Matt Rysavy has been a pharma leader for nearly 20 years. His roles have ranged from Training Manager, to National Account Executive, to Executive Director, Market Access and Trade (and nearly every leadership position in between). Emerging leaders can use Matt’s career trajectory and leadership style as a guide for navigating their own path.  

Matt is now the Vice President, Market Access and Trade for Verona Pharma. Verona Pharma is a clinical‑stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative prescription medicines. They’re focused on treating respiratory diseases with significant unmet medical needs, such as COPD, cystic fibrosis and asthma.

Matt is also an accomplished athlete. As a 3-year Football Letterman at Iowa State as a Tight End, he earned a scholarship as a walk-on in the 1996 season. His work ethic, coachability, and willingness to invest 100% in a cause were a big part of his success as an athlete, and also his success in pharma leadership. Matt’s is primarily focused on developing driven people within his teams.

His people-first approach gets results, too. Because of his deep respect for ethics, relationships, and hard work, his career has shot upward and forward. Many of his proteges are now in C-Suites and boardrooms spread across the industry, standing as a testament to his success as a leader.

Advancing your career in pharma can be challenging. Success isn’t always up to you. But Matt provides insight on how to build your career and your team in the face of unique challenges and opportunities that present themselves.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Methods for replacing a valuable team member who’s been promoted
• Setting expectations for pharma teams
• Novel career pathways in pharma and how leadership skills play into them
• The value of communication consistency
• How to develop proxies for finding talent that works for YOUR team (not just any team)
• Other hiring strategies for pharma teams 

Additional Resources:

• Verona Pharma’s Website: https://www.veronapharma.com/
• Matt’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-rysavy-aaa5516/