Lifesciences Professional

Are you a pharmaceutical sales professional eyeing a transition into the dynamic world of medical device sales? Join Linda in this episode as she delves into the challenges and strategies of making this career leap. There are key distinctions between consultative selling, prevalent in pharmaceutical sales, and B2B (Business-to-Business) selling, the heart of the medical device industry, but our guest has successfully made the career transition. Learn from Shannon Friesz-Lapierre as she shares invaluable insights on overcoming these challenges. Discover the importance of acquiring business acumen, building essential connections, and adapting your sales approach to the B2B landscape while retaining the relationship-building skills you've honed in pharmaceutical sales. Whether you're considering a career change or already navigating this transition, this episode provides the knowledge and strategies you need to succeed in the competitive world of medical device sales.

Join host Linda Robertson in this riveting episode of the Lifesciences Professional Podcast as she sits down with a true trailblazer in the healthcare industry, Chaz Jannuzi, CEO and Co-Founder of Match One Medical Marketing Consultants. In a world grappling with the devastating opioid epidemic, Chaz stands out as a beacon of hope and innovation, and he's here to share his insights on what it takes to be a CEO for change. The opioid crisis has reached alarming proportions, affecting millions of lives across the globe. In this compelling conversation, Linda and Chaz delve deep into the heart of the issue, discussing the challenges, triumphs, and strategies for combatting this unprecedented public health crisis. Chaz brings a wealth of experience and expertise, having dedicated his career to transforming the healthcare landscape in the fight against the opioid crisis. Tune in as they explore companies' crucial role in addressing the opioid epidemic, from reducing stigma to raising awareness and providing vital information to those in need. Chaz shares invaluable insights into how Match One Medical Marketing Consultants is leading the charge in crafting innovative solutions to combat this crisis head-on. Whether you're a seasoned professional in the lifescience industry or simply passionate about making a difference in the world, this episode will inspire you. Chaz Jannuzi's dedication to driving change and his unwavering commitment to combating the opioid epidemic will leave you motivated to take action.

Loren Deren has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, initially as a field sales representative and then working her way up to managing representatives and distributors in large geographic areas.   Continuing education, she has a Masters in Biotechnology, and sharing her passion for orthobiologics has always been a priority, which led her to write and conduct training programs for those aspiring to break into medical device sales.   She is currently a VP at APEX Biologix, shaping the company into a market leader in regenerative medicine. Please take 30 minutes to listen to her conversation with Linda Robertson on the Lifesciences Professional Podcast.

Zed Dhalla is an award-winning senior sales leader who has spent the last 14 years in the medical consumable and capital devices industry in Canada & the United States. He has hired and trained over 100 sales representatives and supported over $150M in sales.   Previously, Zed created a US division for a Canadian biotech company, BTNX. There, he built a winning sales team, developed a dynamic sales training program, and grew the client base by thousands of accounts.   He's led cross-functional teams, improved processes, created sales tools, developed unique & lucrative partnerships, and built a winning culture that resulted in continual growth.   In 2019, Zed joined a Fortune 500 company, Stryker, known for its sales excellence and growth standards. Recently, he's launched ZedMed, a sales agency designed to help innovative healthcare companies win deals more often.    

Joao Wohnrath shares his journey from Brazil to Canada to fulfill his dream and continue working in the dental sales industry he is so passionate about. Joao, or Jo as he prefers to be called, has an impressive academic background, earning his MBA and Master's in Marketing from his home country. Throughout his professional life, he has devoted himself to the dental industry, gaining valuable experience while working for some of the most recognized industry-leading companies. Jo made the courageous decision to leave Brazil and emigrate to Canada to seek new opportunities and challenges. For the past seven years, he has been building a life in Canada, navigating the complexities of being a newcomer in a foreign land while pursuing his passion for the life sciences industry. Join Linda and listen to her conversation with the new Director of Sales-Western Canada for BioHorizons.

In this episode of the Lifesciences Professional Podcast, I speak with Mia Spiegelman, VP of Regulatory Affairs at Medtech Canada. With 23 years of experience, Mia shares pivotal moments that shaped her approach, adapting strategies to meet industry challenges and fostering innovation. She discusses effective techniques to gain stakeholder buy-in, preparing future professionals, and promoting growth in the life sciences industry. Don't miss her insights on balancing compliance and continuous improvement while envisioning the future of regulatory affairs. Mia Spiegelman is the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Medtech Canada. She holds a B.Sc. in Chemistry from York University and Certification in Pharmaceutical Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations from Seneca College. She has worked in various medical device, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and consulting companies while holding multiple roles within the Quality and Regulatory fields.   Her current responsibilities include developing, leading, implementing and managing the Regulatory Affairs strategic initiatives for Medtech Canada and its members to ensure that Canada has a globally competitive regulatory environment.

Aaron O'Donnell has worked in the dental industry since 2008 in various sales, management and leadership roles.  Working in manufacturing, distribution, and the DSO space has given him a unique perspective on industry trends, and he has created a vast network of clinical and professional relationships.  Aaron has been married to his high school sweetheart Melissa since 2009 and has three incredible children.  Outside of work, Aaron enjoys coaching his children's sports teams, travelling and spending time with his family and friends.

Dr. Jay Shah is a board-certified cardiologist who previously spent seven years building his medical practice from scratch, which he grew to serve over 10,000+ patients. He is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Aktiia, whose smart technology continuously monitors blood pressure.  Hypertension affects 1.3 billion people worldwide and is one of the leading causes of heart attacks and strokes. Dr. Shah is on a mission to make continuous blood pressure monitoring more accessible and discusses:  How he became a physician leader and healthcare angel investor. How recent advancements in health tech are transforming the treatment of hypertension and improving patient outcomes. How health tech companies can expand across international markets. Join Linda and her guest in discussing his journey from the clinical to the corporate world.

Paul Podstawka is the National Sales Specialist-Neurology for Canadian Hospital Specialties in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Listen to how a professional volleyball player transitioned to medical device sales in this episode of the Lifescience Professional Podcast with Linda Robertson.

Richard Williams is Linda's guest on the Lifesciences Professional Podcast this week. He has 20+ years of national channel and direct sales leadership experience in the Canadian healthcare market. Richard has represented top-tier dental, medical device and pharmaceutical, distributors and manufacturers and has a vast continuum of care background in Acute Care, Primary Care, Alt Site, LTC, Ret, Complex Care, Hospice, Home Care, HHC, EMS, Schools, Pharmacy Chains, Drug Wholesalers, Medical Distributors and Labs. He is currently the Director of Sales - Central & Western Canada for SteriMax Inc. Success has been the hallmark of Richard's journey after he completed his undergraduate degree at Savannah State University in Georgia. He earned his master's in Public Health from Georgia Southern University and has held commercial sales, clinical specialist, business development, key account management and sales leadership roles ever since.  Richard is a proud and caring father of one beautiful daughter and is a community mentor and board member for several not-for profit organizations.

Charles Tam is the Director of Regulatory Affairs and a member of the Leadership Team at Edwards Lifesciences. He joins Linda today on the Lifesciences Professional Podcast to explain what Regulatory Affairs is and the potential career opportunities. Charles joined Edwards Lifesciences in 2014 and previously held progressive regulatory leadership roles at Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson Medical Companies, and Becton-Dickinson and Company Inc. Bridging experiences across academia, government, and the private sector, Charles is passionate about enabling greater access to clinical research and medical technology innovation for all Canadians. He is a Sub-Committee Chair and Regulatory Affairs Steering Committee member at MedTech Canada and is an Advisor at the University of Toronto's Health Innovation Hub (H2i), part of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Previously, he has served as a Councillor on the Coronary Artery and Vascular Disease Council at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, retained on the roster of experts for Investigational Testing by Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch, and served as an elected Senator on the Toronto Metropolitan University's Senate (formerly Ryerson University). Charles obtained his MBA at the Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and holds an Honours BSc from the University of Toronto.

Linda speaks with Brad Thomas, an experienced leader, about the importance of culture and communication, leading by example, sharing the vision and the need for advancements in disruptive medical technology for the success of healthcare organizations. Brad was born and raised in South Wales, UK, and attained a BSc from Oxford Brookes University. He has worked in the UK and Canadian healthcare industries throughout his career in several sales & marketing roles for start-ups to large global corporations. He is currently an Associate Director, Commercial Excellence, Sales Operations & Enablement for Baxter International Inc.

Linda is joined by Dave Hancin, a leadership speaker who talks about culture and the importance of leading like it's your own business.   Dave has held senior leadership positions in several US and Canadian medical, dental, industrial supply and building materials companies since he graduated with an MBA from Western Michigan University. He is currently the President Americas, and V.P. Global Business Platform for Ensmile Aligners.   Dave Hancin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hancin/ Ensmile Aligners - https://ensmile.com/

Mental fitness is essential for maintaining overall health and well-being. It can be achieved through various practices and techniques such as regular exercise, meditation, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, social connection, and seeking support when needed. Linda and Marc discuss the benefits of the techniques he teaches to individuals and his clients that have helped them achieve their goals, business alignment, better corporate cultures and happier people within their organizations.   Marc Champagne unpacks the mental fitness practices and reflective questions shaping the lives of some of the most successful and brilliant thinkers in the world. He is the author of Personal Socrates, a best-selling book exploring the pointed questions that stimulate our mental fitness and teach us how to direct our internal narrative to work for us instead of against us. Marc studies the prompts and practices of legends such as Kobe Bryant, Maya Angelou, Robin Williams, James Clear, Coco Chanel, Stephen Hawking, and many others to bring clarity, intentionality, and possibility to every aspect of your life. He is the host of the top 50 ranked podcast Behind The Human and co-founded the journaling app (KYO) which reached 86.9 million people without any paid advertising. He has studied mental fitness practices for over a decade and consults with Fortune 500 companies as a mental fitness strategist and practitioner. "We are all one question away from a completely different life" –Marc Champagne

Lisa Jacobs is a high-performing executive sales leader known for formulating and executing scalable strategies to accelerate business expansion, revenue generation, and team development in startup, turnaround, and rapid-growth environments across domestic and global markets. She has spent much of her career in the orthopedic and spine, launching innovative robotic navigation platforms and implantable products. She is also an active mentor passionate about helping others achieve their potential. To be successful in medical sales, she recommends that women work with their managers to move their careers forward. Currently, only 23% of women hold management and director-level job titles in medical sales. She wants to pay it forward, as many individuals have helped her throughout her career.  Join Linda and Lisa as they discuss tips on entering and being successful in the medical device space.

Linda speaks with Ralph Hess about business technology in the Lifesciences industry. Ralph Hess is the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Navigator Business Solutions, a computer software company that provides cloud-based ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) business solutions. As North America's number 1 SAP cloud partner, Ralph is making strides with hands-on, problem-solving leadership in the technology industry. He prides himself on his ideology of "technology for business sake" so that his solutions are designed to meet the needs of businesses.    Ralph has over 30 years of experience helping companies solve their business problems with technology and is well-known within the SAP Eco System because of his success. His company has achieved 25% growth over the last two years and has served over 500 clients since its founding 15 years ago.     Ralph began his journey as an entry-level programmer in the early 80s and never looked back. He "caught the bug" and left college for a $5/hour programming job. From there, he founded his own firm in 1994, working as an IBM reseller. Ralph also has experience as a Microsoft and Epicor reseller. His first was one of the founding reselling channel partners for SAP, establishing the channel in the SME marketplace in 2004.    Ralph and his team have helped companies grow exponentially. As a company, Navigator Business Solutions helps businesses plan for growth with enterprise resource planning software and by optimizing company processes. Navigator Business Solutions brings a personal approach to understanding their clients' business to know where they are, where they want to be, and how to get them there. They focus on a few specific industries, including life sciences, consumer products and distribution for supply chain optimization.  

Dr. Brian Freund and Dino Vlahavas join Linda to discuss how the Chrysalis Dental Centres have differentiated themselves in the dental industry. The vision was to build great dental centres that disrupt dental Implantology by bringing the most innovative dental treatment to its patients, providing continuing dental education, and dental office construction/renovation services.   Chrysalis Dental was founded by Dr. Steven Bongard in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario and has since expanded across the country to provide dental implant options for patients as far east as Nova Scotia and as far west as British Columbia. Their dental centres are appointed with an onsite lab, allowing them to have the whole team present under one roof. Chrysalis is also home to Genesis Continuing Dental Education, with hygienists and dentists lecturing throughout the month.     Chrysalis Dental Centres - https://chrysaliscanada.com/ Dr, Brian Freund - https://genesiseducation.ca/dr-brian-freund/ Dino Vlahavas - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dino-vlahavas-33a64510/

When salespeople aren't winning deals at desired levels or price points, executives and business owners turn to Lee B. Salz, a world-renowned sales management strategist and CEO of Sales Architects®. A recognized specialist in Sales Differentiation, Lee helps organizations win more deals at the prices they want. Working across all industries and sale types, he creates winning sales strategies for companies around the globe. A featured columnist in The Business Journals and a media source on sales and sales management, Lee has been quoted and featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New York Times, MSNBC, ABC News, and numerous other outlets. Lee is a frequently-sought keynote speaker at association conferences, sales meetings, and virtual events. He conducts customized workshops on a wide array of sales performance topics including Sales Differentiation, salesforce development, hiring, onboarding, and compensation. In 2022, Lee was named Speaker of the Year by the Institute for Excellence in Sales. He is the bestselling, award-winning author of six books, including Sales Differentiation and Hire Right, Higher Profits. In September 2021, his sixth book, Sell Different!, was published by HarperCollins which presents all-new Sales Differentiation strategies to outsmart, outmaneuver, and outsell the competition. Sell Different! achieved bestseller status in the US and Canada, was ranked top new sales book around the world, and was a finalist for top sales book of 2021. He's got another book in the works that'll be published in September 2024 focused on discovery strategy.

Byron MacPhee, Managing Director of Juzo Canada Ltd. joins Linda to discuss his 30+ years of medical sales and business leadership experience in the medical device industry. He has worked in the United States and Canada and was instrumental in setting up the Juzo Canadian entity and sales team.

Rob Fuller, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Sterasure and David Whiteside, Fractional Executive responsible for business development of BIHOCL (pronounced "bio sel") PureCleanse Antimicrobial Solution, speak with Linda about leveraging experienced fractional executives to bring products to the Canadian healthcare marketplace.   Meet Rob, The Managing Director of Sterasure, a Canadian Medical device startup based in Kitchener/Waterloo, ON. Rob and his co-founder Bill launched Sterasure to improve patient outcomes through SSI prevention and technological innovations to tackle anti-microbial resistance across healthcare institutions globally. Rob has been involved in starting & building businesses in both healthcare and non-healthcare fields and recently exited another company he ran in the medical laser industry to focus his attention on tackling these urgent & pressing issues. Rob brings an eagerness and drive for solving complex problems, particularly in the medical device and biotechnology sector.  Sterasure has recently launched BIHOCL PureCleanse, a new innovative antimicrobial skin and wound solution.  To learn more, please go to www.bihocl.com David Whiteside is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. As a sales and marketing leader, he deeply understands market access, key account management, and GPO operations. Throughout his career, David has worked with a range of companies, starting with large multinationals such as Johnson & Johnson, Medela, and Hollister, and now specializes in helping smaller Canadian health science companies grow their revenue in Canada, the U.S.A and Europe. With his expertise and entrepreneurial spirit, David has a proven track record of success in driving revenue and growth for his clients. His passion for the industry and his experience and leadership skills make him a valuable ‘fractional' asset to any team.

Petter Hansson has 20+ years of experience in the healthcare industry, from startups and SMEs to Fortune 500 organizations spanning roles and functional areas across sales, operations, manufacturing, customer service, and product development, which laid the foundation for a broad general management background with a strategic and value-focused mindset to business and leadership. After almost ten years with Fortune 500 organizations, Petter went back to his roots in the past couple of years to the exciting and agile environment of startups and SMEs and currently leads a startup focused on providing a tinnitus therapy solution for a growing global condition that doesn't have a cure today. Petter and Linda discuss the process for successfully scaling a startup and the challenges associated with growing all aspects of an organization.

Harel Shachar was born and raised in Israel and started his academic journey studying Biotechnology Engineering after three years of army combat service. He completed an internship program at John Hopkins University and graduated with honours. Harel returned to Isreal to start a career in Life Sciences at Protalix Biotherapeutics. However, he soon realized that his natural abilities were underutilized and decided to pursue an MBA while working in the Health Care division of 3M. He eventually moved his family to Canada in 2014 and has worked at FroggaBio and Baxter International in several sales, product and marketing roles. In this episode, we'll discuss Harel's immigration journey to Canada and his recommendations for success in the MedTech industry.

Marcello Napol - Senior Vice President and General Manager of Healthcare in North America for Ecolab Inc., has worked for over 20 years in an industry whose ultimate goal is to improve people's lives. He has led some of the best businesses, products and teams within the acute, alternate, dental, drug delivery and infection prevention markets.  In this episode, my discussion with Marcello will cover the tremendous changes in our healthcare system during his career and what role a leader should play in creating a sound business culture within their organization. Marcello's professional background. Building a great team during a talent shortage. "People are looking for opportunities to work somewhere that aligns with their personal beliefs and enables a better lifestyle." "Togetherness breeds culture, so how do you co-locate people differently than we have in the past?" Defining "fit" and the many aspects of diversity. Hiring, onboarding, training and mentoring. "There is no back office - everyone works for the customer." Career advice for aspiring leaders in the life science industry.

What is the current state of the healthcare industry today, and what is in store for it in 2023? In this episode, Nils Clausen, CMEPP General Manager, shares his expertise, insights and thoughts on the industry's problems on a macro level in attracting and retaining employees, as well as creative ideas to resolve resource management issues. With over 25 years of experience in healthcare and being a part of big companies, Nils has valuable information he can share that applies to both the Canadian and US markets. Nils' professional and personal background. The problems with the healthcare system on a macro level and how to address these issues. Innovative ways to resolve issues on staffing. Tips on attracting and retaining employees in your organization. How to handle remote employees while improving their performance. Resource management issues in the healthcare industry. Nils shares what's next for them and their organization this 2023.  

In today's episode, Patrick Isada, Associate Director of Human Resources at Baxter Corporation, joins Linda. His perspective on what recruiters are looking for in candidates will truly interest you. He also shares with us the perspective of human resources professionals when they interview candidates and gives us some tips for more effective interviews. In this episode: Patrick shares a brief introduction of his personal and professional background. How to stand out and get responses from recruiters. The right time to follow up or send a thank you correspondence after an interview. Things you need to be aware of when presenting yourself during an interview. The do's and don'ts on resumes. How to answer the most common question in an interview – “Tell me about yourself.” The conversation on salary expectations from the viewpoint of a recruiter. Advice for individuals who want to get into the industry.

To attract and retain a talented workforce, it isn't enough to just offer great compensation and benefits. In our discussion with Tom Meevis, Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Communications North America at Getinge, he shares his insights on what's happening in recruiting and talent management and gives advice to others who want to attract and retain people in the post-Covid world. Learn how you can increase your retention and build a positive culture within your company.   In this episode Tom gives a short background on himself and the work that he does. What quiet resignation is and his experience around it. He shares more about their company's Great Retention strategy. Things they have implemented to improve the company culture for their employees. Tom's advice for individuals who are looking to make role transitions. Strategies to attract and retain people. Examples of building a positive culture within your team. His secret ingredient for being very enthusiastic and passionate about his team. His top success tips for the industry or individuals.

Today I am talking to Owen Jones. Owen comes from the telecommunications industry and successfully made the transition into the medical device industry, and he has a lot to share about how he did that and what he did to become successful. In this episode: Owen shares his personal and professional background. As a sales representative, the importance to respect the intelligence of various specialists and knowing how to approach them. Owen's advice on what set him apart from other reps. The role mindset plays in becoming a top performer. Owen's experience with a mentor when he started and how that person helped him become successful. The tools Owen recommends to reps. Advice to help individuals who get anxious meeting certain professionals.    

Our guest today, award-winning Dental Hygiene Professor Jennifer Turner, is a renowned speaker, coach, and influential professional in the dental hygiene industry. Jennifer has been recognized as one of the most influential healthcare leaders to watch in 2022. She has worked with hundreds of dental practices across Canada supporting teams in change management, implementing clinical systems to elevate patient care, and more. In this episode, she shares her knowledge, expertise, and advise on planning your career and transitioning from one field to another within the industry.   In this episode: Jennifer gives us a short personal and professional introduction on herself. Impactful resources Jennifer used to have a successful career in the dental industry. Advice for people who would like to transition from the doing clinical work to branching out in different careers in the industry. The importance of having a plan for your career. Her thoughts on group dentistry as the future of the dental industry. Jennifer shares the state of staff retention and hiring in their company today. She shares what's next for her and some words of wisdom from the listeners.

In this episode, Ileana Ibbett brings her insights, experience, and wealth of knowledge in the field of marketing. As a senior marketing and sales professional, she shares her experience of working in the marketing industry, how she has used the Challenger Sales Model, and her thoughts on why it's so important to marry the two together. She gives advice on deciding if marketing is the career path for you, shares some resources that helped her succeed as a marketer, misconceptions around marketing, and advice for people around managing their careers. You wouldn't want to miss this.   In this episode: Ileana shares her short personal and professional background. Skillsets that contributed to her success as a senior leader in the industry today. Knowing if marketing is the career path for you and some advice if you want to explore this industry. Ileana shares valuable resources that helped her succeed as a marketer. The importance of having people who inspire you to do your best. Advice for people around managing their careers. One of the biggest misconceptions around marketing. Ileana shares her thoughts on the Challenger Sales Methodology. She shares her plans for the future.

The dental industry is a complex place to work. Just like any other industry, there are certain characteristics and skills that can help dental sales representatives thrive. With over 20 years in the dental industry, North American Sales Manager Riley Nick shares the lessons he has learned over the span of his career and important pearls of wisdom on what it takes to be a successful and effective sales representative in the dental field today.   In this episode: Riley shares a short background about himself, his career, and his experience. The story of how he ended up working in the dental industry. Common mistakes dental representatives make in the industry. Characteristics that make the best representatives stand out from the rest. Top skills, attitudes, and behaviours that are needed to become effective sales representatives. Riley's take on the future of the dental industry. Skills that dental representatives need to develop to stay ahead of their competition. His thoughts on the sales training that is happening in the dental industry.

Welcome to the Lifesciences Professional podcast, THE podcast for aspiring sales representatives and current leaders interested in recruitment and business growth strategies, industry news, hiring trends and interviews and career tips.  The Lifescience Professional podcast hosts candid conversations and helpful discussions from industry CEOs, Founders, and Leaders and talks about all things medical devices, dental, biotech, Medtech, all things Lifesciences. The Lifesciences Professional Podcast is a show designed to share my passion for the Life Sciences industry along with guest leaders from the medical device, dental, biotech and start-ups who will share their journeys, career advice and sometimes funny stories along the way."