A Special Encounter between the Biomedical Industry and Expert Networks
With Jagjeet Kang-Pabla, Senior Vice President, Client Service
Jagjeet Kang-Pabla, Senior Vice President on Client Service in Guidepoint’s Mumbai Office, recently shared her thoughts on the expert networks and the healthcare industries. After completing a PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of London, Jagjeet began her career in life sciences/consulting industry before joining Guidepoint as a Healthcare Project Manager. She leveraged her comprehensive biomedical background and provided insight into how expert networks can help facilitate the exchange of knowledge in the healthcare industry to impact the world.
THE ONE-STOP PLATFORM
“Expert networks like Guidepoint are a one-stop platform which can add immense value to the whole innovation and development process in the healthcare industry.”
New medical breakthroughs and innovations occur daily in the healthcare sector. To effectively share ideas and knowledge, expert networks act as a one-stop platform for organizations to gain practical insights from all functions within the industry including academia, preclinical & clinical studies, regulatory, and the pharmaceutical commercial sector. Such exchanges of knowledge are also breaking through geographical boundaries, Jagjeet added, “they (experts) are from all around the world, therefore it’s easy for our clients to gain experience and best practices from other countries with unbiased views.”
More and more organizations have concluded that to make the right decision, thorough research is needed to incorporate broader viewpoints and perspectives. This is where expert networks can play an important role – adding value to assist clients in problem-solving and research. Organizations can engage with expert networks at any stage of their research to gain comprehensive insights that are critical for businesses to set meaningful benchmarks to facilitate decision-making.
THE HUMAN TOUCH
“The human touch, the person-to-person connection we have with our clients is the most important part in finding the solution that works for their specific needs”
Being a part of the Client Service Team for more than 7 years, Jagjeet believes she owes her success to the special connections and genuine relationships she shares with clients. “Be the person who is there to listen. Understand their (clients’) problems and genuinely try to help by finding the solution.” Clients have different needs and requests that require special care and close communication, especially in the healthcare sector. Jagjeet’s biomedical background has helped her handle complex research questions for clients: “Having life sciences knowledge is super useful in being able to speak to clients in their jargon and understand their research issues in order to deliver fulfilling results”, Jagjeet further explained. Having diverse experience in her team helps in delivering tailor-made solutions for complex client requests.
THE MOTIVATION
When asked about what motivates her to keep progressing throughout her career, Jagjeet mentioned 3 main drivers: 1. Client appreciation; 2. Being part of Guidepoint’s success and 3. Setting an example for female leadership.
“A client whom I had an excellent experience with, came back for my service after a few years by emailing the sales team looking to work with me again. This gives me a huge sense of achievement when a client truly recognizes and acknowledges the work I’ve done.”
Jagjeet thrives on the relationships she has developed with clients and her satisfaction from assisting them in adding value to their research. And on the other hand, Jagjeet shared her aspirations of promoting gender equality.
“I want to promote female leadership in the corporate world and set examples for others”
Outside of work, she is a peer mentor at the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, a non-profit organization that advocates for gender parity. She thinks more conscious efforts are needed to encourage gender inclusion across the globe. One way is to have more representation of female leaders in the business world. She pointed out that Guidepoint has given opportunities to many female leaders and its inclusive culture has set a great example for other corporations.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
In London, Jagjeet established and led the Healthcare Client Service team to achieve significant accomplishments. In February 2022, when Guidepoint opened its Mumbai office, she relocated to India and accepted the new challenge of leading the Client Service Team from the ground up, drawing on her extensive managerial experience. She expressed her desire to head the new team:
“It’s more than just managing the team, it’s also about creating a culture and environment that will help our team members embark on a successful journey. I want every member of my team to have a sense of belonging.”
Jagjeet believes that by working together, the team can achieve both individual and collective goals. She has high hopes for the expert network industry and believes the industry is on an upward trajectory.