Research to Revenue outlines what it takes to build a successful company

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Interview by Tonya Costoff

Promoting the growth of the biotechnology industry in Canada, The Biotechnology Initiative’s (TBI) ‘From Research to Revenue III’ closed out another successful National Biotechnology Week, building on the progress made by its first two events.

Hosted by TBI, Western Greater Toronto Area Convergence Centre, YORK Biotech and BioDiscovery Toronto, Research to Revenue continues to grow as a valuable learning and networking event for Canada’s life-science community.

Like in past years, CEO’s, CFO’s, CSO’s and CMO’s attending were given the chance to network and discuss the industry and learn more about what it takes to be successful. This year’s session, hosted in Mississauga, ON, brought out some of the best and brightest minds in Canadian biotech business, from some of the industry’s biggest companies.

Panel discussions and workshops were just two of the ways attendees were able to interact while the key industry issues addressed included finance, product development and commercialization. Discussions were split into three different tracks happening simultaneously.

Moderator Tim McCunn, lead the discussion in the CEO track, with a focus on what the biotech industry can do to learn from other industries. The second CEO track featured Frederick Port, whose discussion centered on ways biotech companies can build value in its corporations. Other panelists in these discussions included Mark Chamberlain, Lorne Goldstein, Brian Hartman, Rob Peacock and Richard Strafehl.

Dr. John Lawson and Pierre Bourassa headed up the conversation in the CFO track as panelists from various Canadian biotech companies including Adam Buckley, Bertrand F. Bolduc and Dr. Jean-Paul Castaigne discussed the origins of their companies, the obstacles they faced and the lessons they learned.

Elsewhere, Alan Davis and Bonnie Kuehl explored the pros and cons of doing trials in Canada in the CSO/CMO track, while recognized expert in the field of clinical research and trial management Laurie Halloran took executives on a crash course in working through clinical development and finding clinical success in her workshop.

In this month’s edition of Across Canada, Bonnie Kuehl, the head of the TBI Communications Committee, discusses the event and what it had to offer, the highlights and benefits for all those that attended and lastly what TBI hopes to improve on moving forward for next year.

In addition to her role at TBI, Bonnie Kuehl is also the CEO and founder of Scientific Insights® Consulting Group Inc., a scientific and medical research communications company specializing in the strategic interpretation of scientific, medical and clinical information and technology.

Q: What role did you play in organizing the 3rd annual Research to Revenue event?

A: I helped to organize the CMO/CSO track.

Q: With this being the third annual event, how would it compare to years past? What was different or the same with this year’s event?

A: The different tracks seemed better defined this year. We had some speakers from other parts of Canada and the US this year which I think brought us a richer view of the industry.

Q: Do you foresee a 4th Research to Revenue event? If so, would there be any changes made?

A: Yes there will likely be a 4th event. One change that is being considered is moving the timing of the event to late January. September is busy and planning and marketing the event is difficult in the summer.

Q: How was attendance at this year’s event?

A: Attendance was about the same as last year. We would like to see attendance grow as this is an amazing learning and networking event.

Q: Have you received any feedback from attendees?

A: Overall the attendees thought the event was excellent and offered great value. They enjoyed the viewpoints from across the country and from people with cross experiences. Workshops were highly rated and comments were that they were very practical and interactive.

Q: How did TBI go about selecting the keynote speakers for the event?

A: Keynote speakers were chosen based on their cross experiences and expertise on specific subjects. In many cases committee members had heard these speakers before and were impressed by their presentations and knowledge.

Q: This year’s event featured a few different tracks (CEO, CFO and CSO/CMO) for attendees, why was this done?

A: Research to Revenue was designed as a learning and networking opportunity for C-level executives. It is a chance for the entire executive team to learn together and to interact with similar people in other companies.

Q: Was this the first time different tracks were offered?

A: There were also three tracks last year.

Q: By offering the different tracks for attendees, do you think this helps create more interest/buzz in the event?

A: I think the three tracks allowed us time to have more speakers and to offer specialized workshops. Interestingly, though the C-level executives moved between tracks and did not stay in their own track. This also offered them a different perspective and an opportunity to learn different things.

Q: Would you offer the different tracks next year as well?

A: Yes the feedback indicates that there will likely be different tracks next year as well. The group enjoyed the different streams. Comments included: allowed for excellent focus on discussion, allows CEO’s to learn about the science not just the financials and it offers a variety of perspectives.

Q: What is the biggest challenge with the event?

A: The biggest challenge is marketing especially as the event happened in mid-September.

Q: In your opinion, what was the highlight of the event?

A: For me the highlight was the wealth of knowledge and experience that we had present. For the most part the presenters were extremely knowledgeable and very interesting to listen to. I walked out of every presentation inspired and educated.