what researchers actually need. I've been the product manager who had to turn those insights into revenue. I've been the marketing strategist who had to position a gene panel for two regulatory systems simultaneously. And I've been the analytics director who had to prove that the entire strategy actually worked. That breadth of perspective is rare, and it's the reason my clients hire me.
How I Work
I'm not an agency. There's no account manager relaying your brief to a junior copywriter. There's no 30-page proposal padded with methodology diagrams. When you work with me, you get me — one person who understands your science, your market, and your commercial objectives, embedded in your team for the duration of the engagement.
In practical terms, that means:
- Fast: Most engagements are scoped in days, not weeks. I start by reading your regulatory submissions, your clinical data, and your competitor landscape — so by the time we talk strategy, I already understand the science
- Precise: I've published in peer-reviewed journals on computational biology and pharmacology, and I've built measurement frameworks for global pharma brands. I don't approximate your science — I understand it well enough to position it accurately
- Embedded: I join your Slack, attend your standups, sit in on your sales calls. I operate as part of your team, not as an outsider producing deliverables in isolation
- Evidence-led: Every recommendation comes with a rationale grounded in data, customer insight, or market evidence. I don't do gut-feel strategy
Credentials
MSc (Hons) Molecular Biology and Genetics. BSc Biological Sciences. Three peer-reviewed publications in computational biology, genetics, and pharmacology. Certified in post-market surveillance under MDR/IVDR (BSI), Generative AI for Marketing (AMA), and AI Essentials (Google). SEHTA member.
Over a decade of commercial experience spanning diagnostics, genomics, MedTech, research tools, digital health, and pharmaceutical analytics. Multi-market launch experience across the UK, EU, APAC, and Japan — including MHRA, NICE, PMDA, and National Health Insurance pathways. P&L ownership from £4.9M to £6M+ product portfolios. I've worked with VC-backed genomics startups, mid-market diagnostics companies, global research tools providers, digital health platforms, and multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Native Italian. Fluent English. Working French and Spanish.
Let's Talk
If you're building something that matters — a diagnostic that could change clinical practice, a device that could improve patient outcomes, a therapy that deserves a better commercial story — I'd like to hear about it. Start with the science. I'll help you find the strategy.
Not sure yet? Browse the blog — it's the best way to understand how I think.
