Leading Beyond The Lab

What does it take to build not just one billion-dollar company, but seven and start again after losing it all? In this episode, Robert Wessman shares the mindset, discipline and foresight behind building one of the world’s most ambitious biosimilars platforms.

This week on Leading Beyond The Lab, Lawrence Rose sat down with Robert Wessman, Founder and Executive Chairman, with over 25 years of experience spanning global pharmaceuticals, generics, biosimilars and serial entrepreneurship.

In this episode, Robert Wessman covers:
(01:12) Why biologics dominate the future of pharmaceuticals and the urgent need to expand access through biosimilars, with treatment costs reaching up to $100,000 per patient annually
(04:10) Building seven companies including six unicorns, and scaling a global generics business across 80+ countries with over 16,500 employees
(12:32) The seven-pillar framework behind building high-performance culture, including vision setting, team alignment and execution discipline
(18:14) The importance of timing in biotech, and how starting too early or too late in biosimilars can determine success or failure
(38:16) Strategic foresight in action, from anticipating regulatory changes to building one of the largest biosimilars pipelines with over 30 products

This conversation offers a clear, experience-backed perspective on scaling in life sciences, building resilient organisations and making high-impact decisions in complex markets. If you are working in biotech, pharma or leadership, this episode provides practical insights worth applying.

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575
Website: https://arto-talent.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@life_sciences

Robert Wessman
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-wessman/

Lawrence Rose
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:46 The global cost challenge of biologics
01:12 Market dynamics and future of biosimilars
03:11 Origins of building multiple pharma companies
04:10 Scaling Actavis into a global leader
05:22 Repeatable frameworks for building companies
06:53 Execution, culture and operational excellence
10:01 Building Alvotech in Iceland
11:10 Hiring globally and building culture
12:32 The seven pillars of high-performance culture
15:28 Execution and accountability at scale
17:03 Scaling rapidly while maintaining culture
18:14 Timing the biosimilars market
19:27 Fundraising and early-stage selling
22:07 Building partnerships and licensing strategy
24:21 Manufacturing strategy and infrastructure
25:49 Business development and commercial model
27:11 Building global supply chains
28:23 Transitioning leadership roles
30:29 Evolution of CEO skillsets
32:03 AI and the future of work in pharma
34:03 Hiring for high-performance teams
36:33 Managing risk and operational challenges
37:07 Reducing development costs through foresight
38:16 Scaling pipeline strategy
40:25 Patent challenges and market barriers
42:19 Anticipating market shifts in biologics
44:11 Navigating setbacks and industry challenges
45:26 Market dynamics and global pricing pressures
47:08 Why Iceland as a strategic base
50:47 Attracting global talent to Iceland
53:09 Capital markets and disciplined growth
54:40 Risks of overfunding
55:04 Personal story and adversity
58:19 Near-death cycling accident
01:00:30 Recovery and resilience
01:05:55 Impact on mindset and life perspective

#LeadingBeyondTheLab #ARTOTalent #Biotech #Pharmaceuticals #Biosimilars #LifeSciences #Leadership
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AI is beginning to uncover medicines that humans alone could never design.

This week on another episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, we host James Field, CEO and Founder of LabGenius Therapeutics, a company pioneering the use of machine learning, robotics, and synthetic biology to engineer the next generation of therapeutic antibodies.

With over a decade of experience spanning AI-driven drug discovery, protein engineering, and synthetic biology, James founded LabGenius Therapeutics to rethink how biologic medicines are discovered.

In this episode, James discusses:

- The founding story of LabGenius Therapeutics and how its AI-guided experimentation platform is transforming antibody engineering.
- The companies backing by leading investors including Kindred Capital (Leila Zegna), Lux Capital, Obvious Ventures, M Ventures, and Octopus Ventures, and is guided by industry leaders such as Edwin Moses, the company’s Chairman and a veteran biotech executive.
- LabGenius Therapeutics' collaboration with Sanofi, and how partnerships between biotech startups and global pharma companies are helping translate AI-designed antibodies into real therapeutic pipelines.
- The importance of global scientific conferences such as European Society for Medical Oncology, where breakthroughs in oncology and biologics are shaping the future of therapeutic development.
- The mentors and inspirations that shaped his journey into biotech, from his university lecturers at Imperial College London to industry leaders like Edwin Moses, who now serves as Chairman of LabGenius Therapeutics and has played a key role in guiding the company’s growth.

If you're interested in AI-driven drug discovery, biotech entrepreneurship, and the future of medicine, this episode is one you won’t want to miss.

Follow ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artotalent
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kEcRZOiJChOoN1KF2n1ng
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@artotalent?_t=ZG-8tHbGACAZaj&_r=1
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575
Website: https://arto-talent.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artotalent

Dr. James Field
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-field-7518a05b/

Lawrence Rose
Co-Founder + Talent Solutions Director At ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
02:40 Rewriting the Rules of Drug Discovery
16:21 Scaling Innovation
37:29 AI, Motivation & Purpose
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What if we could predict whether a drug will work, before it ever reaches a patient?

This week, in another episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, we host a co-guest episode featuring Nik Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder of BioCortex, a trained neurologist with years of experience spanning clinical medicine, ALS research, academia (Cambridge, NIH) and more. And Muhannad Alomari, CTO & Co-Founder, with over a decade of experience spanning aerospace engineering, AI leadership and physics-based systems modelling.

In this episode, the duo covers:
Why bacteria inside tumours may explain clinical trial variability, how “in silico bridge trials” could reshape oncology development, and how BioCortex plans to translate that science into commercial inflection points, global licensing models, and long-term value creation without taking traditional pipeline risk.
From partnerships with CD BioPharma, they explain how global clinical strategy, particularly leveraging innovation and trial infrastructure emerging from China, is reshaping how oncology assets are advanced and positioned for global success.
They also discuss investor backing from Edward Kliphuis from Sofinnova, Hussein Kanji from Hoxton Ventures and Draper Associates, and how capital discipline combined with deep-tech engineering principles (inspired by Rolls-Royce and even NASA) is shaping a new model for oncology drug development.
They also reflect on visiting leading oncology centres in China alongside HSBC and AstraZeneca, highlighting the sheer scale and speed of patient recruitment, momentum that was clearly visible in multiple back-to-back presentations at ASCO, signalling a structural shift in global cancer innovation.

This is a conversation about speed, probability, biology, engineering, and ultimately, time. Because for patients, time is everything.

To listen to (or watch) the full episode, search “Leading Beyond the Lab BioCorteX” on wherever you get your podcasts, or click on the first link in the comments below.
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What if a single injection could teach the immune system to eliminate cancer, and keep it away?

This week, in another episode of Leading Beyond the Lab, Lawrence Rose sits down with Paul Peter Tak, MD, PhD, FMedSci, President & CEO of Candel Therapeutics, one of the most quietly compelling stories in cancer immunotherapy today.

With over 30 years of experience spanning academic medicine, clinical immunology, rheumatology, oncology, and global pharmaceutical leadership, Paul Peter brings a rare clinician-scientist perspective to biotech leadership. Prior to Candel, he served as Chief Immunology Officer and Global Head of Development at GSK (led by Luke Miels) , where he helped shape immunology and oncology strategy at scale. Paul Peter is also founder and previous chair of the dept of clinical immunology and rheumatology at Amsterdam UMC.

In this episode, Paul Peter covers:

- The mission behind Candel Therapeutics and why viral immunotherapy represents a fundamentally new modality, shifting the goal from helping patients live longer with cancer to helping them live without cancer.

- Why Candel’s lead programs (including CAN-2409) are gaining serious scientific credibility, supported by leaders such as Nobel laureate James P. Allison and the "father of CAR-T cell therapy" Carl June, and how this external validation is changing industry and investor perception.

- Lessons from past paradigm shifts in medicine, drawing on his early academic work at Leiden University, where once-dismissed antibody therapies later became standard of care, a parallel to today’s scepticism around viral immunotherapy.

- How leadership, culture, and decision-making drive biotech success, shaped by his experience building teams in academia, transforming R&D at GSK, and learning large-scale leadership from mentors like Lord Patrick Vallance.

- Why flexible operating models matter in biotech, including Candel’s approach to commercialisation through partners such as IDEA Pharma (led by Mike Rea) and Globe Life Sciences (Jonathon Mitchell), and cautionary lessons from companies like Oncorus and Replimune.

Be sure to check out this episode to hear how Paul-Peter Tak is helping redefine what’s possible in cancer immunotherapy - and what it takes to lead beyond the lab.

Follow ARTO

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artotalent
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kEcRZOiJChOoN1KF2n1ng
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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@life_sciences
Website: https://arto-talent.com

Paul Peter Tak
CEO at Candel Therapeutics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-peter-tak-md-phd-fmedsci-1b44749/

Lawrence Rose
Co-Founder + Talent Solutions Director At ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
01:50 Candel's Mission
19:51 The US Promising Future for Candel
35:44 Culture at Candel
40:44 Paul Peter's Motivations as CEO
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If AI is collapsing the cost of healthcare — are we on the brink of a historic breakthrough… or another bubble?

This week on Leading Beyond the Lab, we sit down with @Edward Kliphuis, Partner at @Sofinnova Partners, one of Europe’s leading life-sciences venture capital firms.

With over 20 years of experience spanning venture capital, digital health, tech-bio investing, and global life-sciences strategy, Edward has been at the forefront of investing where biology, computation, and healthcare collide.

In this episode, Edward covers:

- What’s genuinely different about AI in drug discovery and digital medicine today, and how collapsing healthcare costs could unlock a $10 trillion opportunity by reshaping long-term global supply–demand dynamics.

- Edward explains how @Excelsior, backed by Sofinnova Partners, @Khosla Ventures and @Deerfield Management, and led by @Mike Foley, is using an AI-driven, modular chemistry platform, originating from @Marty Burke at the @University of Illinois, to create entirely new, de novo small-molecule drugs.

- Why the US pharma & tech landscape may resemble a bubble, or a once-in-a-generation inflection point

- He talks about @Latent Labs, (led by @Simon Kohl) a Sofinnova-backed company designing entirely new proteins that do not exist in nature, unlocking new therapeutic possibilities.

- Edward outlines Sofinnova’s investment in @Bioptimus and discusses @Moon Surgical, exploring how AI and robotics are improving drug discovery and augmenting clinicians in complex procedures.

- Edward reflects on the broader AI landscape, referencing an @HSBC investment banking report questioning the long-term economics underpinning large AI models such as @OpenAI, before highlighting comments from @Geoffrey Hinton on the scalability limits of current AI architectures.

From AI-driven drug discovery and robotics in surgery, to healthcare economics, venture capital philosophy, and Europe vs the US innovation gap, this is a deep, unfiltered look at where life sciences is heading next.

To listen to (or watch) the full episode, search "Leading Beyond The Lab Edward Kliphuis" on your preferred streaming platform, or click on the first link in the comments below!

Follow ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/artotalent
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kEcRZOiJChOoN1KF2n1ng
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arto.talent?igsh=MWdhbWl5N204a253NQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@artotalent?_t=ZG-8tHbGACAZaj&_r=1
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leading-beyond-the-lab/id1783115575
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@life_sciences
Website: https://arto-talent.com

Edward Kliphuis
Partner at Sofinnova Partners
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekliphuis/

Lawrence Rose
Co-Founder + Talent Solutions Director At ARTO
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lawrencerose/

Timestamps:
00:00 Sofinnovas Partner's Investments
17:41 The US Pharma "Bubble" & AI
28:02 Investing in the Right CEO / Company
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