Scientific, management and Organizational Consultation
We provide management, organizational, and technical consulting for biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Our areas of expertise include:
Evaluating and improving organizational structure and effectiveness.
Designing and implementing an optimal organizational structure in both R&D and GMP manufacturing settings.
Evaluating management competencies and effectiveness.
Coaching and training executives, managers and scientists in management, interpersonal and organizational skills.
Holding senior management and executive roles on an interim basis.
Guiding organizations through the solution of GMP manufacturing and R&D challenges.
Helping teams optimize messaging, communication skills and prepare for FDA regulatory meetings.
Our consulting service is led by Dr. Carl M. Cohen, who has a broad technical background in biotech, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing and instrumentation. Dr. Cohen also has extensive managerial and organizational experience from line management to executive positions in the biotech industry.
“Carl has a combination of deep experience-based business and technical understanding, and a well-developed talent for the execution of organizational processes. He is extremely capable in the art of creating dialogue with and between people from all levels of the organization, and he stimulates peace of mind surrounding him. Carl displays genuine insight into actual organizational and technical problems and dares to ask “difficult” questions to managers.”
Recent SMA consulting projects
A four month consulting engagement to an international biotechnology company. Dr Cohen directed the implementation of changes within the organization which led to a more responsive management structure and a more effective technical operations group.
A project for a billion dollar plus government agency to facilitate a self-assessment of its organizational effectiveness and processes. The project involved a series of half day retreats with the agency’s senior leadership team over the course of a year. Documented beneficial results included: Improved team communications; enhanced collaboration between organizational divisions; increased organizational clarity regarding of the missions and responsibilities of its committees and functional groups; improved focus of leadership team on organizational wide issues vs divisional issues.
Training in negotiation skills for a new product launch team at a major biotech company in the greater Boston area. The training helped improve collaborative decision making skills within multiple groups in the company.
Helping a commercial stage biotechnology company respond to FDA inquiries regarding a new CMC submission. Engagement included coaching team members on communication, language and presentation skills, ensuring the delivery of a concise but thorough scientific response, and guiding the team through multiple rounds of practice Q and A sessions.
A six month project for a top-ten pharma company to enable increased output from their discovery labs. Our recommendations, which included the creation of a new organizational unit within the company, were enthusiastically implemented by the client.
A project for a three year old biotechnology company facing challenges with new recruits from academia acclimate who were unfamiliar with private sector management structures and performance expectations. The project involved time- limited one-on-one coaching of five members of the company holding management or supervisory roles. Coaching themes included giving team members effective feedback, understanding and responding to senior management’s needs, and helping new recruits quickly adapt to working in the private sector.
Would your organization benefit from on-site consultation? Get in touch to learn more or to arrange a meeting.