We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Nithy Sivakumar, a visionary leader and strategic thinker with a proven track record of driving business growth and innovation, along with being the Founder and Director of NSinga Consultancy. With extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, Nithy brings a unique blend of expertise and passion to the table.
With NSinga Consultancy, Nithy bridges the gap between strategy and success in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. They provide customized guidance, leveraging industry expertise and market insights to drive business growth and innovation. In this insightful interview, the founder shares her insights on leadership, industry trends, and the future of healthcare, offering valuable lessons from her remarkable journey.
The Beginning
We started the interview by asking, “Can you walk us through your professional journey and how it led to where you are today?”
Nithy Sivakumar shared, “My professional journey began as a physician. I am a Singaporean who spent nearly a decade of my educational years in the United Kingdom. The National Health Service provided me with a strong foundation in patient-centered healthcare. During my postgraduate years, I returned home to pursue clinical practice and was offered the opportunity to explore early drug development through an internship, which eventually led me into the pharmaceutical industry.
I had the privilege to lead major regional projects in the pharmaceutical industry early in mycareer. Based on the feedback and requests I received while working in the industry, I decided to establish a consultancy to assist pharmaceutical and research entities globally in launching novel treatments in Asia with a strong medical and scientific foundation. This marked the birth of NSinga Consultancy and the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey.”
Uncovering NSinga Consultancy’s Healthcare Strategy
We further asked, “You have centered your business around serving healthcare needs in the Asia Pacific region. What is the reason for this?”
Nithy Sivakumar added, “I feel that the Asia Pacific region holds great promise when it comes to business expansion and healthcare. However, many of the therapeutics do not bring value or solve our unmet needs per say. Most therapeutics are built to solve the unmet needs of the West, which they assume to be the same in APAC. Some others find expansion into this region a quick fix to increase market share and improve sales. A mindset that often sets them up for failure and reputation loss. Similarly, entities originating in Asia with great innovations struggle to navigate expansion in this region and beyond.
Undoubtedly, there may be some aspects similar to and which overlap with the West, however, there are also critical differences that are ignored. Personally, I don’t think there is any place as beautiful and diverse as Asia. I think we should all embrace our diversity and be proud of our heritage because that is our identity. We are all different and need tailored solutions that work for us. Similarly, our healthcare needs can also be very different, and this has been backed by data and science. We hope to help companies navigate these differences skillfully and, at the same time, be profitable.”
Adaptability Amidst Challenges
Challenges are an inevitable part of every career path. To learn how Nithy overcame the same, we asked, “Reflecting on your career, what have been some of the most significant challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?”
Nithy Sivakumar responded, “The pharmaceutical industry in APAC is very commercially driven and often struggles with ineffective medical and scientific planning, relying on copied Western strategies that neglect regional complexities. This leads to stagnation and decline. Many companies underestimate the value of medical teams or rush into launch preparations without proper scientific groundwork, only to face significant obstacles.
As someone who has successfully driven growth in multiple portfolios despite similar challenges, I can attest that commercial strategies without scientific foundation are doomed to fail. With expertise forged through hands-on experience, not theoretical models, I’ve developed proven solutions to overcome these hurdles. So, I speak from experience, not just based on theoretical business models or templates. You will need to consult with me to find out the ‘how,’ of course because that is a trade secret.”
Current Offerings And Additions For The Future
We were interested to learn more about the services offered by Nithy Sivakumar. So, we inquired, “Tell us more about your services and if you are planning to add something new in the future.”
“We offer tailored services spanning medical and scientific affairs. This can range from advice on medical strategy, scientific data generation, scientific narrative input for regulatory and market access dossiers, medical insights, and field force optimization, to name a few. All aspects will be tailored to the needs of the project and the market.
We do not follow any set template, so our solutions are fully customized. Pharmaceutical, Medtech, and Research entities will find the most value out of our services. The client has full autonomy on how they wish to execute based on the advisory provided through our consults.” She shared.
Staying Ahead Of The Curve
Effective market trend analysis can make or break business. To learn Nithy’s approach in this aspect, we asked, “What methods do you use to analyze market trends, and how have these influenced your business decisions?”
Nithy Sivakumar replied, “Market trends are essential to any business; we are no exception. We keep abreast with the latest healthcare and scientific developments in the region and globally through interactions with key stakeholders and participation in key scientific events. As an example, we have recently seen a rise in awareness and emphasis on value-based healthcare, precision medicine, and genomic medicine in APAC.
Singapore acts as a central hub in bringing the region together in these aspects. Regulatory authorities and Health Ministries in the region are now taking these seriously, which makes the impact of our consults pivotal for companies looking to expand in APAC. We also continue to collaborate with organizations in the region that play a crucial role in this transformation.”
Embracing Digital Transformation
Fast-paced digital evolution is redefining the way businesses perform. We asked, “How has digital transformation affected your business model?”
“Digital transformation is ingrained in our business model. In this day and age, it is important to utilize technology smartly such that we are not fully dependent but rather use it effectively to reduce cost and increase efficiency. In healthcare, nothing can replace in-person service. So, face-to-face interactions with stakeholders and preserving the human touch are paramount.
We strike a good balance between the two and do not compromise our professional rapport with our clients and collaborators. AI will have a bigger part to play in medical affairs in the coming years. It could impact the way we collect and interpret scientific data, collect and analyze insights, and so on. Exciting times are ahead.” Nithy mentioned.
Securing A Legacy Of Excellence
We ended the interview by asking, “How do you want your business to be remembered, and what steps are you taking to secure that legacy?”
“I built this entity with one vision, which is to enable patients in Asia to receive therapeutics and devices in a way that is tailored to their needs and for companies to be equipped to cater to these needs. For this to happen, companies need to first acknowledge that there is a problem, take action, and not wait until a treatment fails and numbers plunge. It has been said that it takes an average of 17 years for research and evidence to be adopted into practice. That is, most of the patented years are gone, patient needs are ignored, and numbers you may never get to see.
I believe in one mantra, which is if your ultimate goal is to truly serve patients in need, the numbers will fall into place. It is not wishful thinking because I have executed this multiple times prior. This requires a huge mindset shift by many, which will not happen overnight, but we are confident that we can help at least a few get there sooner. This is the legacy I wish to leave behind.” Nithy concluded.
Follow Nithy Sivakumar on LinkedIn.
Find NSinga Consultancy on LinkedIn and visit their website http://www.nsingaconsultancy.com/
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