With participation from renowned speakers and thought leaders, the event proved to be a valuable platform for networking, learning, and exchanging ideas
The Pharma Industry Townhall 2024 which took place on March 16, 2024, in Mumbai and hosted by PharmaState Academy, concluded successfully, bringing together industry leaders, experts, and professionals for a day of insightful discussions and knowledge-sharing. The event garnered widespread acclaim for its focus on updating professionals on new-age skill sets and gaining in-depth knowledge of trending topics to address today’s day and age challenges in the sales and marketing realm of the Pharma Industry.
With participation from renowned speakers and thought leaders, the event proved to be a valuable platform for networking, learning, and exchanging ideas.
“We are delighted with the overwhelming response and engagement at the Pharma Industry Townhall 2024 that saw 150 plus Pharma enthusiasts joining the event,” said Dr Satish Gupta, COO at PharmaState Academy.
Highlights from the event include:
-
Keynote address by Anil Matai (Director General at OPPI)
In his Keynote speech, Anil Matai emphasised the importance of upskilling oneself and keeping pace with the changing dynamics of the pharma industry. He mentioned the stupendous growth forecast for the Industry and the need to be aware of the latest trends and technological advancements.
Two Panel Discussions were held.
- The first panel discussion was held on the topic of unlocking pharma synergy:
Content and digital strategies for the sales-marketing department had
Joseph Gerald (Sr VP & Cluster head at SUN pharma), Parul Sood (GM sales and marketing Zydus) & Salil Kallianpur (Digital brand coach, professor, health tech investor & mentor) as Panelist and Deep Bhandari (Executive coach, ex-UCB & Novartis) as Moderator. The panel discussed how the alignment of sales and marketing departments can revolutionise outreach, enhance customer engagement, and drive measurable results. A few experiences regarding the transition journey from sales to marketing department and vice versa were also shared which highlighted the need for synergy between the two departments.
- The second-panel discussion was held on the topic of data-driven approaches for effective marketing & sales:
Customer Segmentation, Behavioural & Feedback Analysis.
Viral Pandya Vaidya (GM, BOG Lupin Ltd.), George Varghese (GM sales and marketing Glenmark) & Divej Wadhwa (Founder & Head of Digital strategy Orange Health Digital) Joined as Panelists and moderation was done superbly by Zena D’souza (Pharma Marketing Consultant, formerly at Sun Pharma, Glenmark, IPCA, Emcure). In this discussion, industry leaders delved into the nuances of customer segmentation, behavioral analysis, and feedback interpretation tailored specifically for the dynamic pharma landscape. The need to get the right insights, the difference between observation, analysis, and insight generation, and a few examples of Data-driven approaches were also discussed.
-
Storytelling in Pharma & Healthcare Communication by Atin Roy (Senior Vice President Ogilvy Health & Wellness) & Cherojit Goswami (Senior Vice President Ogilvy Health & Wellness).
The fabulous talk included six use cases of storytelling in pharma & healthcare. The speakers left the audience spellbound with the stories and presentations that they shared with the audience.
The trending topics were discussed in four talks & presentation formats.
-
A power-packed session on the topic of The power play: Balancing dynamics between sales and marketing for Better Results was delivered by Salil Kallianpur (Digital brand coach)
He emphasized harmonising the efforts of both departments so that the pharma companies can optimise their outreach, enhance brand visibility, and ultimately drive better results.
-
Varun Belgudri (Associate Director of Sales Wolters Kluwer India) presented on the topic of the adoption of digital health across the continuum of care; clinicians and pharma. He discussed how innovative technologies are revolutionising research, patient care delivery, medication management, and treatment adherence across various healthcare settings.
-
One of the most dynamic presentations was given by Abhishek Sawant (AGM-Digital Wockhardt Pharma) on next-generation workforce: Skillsets for the modern pharma sales & marketing professional.
Using the cue from Bollywood, he spelled the need to upskill. From proficiency in digital platforms and data analytics to adeptness in strategic communication, today’s professionals must possess a multifaceted skillset.
-
How to talk, so doctors will listen. Empowering the sales & marketing professionals was the topic of the presentation by Aleem Merchant (Founder & Director of Synapse marketing consultancy). He talked about the customer journey mentioning the stages to convert a non-prescriber to a prescriber.
The second half of the day saw more talks on burning topics for the Pharma Marketing & Sales Professionals.
-
A Spark Session was delivered by Vivek Sharma (GM L&D Cadila) on the topic of Aaj Ka Abhimanyu! A highly insightful and creative talk on the need for a support system for Medical Representatives made the audience aware of the strategy to create the support framework for the largest workforce of the Pharmaceutical companies, i.e. sales teams.
-
Renowned Pharma Veteran, Dr. Ashok Bhattacharya (Global Health & Pharma consultant, formerly executive director of Takeda Pharmaceuticals) delivered a Talk on Pharma Industry Growth Potential. As the Industry is poised to grow multifold in the coming years, he emphasized the importance of ethical practices, and the need to upskill and focus on research and innovation.
-
Janak Bathiya’s (Partner Bathiya legal) Presentation and Q&A session helped the audience gain the most relevant Pharma Industry Updates including Trends, Investments, Job Scenarios, and Clarity on the 194R Section of the Income Tax Act
-
A straightforward presentation on Gen-AI use cases for pharma marketing by Vikram Kumar (CEO of Multiplier AI) showed the transformative potential of Gen-AI technology in revolutionising pharmaceutical marketing through advanced customer profiling and personalized engagement strategies.
-
Understanding UCPMP 2024 has become the need of the hour for the Pharma Industry professionals. An engaging talk by Mahendrakumar Bajpai (Advocate Supreme Court of India) on the salient features followed by a Q&A session clarified a lot of doubts about the trending topic.
-
A talk on the role of analytics in India- Pharma Perspective by Mr. Dinesh Pandey (Pharma Analytics expert, current Mu-Sigma, ex-Axtria/Genpact/Datamonitor) quickly showed the growing importance of analytics in the Pharma and healthcare industry.
-
And one of the most trending topics of discussion in healthcare nowadays i.e. unleash the power of EMR! How pharma companies can supercharge marketing using information from EMR was covered by Sourav Das (CEO of MyRx). He also discussed the Prescription writer for the benefit of the participants.
The Pharma Industry Townhall 2024 provided a platform for participants to gain insights into emerging trends, best practices, and innovative approaches shaping the future of the pharmaceutical sector. Attendees expressed their appreciation for connecting with industry peers & service providers, learning from experts, and exploring collaborative opportunities.
As the pharma industry continues to evolve and adapt to new challenges, events like the Pharma Industry Townhall play a crucial role in driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and shaping the future of healthcare.
The Townhall was brought in collaboration with:
Knowledge partners: Wolters Kluwer India, and Bathiya Legal
Support Partners: Multiplier AI, and MyRx
Exhibit partners: M3India, and Yes Print
Media Partner: Express Pharma
For more information about PharmaState Academy and upcoming events, please visit pharmastate.academy.