The X Factor for life sciences in emerging markets

In the last year, emerging countries have confirmed their status as major players in the global Life Sciences industry. Nick Stephens, chief executive of RSA, a global life sciences executive search and interim management specialist, reviews the very special talents that they and established pharma require in order to prosper.

When China and other emerging markets were welcomed into the main body of the JP Morgan 29th Annual Healthcare Conference, it confirmed that emerging countries were now major players in the global Life Sciences industry. For the first time in its history, the conference had a one day track for China with 15 Chinese companies presenting, and another day for India and South East Asia with 14 companies presenting.

Effective talent management strategies are critical for moving forward as emerging health care markets and pharmaceutical businesses grow. For emerging pharma, they offer the means to meet the challenges around business processes, compliance and how best to set up the business to prosper in the highly-regulated European and US markets. For established pharma, they are the key to unlocking the opportunities in some 25 countries with very different cultures and complex, ever-changing rules governing pharmaceuticals and health care.