24/7 BIOPHARMA - issue 1 / October 2024

INTERVIEW

TWENTYFOURSEVENBIOPHARMA sits down at CPHI with Dr. Andreas Raabe, CEO of Adragos Pharma, to explore the pivotal moments that have shaped his career. He shares insights into his leadership journey and the future of Adragos Pharma in a competitive but thriving industry.

How have the fundamental principles you’ve followed shaped your journey to becoming CEO? As a leader, it starts with defining the company’s vision and setting a clear direction. It’s essential to create an identity for the company— what we stand for and why people should want to work with us. Establishing the right company culture is crucial, and that begins with the talent we bring on board at Adragos Pharma. You must define the company’s purpose, communicate the vision effectively, and then attract top individuals who are excited by that vision and motivated to succeed despite challenges. The first hires and leaders help attract others who share the same values, creating a multiplying effect that strengthens the organization. Ultimately, in any organization, critical decisions must be made, and as CEO, it’s my role to lead that process. Ensuring that these decisions align with our core principles is essential for success. Would you say your journey has been step by step? My own career? My career has been anything but linear. I’m probably not the best person to give traditional career advice because my path has been unconventional. At heart, I’m still a scientist, driven by a deep passion for science. After finishing school, I pursued what truly fascinated me—biology and medicine. I spent several years

in research, and looking back, it was one of the most intellectually rewarding periods of my life. The thrill of conducting experiments and discovering new results is hard to beat. However, research can be slow. Two years into my PhD, I had no successes to show for. This was not easy but I was confident and eventually yielded excellent results. However, imagining an entire career like that seemed slightly daunting. As a biologist, job options are limited, so I knew I needed to learn business. My first job was in consulting, but unfortunately, I started just before the financial crisis and was laid off after a few months. It was a tough period, but I moved to Munich, tried entrepreneurship, and built a small company with some success. From there, I joined McKinsey & Company—quite a culture shock but rewarding. I worked in pharma and aerospace around the world. The transition from scientist to entrepreneur to consultant was challenging but fulfilling. After consulting, I spent years as a top manager in various pharma companies, each offering unique insights. But I’ve always loved innovation and entrepreneurship, so a few years ago, I felt the urge to take on a new challenge, which led me to start Adragos Pharma. What initially inspired you to pursue a career in science? Curiosity, of course, but also my

upbringing in several African countries. I spent my childhood in developing regions where poverty and disease were rampant, and that sparked a desire to make a difference. Science seemed like a powerful way to drive meaningful change. At the same time, my decision to pursue science was partly due to limited exposure to other possibilities. In school, math and biology were what I excelled in, but I wasn’t fully aware of the broader opportunities outside those fields. Looking back, it’s clear that my interests guided me toward science, but I may have missed exploring other options. Leading a pharma company during turbulent times, including global health crises and regulatory challenges, what was that experience like? How did you overcome the challenges? It was indeed an interesting and challenging time. The CDMO sector had historically been one of the most stable areas in the industry, even weathering the financial crisis without major disruption. But then COVID-19 hit, and everything changed. As 2020 began, we saw erratic order patterns, supply chain disruptions, and shortages of key materials like APIs, excipients, filters, and glassware. Raw material costs soared, the energy crisis intensified, and the M&A market shifted with rising interest rates. It was truly a perfect storm.

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