[Speaker Interview] With Sherif Elhaw, Director, Emerging Markets, Launch Excellence Lead at Pfizer

Tell me about yourself and your journey so far in the space of Launch Excellence?

I am a pharmacist by graduation, holding an MBA from Strathclyde, certified as a PMP from PMI US and a Six Sigma Black Belt. With over 20 years of experience in Sales, Marketing, Commercial, and Project Management roles, I am currently employed as the Launch Excellence Lead for Emerging Markets at Pfizer. I have a strong interest in behavioural economics and believe in its significant role in managing our daily decisions. In my role, I focus on launch readiness for countries and brands across Emerging Markets, starting from prioritization exercises that impact strategic growth plans for the organization. I connect cross-functional teams from the commercial development stage to regulatory and supply departments, lead launch excellence workshops and launch planning tools at both country and regional levels and monitor launch performance and brand investments through advanced business models. The job is quite exciting as I interact with almost all functions, all therapy areas and it keeps evolving every day, providing a broad exposure and opportunities for networking both horizontally and vertically.

How have you seen this space evolve over the past few years?

I would say that the COVID era could be a splitter of two stages, in the last decade we have seen great interest in specialty products and rare disease ones, however we witness now the growth of Primary care especially with Obesity and diabetes new trends, still Oncology is evolving with new medicine generations. The post-COVID era have pushed for digital transformation which urged the need to innovation and resilience approaches when it comes to launch preparations. I see now launch excellence department alone or part of commercial excellence has become a stand-alone department within many pharmaceutical multinationals poised to connect cross functions effectively, which reflects a strategy evolution in how we approach cross functional work in complex projects.

What are the biggest challenges right now?

Challenges are a lot; however, I would segregate my answer on two fronts The Pharma Market: the launch environment has become increasingly challenging due to intensifying competition; The payers’ power growth has increased pricing pressure and subsequently access challenges with difficulty in tailored affordability programs Internal divisions: I would say that change management is a real project that every company should adopt, Pharma teams should be capable of dealing with technology, use the power of analytics, connect broadly across different regions and functions, take decisions based on facts and data. we can’t be in year 2024 and still using simple excel sheet to monitor our plans and performance. And strategic decisions can’t be taken only through one party, we need to use our collective advantages to build robust methodologies and frameworks of action.

Are there any tangible results or successes that you can share from past launches?

My key word for success would be Always INNOVATION I have witnessed a unique innovation story through my previous role as Launch Navigator for COVID vaccine, it was a tough mission for Pfizer where all the globe was monitoring how it would evolve into a groundbreaking achievement that succeeded to save millions of lives Pfizer and BioNTech harnessed the MRNA technology to produce mass vaccines in short time, the cold chain freight system and its strict controls reflected huge efforts behind the scenes using the latest technologies, along with strategic approaches to Payer planning and readiness to avail the vaccines in the hand of governments in short time.

What has been your biggest lesson? Or piece of advice that you can give to organizations who are trying to navigate the complexities of launch?

Every challenge has a potential solution, however the biggest challenge lies within us; to avoid human cognitive biases that we all have subconsciously, when it comes to forecasting and prediction, overconfidence bias is subtle here. Overconfidence bias leads individuals to overestimate their knowledge, abilities, and the accuracy of their forecast. In the context of launch planning, overconfidence can result in overly optimistic projections, underestimating risks, and failing to account for uncertainties. It even leads to disruption of group work and power struggles within organizations. And for that we need to depend on critical thinking, accept changes and build multiple risk scenarios that fit all possibilities and able to handle unanticipated ones.

Can you give us a teaser for your session at the upcoming summit?

I am a big fan of Formula One, and I see that data analytics is a game changer for Formula Industry and Pharma Launches I will let you know how during my speech!

What are you looking forward to about the conference this December?

Launch excellence is relatively a new concept, I see this conference as a unique platform that brings together the brightest minds in the industry to share insights and strategies for successful product launches. The attendees are offered unparalleled networking opportunities, fostering collaborations that could shape the future of healthcare. And moreover, the focus on excellence and innovation aligns perfectly with our commitment to delivering life-changing treatments to patients. This summit is not just a conference; it's a step towards a healthier tomorrow.

Join us at #PHLEX

Join Sheriff and other industry leaders at the Pharmaceutical Launch Excellence Summit this December to gain actionable strategies for every stage of the drug launch process. Through exclusive insights from leading industry experts, community collaboration and invaluable networking, you'll refine your approach, overcome challenges, and drive success in today's dynamic pharmaceutical landscape.

#PHLEX is your only chance this year to explore real strategies and case studies on how to revive underperforming launches, navigate competitive markets, and optimise commercial models. You'll also explore critical topics like balancing innovation with affordability, mastering rapid launches, and leveraging AI in marketing. Designed for leaders across commercial, medical, clinical, and operational roles, this highly-anticipated summit will equip you with the latest tools, strategies and innovations to achieve launch excellence from development to post-launch. Get your tickets here.

Return to Home