Wolf&Grayson EditorialMore than in other industries, early stage biotech companies face a pronounced gap in leadership skills. These organizations are filled with brilliant scientists and engineers who thrive on discovery and innovation, yet they often lack the formal leadership training needed to manage teams and drive organizational culture. The result is a recurring divide between technical skills and the human side of leadership.
This gap becomes especially acute in pharmaceutical and biotech companies, which operate in some of the most complex environments of any industry. Leaders in this sector must manage not only organizational and regulatory pressures but also global supply chains, shifting political climates, and cultural alignment within increasingly diverse workforces.
For Nazma M. Rosado, executive coach and principal consultant at Avion Consulting, preparing the next generation of leaders in this space has become a personal mission. Her approach emphasizes training for first-time managers in practical and human-centered skills such as empathy, emotional intelligence, prioritization, and delegation.
“Are we giving them opportunities to shadow other leaders, to role-play challenging situations, to understand situational leadership?” Rosado asks. “We need to instill these fundamentals early and then broaden and deepen the scope at each leadership level.”
Closing the Gap with Continuous Development
With nearly three decades of experience across healthcare, pharma, and biotech, Rosado has partnered with global organizations to help improve performance and foster lasting cultural alignment. She addresses this gap directly by tackling its root cause: the lack of meaningful opportunities for junior professionals to practice and develop leadership skills in real time.
“How often do we really give junior people opportunities to start developing those skills? We don’t, and that’s where we lose valuable time in building future leaders.” Leadership development must be a continuous process, says Rosado, who’s seen firsthand the gap between what makes a strong manager and what defines a transformative leader.
“I’ve met leaders who are managing roles they haven’t actually done in 15 years. The industry has changed so much, with additions like remote FDA inspections, AI integration, hybrid work models. You need a wider toolkit of skills than ever before.”
Learning From Mentors and Missteps
Rosado’s own career has been shaped by both strong mentorship and the lessons of ineffective leadership. Today, she passes those lessons along, encouraging leaders to remain accountable not only for results but also for how they help others learn and grow.
She still carries words of wisdom from her first boss in pharma: always acknowledge communication within 24 hours, even if only to say, “I’ll get back to you.” Equally influential were the more negative examples. “I learned as much from really bad leaders as I did from really good ones,” she says, recognizing that what not to do became a crucial part of her own growth.
The Case for Mentorship and Coaching
Rosado sees three pillars as essential for developing future pharma leaders: mentoring, executive coaching, and structured leadership programs. Rosado believes “Internal mentors can advocate for rising talent and provide invaluable guidance, helping employees stretch their thinking and discover new solutions. Executive coaches are excellent sounding boards and external, objective advisors. Finally, leadership programs teach techniques for effective time, resource, and, most importantly, people management.”
Her coaching practice builds on this foundation. She conducts in-depth 360-degree reviews, speaking directly with bosses, direct reports, and collaborative partners to gather concrete examples of a leader’s strengths and opportunities. “Then I craft a report that highlights strengths and areas for development, comparing that to how the leader perceives themselves. The real value comes in the dialogue that follows,” she explains. This process allows leaders to see where self-perception and external feedback align or diverge, and creates a roadmap for targeted growth.
The approach is not only for those just starting out. As leaders advance, the challenges they face become more layered, blending strategic, operational, and people-centered demands. In these moments, coaching serves as both sounding board and catalyst, offering space to think differently, test ideas, and make sharper decisions.
Bridging Generations, Embracing Change
One of the most pressing challenges Rosado sees is navigating a multi-generational workforce. Baby Boomers often emphasize “paying dues,” while younger generations are more inclined to seek rapid advancement. Rosado, a Gen Xer, positions herself as a mediator. “Both sides are right,” she says. “Younger generations bring speed, access to information, and tech savvy. Older generations bring experience and perspective. The solution isn’t compromise; it’s collaboration—finding the best new ways forward.”
She also highlights the inevitability of digital transformation and AI in leadership development. “It’s not going away, so leaders need to stay curious,” she says. Rosado stresses discernment in how AI is used, leveraging it for tasks like scenario practice or fact-checking while keeping human-to-human interactions, such as coaching sessions, free of automation. “Leaders need to be flexible and nimble, constantly developing themselves alongside their teams.”
Holding Values While Evolving
The complexities of pharma underscore why leadership cannot be static. In such a demanding sector, mentoring and leadership programs provide a way to preserve core values while adapting to new realities. This balance of continuity and adaptation ensures that organizations maintain cultural stability even as strategies, technologies, and external conditions evolve. “Organizations need to hold certain core values in high regard while evolving where necessary,” she says. “Culture has to remain healthy even as everything else shifts.”
The future of pharma leadership depends not only on technical excellence but on cultivating leaders who are responsive, empathetic, and ready to grow alongside their teams. “Transformational leadership is the foundation of thriving organizations, where people, processes, and culture align to drive lasting impact.”
Readers can connect with Nazma M. Rosado on LinkedIn or visit her website to learn more.
