Tadaaki Taniguchi

CMO, Head, Medical Development at Astellas Pharma

Speaker

With over 20 years of pharma industry experience, I am passionate about bringing innovative medicines to patients and their families that have the potential to transform their lives. By focusing on the best science and empowering the best talent to pursue it, we can turn innovative science into value for patients.

At Astellas, I lead the Medical and Development organization. My team is dedicated to improving the lives of patients through identifying, discovering and developing treatments with the potential to reshape expectations of medical care – keeping Astellas on the forefront of healthcare change. Prior to this role, I held senior roles in major multinational pharmaceutical companies in the US, Japan and China, and had the opportunity to work with fantastic, life-changing medicines.

What excites me every day is the opportunity to address unmet patients’ needs in underserved and serious diseases and make a profound difference in patients’ lives. Before joining the pharma industry, I worked as a surgical oncologist in clinics and research labs for 10 years. I believe this has given me a unique perspective on how, as a global pharma player, we can create and deliver breakthrough science that can change the way diseases are treated.

As an Astellas R&D leader, I strive to create a culture focused on people and on fostering a growth mindset. Uplifting leaderships skills by providing challenging job opportunities and appropriate coaching is crucial to unleash talent. Future success is also based on our ability to empower teams to stay agile and think about novel approaches and smart risk-taking.