Course overview
The Pharma Mini MBA is a three-day accelerated management programme delivered virtually and designed specifically for professionals working in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. It distils the most valuable and practical elements of an MBA and applies them directly to real pharmaceutical business challenges.
The course is highly interactive and hands-on rather than academic, using pharmaceutical business school case studies, practical tools, facilitated discussion and live exercises throughout. The emphasis is on developing judgement, strategic thinking and management capability, rather than theory or self-paced online content.
Across the three days, participants work through live industry issues and their own challenges, helping translate learning into practical actions they can apply immediately in the workplace. The course also provides a realistic insight into what an MBA involves and is valuable both as a standalone development programme and as an MBA taster.
Guest speaker contributions
The course includes dedicated guest speaker sessions that complement the core Mini MBA content and provide additional applied perspectives from across the pharmaceutical industry.
Benefits of attending
- Develop practical strategic thinking and management skills applicable to the pharmaceutical industry
- Gain confidence in applying MBA-level tools and concepts to real business challenges
- Improve understanding of the pharmaceutical business environment, competition and value creation
- Strengthen leadership and decision-making capability in complex organisations
- Understand the role of innovation, health economics and market access in shaping strategy
- Take away a practical Mini MBA toolkit to apply immediately in the workplace
CPD Hours: 18
Course Content
- Day 1
- Strategy and strategic challenges in the pharmaceutical industry
- Day 2
- Commercial management, innovation and business performance
- Managing innovation in the pharma industry
- Day 3
- Hot topics in market access strategy
- Leadership, change and implementation
- Practical application/review
Speakers
Laura Brown
Laura Brown is an independent pharmaceutical consultant and trainer with over 25 years’ experience supporting leadership, quality and management development across the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries.
She was Course Director for two postgraduate MSc programmes in the pharmaceutical sector, including the MSc in Clinical Research, and has extensive experience translating MBA-level thinking into practical tools for industry professionals.
Laura’s training is highly interactive and experience-led, drawing on real-world pharmaceutical business challenges rather than academic theory.
Oguz Ozden
Oguz is a strategy consultant in PwC’s Strategy& practice, leading large, complex and international transformations across the Pharma and Life Sciences sector. He has over 10 years of consulting experience in the sector having worked across various functions in Biotech, Pharma and Consumer Health as well as Pharmaceutical Wholesale.
Leela Barham
Leela Barham is a freelancer with a background in health economics and now works in academia, as a journalist and with all stakeholders in the health care system conducting research on the economics of health and pharmaceuticals. She has over 20 years of experience and has been published in both peer reviewed journals and the specialist pharmaceutical press. She also worked to support the UK government as it agreed the 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access.
