Laurie J. Newcomb

I attribute my success to the wide range of experiences I’ve gained over my 20-year career. I started in fashion but quickly moved into pharmaceuticals, working with companies like Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline. About a decade ago, I founded my own business development and strategy company, helping startups grow and guiding businesses through challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. Those experiences taught me to adapt quickly, think strategically, and embrace opportunities outside my comfort zone. Completing my MBA at the University of Florida has further strengthened my perspective, keeping me current on emerging trends like AI in pharma and reminding me of the value of learning from younger generations.

I’ve been recognized with multiple President’s Club awards, the Vega Leadership Award, and the Orion Values Award, and I served as interim district manager. Today, as a Key Account Leader overseeing eight territory leaders and collaborating with the top 100 key opinion leaders in the Mid-Atlantic region, these experiences have shaped my leadership approach and ability to drive meaningful results.

The best piece of advice I ever received came from one of my mentors. He told me to have as many different experiences in this industry as you possibly can. He encouraged me to try new roles, move into new assignments, never say no, and always volunteer for something that interests you, because you never know when you'll get staffed on a project that's in addition to what you're doing, but the learning that you'll get from it is immeasurable. That advice has shaped my entire career path and led me to take risks, like starting my own business development company and constantly seeking out new challenges and opportunities.

My advice is to learn from your mentors and ask a lot of questions. Just absorb as much information as you can. Trust your gut to make the decisions that you know will probably be in the best interests of your customers. You just have to trust what you know. Try new roles, move into new assignments, never say no, and always volunteer for something that interests you, because you never know when you'll get staffed on a project that's in addition to what you're doing, but the learning that you'll get from it is immeasurable. Have as many different experiences in this industry as you possibly can, because each one will teach you something valuable about leadership, resilience, and the impact you can make.

I think the biggest challenge that we're seeing in healthcare is the shift of the payers and how reimbursement is affecting the landscape and access to medications for all patients. This has been an ongoing issue in medicine for as long as I've been in it, but in the past couple of years, we've really seen a huge shift. There's been a real ratcheting down of the number of medications that are covered by insurance plans, affecting not only access but access to services. Even people that do have Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial health plans are seeing a real shrinking of access, and they're paying more and getting less. Navigating these complexities requires not only strong business strategy but also empathy and trust. We have to ensure patients can access the medications they need while dealing with changes in payer systems and reimbursement models. Success in this industry comes from building authentic relationships and approaching every interaction with both professionalism and humanity.

Building trust is the biggest value for me, especially with my customers. I also believe strongly in work ethic, really digging in, being curious and asking great questions. Most importantly, I make sure that I see my customers as business owners and human beings. We're all humans first. I think sometimes we can tend to get wrapped around the business of medicine, but at the end of the day, these are people that are seeing your mom and my uncle and my kids, and we want them to be able to have the absolute best information possible to make the best decisions they can. That human-centered approach guides everything I do, both professionally and personally.