Carsten Thiel

As a renowned leader in the realm of pharmaceutical marketing, Carsten Thiel has garnered vast success bringing breakthrough treatments to market, bridging the gap between medical ethics and business success, and combining technological advancements in a meaningful and impactful way for countless patients. Upon receiving his PhD in Molecular Biology from the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, German born Thiel entered the workforce as a Communications and Products Manager for biotechnology giant Hoffman la-Roche. After swiftly perfecting leadership skills, Thiel was quickly tasked with spearheading a product launch, the first launch of many. By leveraging his leadership skills, along with innate beliefs related to medical ethics, Thiel has successfully led teams in launching benchmark products, and creating long-term positive company reputations.

What are your favorite parts about partaking in a leadership role within a team?

For me, transitioning into a leadership position felt natural, which allowed me to perfect the skills needed to confidently display my character, effectively provide care for a team, and lead by example in any situation. Within my first position post-matriculation, I was promoted after roughly one year, and garnered the responsibility of leading a team through an initial product launch. Though I was technically not everyone’s “boss”, my role was crucial in the development of each member of the team, and the entire team as one cohesive unit. Thus, this situation proved to be ideal, and allowed me to hone my skills, recognizing the importance of recognizing a leader as a vessel for the individuals he or she is working with in tandem. Essentially, it is my duty to provide each team member with the support needed to excel, to remember that each team member provides a unique and tremendous asset to the team as a whole, and to help everyone reach a common goal.

What advice would you have for those looking to enter the biomedical field?

I believe that every experience is one worth experiencing, and that valuable lessons can be pulled from all situations. Those life lessons build character, conviction, and humbleness, and are certainly crucial within the medical field. In the end, though the success of a product is ultimately tied to its’ sales, the most important component is the human component, which must never fall to the wayside.

Additionally, the continuous advancements in technology throughout what I call the “Golden Age” of medicine mean that no one is ever “finished” with learning! I would certainly advise young people to always remember that medicine is a rapidly changing, developing, and boundary pushing field, powered by technological advancement, and the desire to better the lives of people. When I was in medical school, there were certain considerations about DNA that were deemed impossible. Just last year, in 2017, these impossible feats were realized in Philadelphia, where the first DNA based treatment for an eye condition was brought to market, essentially changing patient DNA to diminish this particular condition. There are thousands of examples, changes, and advancements daily within this field, and no one can truly finish learning, growing, and advancing. This is the most fascinating, exciting, and enthralling part of the field!