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On this episode of the Lead the Future™ Podcast, Dr. Vince Molinaro is joined by Frank Stramaglia, General Manager of Astellas Pharma Canada. At the time of this conversation, Astellas is in the middle of a culture transformation. Frank explains how multiple, significant changes in the industry are requiring his organization to operate, deliver, and approach things in totally different ways.
Frank reflects on the past couple years, in which the organization needed to downsize a few times, and on how they are now needing to pivot and scale up as they prepare to launch multiple products in the near future. Both scenarios have presented different, but equally important challenges.
Vince and Frank discuss the importance of investing the time to get everyone on board in projects of such high impact, and different strategies for doing so.
I think getting people to get out of their comfort zone is the biggest learning when you’re going through a period like this, we always default back to what I did before, and my experiences, and you have to remind people that while those things can help you, it’s also very important to recognize that the environment we’re in is a unique environment. It’s one that none of us have dealt with before. And therefore, we’ve got to really be thinking differently about how we approach business challenges.
Key leadership insights to listen to
- How industry disruption was impacting Astellas’ business model and commercial strategy
- What that change meant for leaders at all levels of the organization
- Why Astellas opted against a top down strategy, and how they involved middle managers and individual contributors
- What is the “Eras Exercise” and how it helped the entire Astellas workforce prepare its mindset for the transformation ahead
- Frank’s reflections after meeting 1:1 with every person in the organization
- The culture transformation initiative’s impact on sales and employee engagement
Meet the leader: Frank Stramaglia, General Manager at Astellas Pharma Canada
Frank Stramaglia is a dynamic leader known for his deep commitment to Canadian patients and healthcare professionals. With more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Frank is the general manager of Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc. (APCA), leading the company’s Canadian business operations.
Frank joined Astellas in 2007 as a product manager and since then has served in areas including market access and sales and marketing. In 2016, Frank was named Commercial Director of the Year. Today, Frank leverages his energy, enthusiasm, and expertise to help develop and support a growing, highly motivated team at Astellas Canada. Together, Frank and the APCA team are working to improve the quality of healthcare and outcomes for Canadian patients. Frank is also currently a director of Innovative Medicines Canada.
Before joining Astellas, Frank worked for Galderma Canada, Bayer, and Roche in increasingly senior roles. Frank holds a Bachelor’s degree from McMaster University in Kinesiology.
Show notes
- Connect with Dr. Vince Molinaro & Leadership Contract Inc on LinkedIn
- Connect with Frank Stramaglia on LinkedIn
- Relevant Resource: Astellas Pharma Canada Case Study
