In this episode, Charles talks with Jackie Donovan, the VP and Chief Marketing Officer at Syndax Pharmaceuticals, an oncology-focused company. She shares her knowledge about her experiences in consulting, internal pharma roles, and her strategic approach to organizational planning. This conversation also touches on the importance of communication, the challenges of workforce planning, and how to build an efficient and happy organization.

Lastly, Jackie shares her passion-driven initiative, Kathy's Fund, which aims to support nurse leaders and honor her mother's legacy.

Here's what you're in:

00:31 Jackie's Career as Scottish Parliament to Pharma

06:17 Workforce Planning in Pharma

08:04 Case Study about Syndax Pharmaceuticals

10:48 Workforce Planning Challenges and Benefits

19:29 Organizational Success Reflections

19:37 Future Building

20:03 Workforce Capabilities

22:08 Junior Manager Advice

23:23 Management Communication

24:29 Workforce Transformation Lessons

25:59 Efficiency and Digitalization

28:47 Employee Efficiency Improvement

31:54 HR Partners' Value

38:18 Kathy's Fund and Personal Motivation

About Jackie Donovan

Jackie Donovan is a seasoned Human Resources leader with a strong background in developing and managing people operations in the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, she serves as the VP, CMO Chief of Staff, Development Business Operations at Syndax Pharmaceuticals, where she plays a critical role in driving strategic initiatives. Prior to this, she was the SVP, Head of People at LifeMine Therapeutics, where she led efforts in employee benefits and compensation. Her expertise in aligning stakeholder perspectives and building strong relationships with C-level executives has been key to her success in these roles.

Connect with Guest:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-codair-donovan-a6964312/

Website: https://syndax.com/

About Charles

Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry. He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/

Website: https://www.discera-search.com/