davemcconkey-tokms

Leading commercial teams in oncology today means guiding people through constant change. Regulatory frameworks are shifting, HTA expectations are rising, and payers are asking harder questions about value. My leadership style has been shaped by experiences from Windsor to Oxford, from local brand teams to my current role as Europe Region VP of Commercialisation in oncology.

Lesson 1: Build teams that understand the whole system

In my earlier roles connected to Windsor‑based commercial teams, success often depended on how well we could align:

• Brand managers
• Market access colleagues
• Medical affairs
• Sales leadership

We quickly learned that siloed thinking was a luxury we could not afford. Today, with the added complexity of Joint Clinical Assessments, MFN rules, and parallel trade, that lesson is even more relevant.

Leaders need to:

• Encourage cross‑functional problem‑solving rather than sequential hand‑offs.
• Ensure that everyone understands at least the basics of HTA, payer logic, and regulatory constraints.
• Reward behaviours that bridge functions, not just optimise within one’s own vertical.

Lesson 2: Lead with clarity in a fog of change

From my base near Oxford, I now see the European picture: multiple HTA reforms, ongoing discussions about JCA implementation, and varied reactions to price pressure across countries. Teams can easily feel overwhelmed.

A leader’s job is to create clarity where certainty is impossible:

• Articulate a clear strategic direction (“We will design for HTA from day one”, “We will adopt a price corridor approach for Europe”).
• Be honest about unknowns and build flexibility into plans.
• Translate complex policy debates (e.g. MFN, parallel trade reforms) into concrete implications for brand teams.

Lesson 3: Make payer‑centric thinking a core competency

In oncology commercialisation, we can no longer afford team members who think “payers are someone else’s problem”. Leadership means elevating payer‑centric thinking across the organisation.

Practical steps I’ve used:

• Regular teach‑ins on JCA, HTA changes, local payer issues, and parallel trade dynamics.
• Case studies showing how a single pricing or access decision influenced outcomes across markets.
• Involving commercial team members in payer advisory boards (appropriately designed) to hear concerns first‑hand.

The goal is not to make everyone a health economist, but to make everyone conscious of how their decisions shape payer reactions.

Lesson 4: Embrace transparency and shared responsibility

In discussions about MFN, HTA, and affordability, it is tempting for industry to become defensive. Effective leadership, however, recognises that:

• Payers are under real pressure to steward limited resources.
• Oncology innovation is expensive, often with uncertain long‑term outcomes at launch.
• Systemic solutions (e.g. outcomes‑based agreements) require trust and openness from both sides.

I have found that teams respond well when leaders position our work as part of a shared responsibility:

• To find sustainable pricing models.
• To generate robust post‑launch evidence.
• To adapt when new competitors or data change the value equation.

Lesson 5: Develop people, not just brands

Perhaps the most important leadership lesson from Windsor to Oxford has been this: brands come and go, but people carry the learning forward.

In the context of JCA, MFN, and parallel trade:

• Involve high‑potential colleagues in cross‑market pricing and access projects.
• Give them exposure to HTA negotiations, not just promotional planning.
• Support rotations across markets or functions so they can see different payer realities.

As David McConkey Windsor and Oxford, I measure leadership success not only in launches or revenues, but in how many colleagues leave a project with deeper insight into how European oncology really works — and the confidence to shape it for the better.