In 2016, when Jennifer Beachell joined Aegerion Pharmaceuticals as president, she embarked on an ambitious agenda to stabilize the US commercial business and lead a culture shift. To better prepare for this challenge, Beachell started looking for professional development opportunities and found the Leadership for Senior Executives program at Harvard Business School (HBS) Executive Education. She describes how this learning experience gave her new tools for tackling problems, insights for leading change, and connections for networking across industries.
How did you hear about this program, and why did you decide to attend?
I heard about Leadership for Senior Executives when I was researching executive education programs. I decided to attend because I was searching for a forum where I could think through some challenging leadership decisions I'd recently experienced. I found that the curriculum presented an opportunity to apply research frameworks to similar situations. I also wished to have a dialogue with colleagues outside my industry—not only to review some of my personal decisions, but also to learn new approaches and ways of thinking to consider in the future.
What are the biggest challenges facing your industry, and how has the program helped you to tackle them?
The US biopharmaceutical industry faces complex challenges such as modernizing the drug discovery process and, while fueling innovation, promoting value-driven health care, and engaging and empowering people suffering from disease, their caregivers, and their health care teams. The program helped me pinpoint key areas of strength in my leadership and within my organization. It provided me with tools to formulate and communicate a vision for leveraging our organizational strengths.
Did you experience any "a-ha!" moments?
While discussing a case with my colleagues, I realized that a challenge I had experienced while working within a company was a direct result of organizational design. It could have been avoided with keen insight and action that prioritized the importance of corporate culture.
How did your living group contribute to the overall on-campus experience?
Even though the program lasted only five days, I was able to connect with other leaders outside my industry. Meeting with our living group multiple times a day created an atmosphere of connection in a very short period of time. We supported each other to complete the curriculum as well as found ourselves sharing personal leadership challenges to learn how others might approach similar problems. I plan to turn to them for advice and insights for many years to come.