“To be part of the first potential cures in cancer while writing a new playbook was an absolute highlight. By the time I retire, I’m pretty confident we will have cured many cancers.”
In this episode, I talked with Sampreet Ramachandra, Head of the Hematology Business Unit at Novartis Germany, about what it really takes to lead high-stakes launches — and what leadership looks like when things don’t go to plan.
Sampreet shares how graduating into the 2008 financial crisis forced him to rethink his career from day one. What was meant to be a short stop in oncology turned into an 18-year commitment to the industry. We talk about leading the commercialization of CAR-T in Germany, writing a launch playbook from scratch, and why excellence in launch is rare.
We also discussed hiring mistakes — from overselling a role to ignoring a gut feeling — and why culture isn’t what you write on slides, but what you accept, celebrate, and tolerate, gender equity, the motherhood penalty, and what leadership responsibility truly means when it’s personal.
Outside his professional work, Sampreet is someone who intentionally steps into discomfort — whether that’s learning tennis from scratch, snowboarding, practicing yoga, or picking up a camera as a hobby photographer. For him, growth isn’t just professional — it’s personal, physical, and ongoing.
Here’s What You’re In For
- Graduating into the 2008 crash — and taking a job he never planned to stay in
- Launching CAR-T when there was no playbook to copy
- Why one-third of launches miss expectations — and how to avoid being one of them
- Building teams that can handle stress, scrutiny, and speed
- The moment he hired someone “perfect on paper” — but ignored his gut
- Watching an oversold senior hire implode within 18 months
- Alignment vs. towing the line — and why that difference defines leaders
- Ending up alone in a German emergency room after years of overwork
- Why focusing only on prescribers is outdated in modern launches
- The real meaning of gender equity — and the career fear he witnessed at home
Timestamps
02:17 – Graduating into the 2008 crash and taking an oncology role by necessity
02:32 – From tech in India to committing to pharma
09:11 – Commercializing CAR-T and pioneering a new launch model
10:18 – Writing a playbook from scratch for cell & gene therapy
13:03 – What’s changed (and what hasn’t) in launches
18:53 – Building great launch teams: mindset, resilience, experimentation
24:30 – Overselling a role and watching it unravel
27:18 – Ignoring a gut feeling in hiring
30:01 – Gender equity, motherhood penalty & parental leave
36:56 – Ending up in the emergency room — and rethinking ambition
Listen to the full episode here:
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iwX5Op0hUy4sJqxPvzsTE?si=1cc274a2dea4438d
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sampreet-ramachandra-head-of-hematology-business/id1736051162?i=1000758256401
About Sampreet
Sampreet Ramachandra is Head of the Hematology Business Unit at Novartis Germany, with over 18 years of experience across global, regional, and country leadership roles. He has led multiple best-in-class and first-in-class launches, including pioneering the commercialization of CAR-T in Germany. Originally starting his career in tech in India before graduating into the 2008 financial crisis, Sampreet built his path in pharma through purpose-driven decisions and continuous learning — holding degrees from Harvard, LSE, and India. Beyond commercial leadership, he is a strong advocate for gender equity and a supporter of youth education initiatives in India. Outside work, he’s a hobby photographer, snowboarder, yoga enthusiast, and is currently learning tennis.
Connect with Sampreet:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sampreetramachandra/
- Website: https://www.novartis.com/de-de/
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.
