A Dose of Reality with Charles Spence24 Mars 2025

Kevin Lynch, co-Founder PopulusBio - Career at Celgene, How Culture Influences Drug Development and more

In this podcast episode, I talked with Kevin Lynch, co-founder of Populus Bio, where he shares his experience in drug development, particularly in oncology and hematology. He discusses his journey from medicine to the pharmaceutical industry, the cultural insights gained from working globally, and the challenges faced in both personal and professional aspects. Kevin elaborates on the innovative management approach at Populus Bio, the common mistakes made in clinical trials, and the importance of understanding biology in drug development. He also provides valuable lessons on hiring and leading teams, as well as insights into improving the recruitment process in the biotech industry.

Here's what you're in:

How cultural differences significantly impact on global operations of companies?
How important is understanding the science behind drug development?
What are big mistakes companies are still making today?

Timestamps:

01:38 Kevin's Early Career and Medical Journey

05:05 Transition to the Pharmaceutical Industry

10:37 Building and Leading Biotech Companies

12:16 Challenges and Learnings in Drug Development

15:32 Populus Bio's Unique Approach

22:01 Industry Observations and Mistakes

31:44 Hiring and Leading People in Biotech

36:07 Career Advice and Mentorship

About Kevin

Dr. Kevin Lynch is the co-Founder, Populus Bio, a company focused on accelerating the development of therapies for debilitating diseases. He is a physician with more than 30 years experience in drug development, mainly oncology and haematology. He has worked across multiple geographies in senior roles for large, multi-nationals as well as smaller, start up companies. Previous to this he worked at Immodulon Therapeutics and as the CMO for Antengene for almost 2 years. When I asked Kevin about a proud career moment it was “Development of imatinib and facilitating one country's (Australia) role in helping define a standard of care.” He is here today on the podcast to share his career and insights from the industry.

Connect with Kevin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-lynch-6910742b/

Company Website: https://populusbio.com/

About me

My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

In 2023, I decided to launch my firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/

Website: https://www.discera-search.com/

Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.

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