The eyeforpharma Fantasy Football Team

With World Cup fever reaching epidemic proportions in the eyeforpharma office ( football shirts, flags, opening ceremony parties…), it was only a matter of time before that spilled over into our work. And to get the ball rolling (ahem), here is eyeforpharma’s Fantasy Pharma World Cup Team.



Striker – the ‘closer’. Who’s the most persuasive person you know? Who could sell ice to an eskimo? Who could see the plan through? Who always gets the job done?

  • Morten Hjelmso, CEO, Agnitio:  Spend 5 mins with Morten. That’s all it will take to convince you that your commercial gameplan is all wrong. The ZlatanIbrahimovich of pharma (but, thankfully, shorter hair.) See for yourself here.
  • Hannah Gagen, Senior Manager, Business Model & Healthcare Innovation, BoehringerIngelheim – Hannah’s passion for patient centricity is truly infectious. You want her on your team if you’ve got any chance of delivering on expectations. Watch Hannah in action here, speaking about how pharma can become truly patient-centric.

Midfield– the ‘playmaker’. Who is the most effective manager of a team? Who inspires you as a leader and lifts the whole team? Who brings people together, even in the toughest of situations?

  • Pierre Morgon, CMO, Cegedim – Pierre and Zinedine Zidane have more in common than you might think. A master tactician and capable of lifting a whole team.
  • Patrick Cashman, President, Lundbeck Canada – Patrick has been an inspiration to colleagues with his motto: “stop and ask:  how will the patient feel about this?“ A recent eyeforpharma Lifetime Achievement award winner and Xavi-esque in the number of assists delivered.
  • Matt Portch, Commercial Model Innovation, Pfizer – the man who could make this company’s products really matter. He has both the vision and the skill – a shoe-in for Cristiano Ronaldo’s spot. Check out Matt in action here, speaking to Paul Simms about how Pfizer have delivered services "beyond the pill"
  • Lode Dewulf, VP, Chief Patient Affairs Officer, UCB. He knows his team’s strengths well, and able to orchestrate them into a cohesive unit. Able to play wide on either left or right flanks: one that any competitor needs to keep up with. Check out Lode in action speaking about how to implement patient-centricity here.

Defence– the ‘strategy’. Who develops winning strategy? Who knows where to marshall resources for maximum gain? Who can spot the opportunities when others only see challenges?

  • John Pugh, Innovation Lead, Boehringer Ingelheim– not necessarily the best defensive capabilities, but certainly the one to run from deep and deliver the unexpected.  If there’s an opportunity, John will find it. See John in action talking about hacking here.
  • Andy Davis, Chairman, NeoNavitas - while head of Takeda UK , Andy was spearheading KAM when the rest of the industry didn’t even know what it was. A genuine visionary. 
  • Professor Brian Smith. Author of ‘The Future of Pharma’ in 2011, which mapped the whole industry against the patterns of evolutionary biology. Many of his predictions have already become self-evident.
  • Bernard Munos, Consultant, InnoThink – has moved many with his proposed redesigns of R&D. A man who understands the true meaning of innovation, and a smart choice for left back. Visit Bernard's Forbes blog on pharma innovation here.

Goalkeeper– the ‘rock’. Who is the reliable person you would depend on when everyone else is performing badly? Who is always dependable no matter what? Who can you trust to always execute flawlessly?

  • Jane Griffiths, Group Chairman, Janssen – Jane has made enormous progress by articulating clear vision for pharma’s role in society and where exactly gains can made. Solid and always in control. See Jane in action here, speaking to Paul Simms about collaboration and building trust at a recent eyeforpharma conference.

Who would be in your pharma fantasy team? We would love to find out who your "picks" would be. Add them to the comments box below.