Ted Paranjothy › Senior Global Category Manager – New Technologies & Medical Devices, Roche
Bio
Ted Paranjothy is currently a Senior Global Category Manager – New Technologies & Medical Devices at Roche, working in Global Procurement – Pharma Global Technical Operations. He has 10 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience in both national and global roles spanning Research & Development, Marketing, and Global Procurement (global strategic sourcing and global category management including both direct and indirect categories) across multiple biopharmaceutical companies.
He started his career in the industry as a Summer Student in the Immunology Platform of Sanofi Pasteur Canada's Analytical Research & Development group where his focus was on potency assays for novel antimicrobial monoclonal antibodies. He has since worked at AstraZeneca Canada as a Marketing Associate in the Future Portfolio group where he supported national commercialization strategies for pipeline molecules and emerging brands and led the development of a national cross-functional launch excellence framework. In the Diabetes Portfolio group, he supported the Canadian launch of FORXIGA® and as a Project Coordinator in the Oncology Portfolio group he co-led the Canadian launch of LYNPARZA®.
As a Marketing Associate in Product Strategy supporting the Neuroscience Portfolio at Roche Canada he co-led the Canadian launch of OCREVUS®, a therapeutic whose global biopharmaceutical launch was the most successful in the world for 2017, and contributed towards the Canadian biosimilar strategy. As a Business Manager for Biomarker and Clinical Diagnostics supporting Research & Development across the entire Roche enterprise, Ted led a myriad of precision medicine global strategic sourcing initiatives covering $200 M (USD) in spend across all stages and phases of clinical trials globally and supporting all core Roche / Genentech therapeutic areas (ex. oncology, metabolism, neuroscience, immunology, infectious disease, and ophthalmology). In his current role as a Senior Global Category Manager – New Technologies & Medical Devices at Roche, Ted manages a $250 M (USD) global medical device category with direct responsibility and oversight for the US market. This includes developing, managing, and owning the global category strategy and initiatives which encompass engineering, manufacturing, quality, operations, and supply chain aspects for complex medical device development and commercialization projects such as the Port Delivery System, an advanced and innovative ocular drug delivery system.
Ted holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Microbiology with distinction from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Biotechnology (MBiotech) degree from the University of Toronto (Class of 2015). He has published four peer-reviewed oncology articles in biomedical journals and is the co-inventor on a patent filing on a series of anticancer peptides.
How did your experience in the MBiotech program contribute to your career success?
My experience in the MBiotech program contributed to my career success by teaching me how to solve challenging real-world problems with incomplete information and expert stakeholders while working in a team-based environment under intense pressure and tight timelines.
What are some of the key skills and knowledge you acquired during the MBiotech program that are still valuable to you today?
Key skills and knowledge that I acquired during the MBiotech program that are still valuable to me today include cold calling, business and technology evaluation, and presenting to panels of credible, authoritative, and experienced experts and fielding their questions.
What advice would you give to current MBiotech students or recent graduates who are entering the job market?
I would give two pieces of advice to current MBiotech students and recent graduates who are entering the job market. First, diversify your skills and experience, be flexible, and embrace a non-linear / non-traditional career path. In the age of automation, digitalization, outsourcing, and cost reduction you don't want to be caught unprepared if your entire discipline changes in a way that you are no longer needed as you once were. Second, always challenge the credibility of the source of any advice you receive and its context, consider alternative perspectives, think critically for yourself, draw your own conclusions, and make decisions independently.
Are there any memorable or transformative experiences from your time in the MBiotech program that you would like to share?
A memorable experience for me from my time in the program is when my team and I presented one of our major projects to the senior class and a public audience during a seminar series. It forced us to think on our feet, stay calm, work as a team, and pay attention to details as we defended ourselves under intense scrutiny, critique, and heated debate.
Any major accomplishment/achievement/award you would like to share with us?
COVID-19: I was an actively contributing member of the Genentech COVID-19 Task Force and helped bring COVID-19 testing to 4000+ business critical onsite staff at the Genentech campus in San Francisco at a time when little to no tests were approved, reliable, and/or commercially available. I also served as the global enterprise-wide single point of contact leading all Biomarker & Clinical Diagnostics sourcing & contracting efforts for Roche for a series of high priority COVID-19 global clinical trials at the start of the pandemic. This helped Roche to evaluate new therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients under exceptional circumstances at a time when demand was high and there were relatively few clinical trials underway for the disease with no approved therapeutic or prophylactic options across the industry.
