Becoming a CEO of a leading biotech company isn’t easy.
On the latest episode of High-potential Start-Ups, we recently had the opportunity to talk with João Seixas, CEO of TargTex, a successful biotechnology organisation.
Talking to our podcast host, Nick Ross, João discussed in detail how he began his career journey from academia to business. He provided an invaluable insight into his successes, sharing information on what knowledge he picked up at each step of his career.
From our conversation, it is clear that João’s ambition and passion for the treatment of brain cancer is woven through the operations of TargTex, and has molded him into the leader he is today.
In this blog, we talk you through João’s key pieces of advice for success in this industry and
what you can do if you want to follow in his footsteps.
João’s most notable career moment
João puts stepping out of his comfort zone as one of the most pivotal steps of his career. He explained that in order to leave his comfortable position in Portugal, he needed to move towards something that he deemed as a challenge.
To do so, João moved away from the area in which he grew up, studied in, and where he conducted all of his scientific research. As he relocated, he was introduced to different scientific research and was able to critically understand the complementary areas in how drug development works in the big pharma environment.
João told us: “The key issue was to really challenge myself every time I was taking a step, and it was a step into an unknown direction”.
How to lead successfully
When you’re a leader, it is crucial to make sure those underneath you are learning from you. We asked João what he believes people experience from him as a leader, his response: “The number one thing in being a manager is to connect to the people that you are working with.”
João explained that when you’re working with different colleagues, whether that be the person who sits opposite you at your desk, or the CRO that you share a subcontracted task with, you must adapt how you work with them.
João stressed the importance of connecting with everyone, despite their job description and role within the organisation. His key insight is to avoid hiring to get a result, instead invest in partnerships for a more successful outcome. João explained that: “Above all, it’s all about people and how you connect to others.”
Feeling valuable
It’s essential to make your workers feel valued, and for Joao the way to do that is to ensure that everyone is happy. To make that a possibility, he takes the time to understand each and every one of his employees.
“They need to be happy, they need to be fulfilled in their position, they need to be motivated but they need to understand that they are a critical part of the machinery, that is the project. And they are critical to the success of the team in the company,” João explains.
To hear more of João’s insightful experiences and unmissable advice, you can listen to the full podcast episode by clicking here.
For any further questions, or for any more information about what Cavenagh Health can do for you and your organisation, get in contact with us.
