Alison Simpson

As a Canadian mother, daughter, sister, aunt, professional, and friend - I welcome the opportunity to celebrate World Mental Health Day. While I now live in Basel, I remember clearly the year Bell Canada launched Bell Let's Talk. A Canadian telecommunications company working to support destigmitization of Mental health. What a critical turning point to help encourage us to talk openly about mental health and ensure that everyone is able to get the help they need and not feel alone. This is critical in our communities, and at work. The 4 pillars of a good strategy to tackle mental health: anti-stigma work including outreach, care and access, research, workplace leadership. And empathy. Let's Talk About It. XO

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Kudos to the Amplitude Ventures for this 2nd funds! Thank you Sean for once again highlighting the big (in every sense of the word) absentees from the equation. One gets the impression that the industry isn't all at the same level in terms of impact investing. Several groups (some of which you mention) have demonstrated that financial returns can be achieved while accomplishing great things for the economy, society and ecosystems. They invest with purpose, goals and strategies, strategies that involve thinking about the financing chain, ensuring the creation, development and growth of companies, in a sustainable way. They help to create through investment. others in fact... are deploying capital, eventually pandering to select clubs and follow trends. Impact investing is on many lips, speeches and annual reports. But do actions follow this rhetoric? One thing's for sure: taking the lead, being at the forefront, and investing with impact is exciting, extremely complicated, and risky. But it's POSSIBLE, and it delivers results. You just have to put your mind to it and invest in it. It's a question of choice and leadership. Leadership at the top and leadership at the execution level. food for thoughts during the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA) annual meeting this week.

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In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, diversity in the boardroom is not just a goal—it's a necessity. 🎙 I recently joined the Take on Board podcast to discuss how diverse skills and life experiences contribute to thriving boards. Drawing on my roles with Melinta Therapeutics, Iveric, and others, I've witnessed the transformative power of inclusivity firsthand. In our conversation, we explored how expanding our perspectives and opening the aperture to varied experiences drive innovation and strategic thinking. Setting the right tone from the top is crucial in ensuring all voices are heard and valued. If you're curious about how diverse leadership can impact industries and lead to more meaningful outcomes, tune into the episode to hear more about our discussion. #BoardDiversity #LeadershipDevelopment #HealthcareInnovation #TakeOnBoard

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Great article on the power of effective communication! As the author eloquently outlines, mastering presentation skills can indeed elevate one’s influence and success. However, in the business context, especially with boards focused on financial performance, it’s a fine line between engaging storytelling and professional pragmatism. Pictures and “wow” moments have their place, but clarity and substance often reign supreme in such settings. While a touch of entertainment can enhance a presentation, let’s not forget that the boardroom prefers insights over showmanship. Balancing these elements is the true art. Kudos to HBR for sparking this essential discussion!

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Listening to the CEO Series by McGill Professor Karl Moore has been quite insightful. Each week, some of Canada's top leaders spend an hour with Karl discussing their paths to success, insights into the latest business trends, advice to budding entrepreneurs, work/life balance, and more.    I came across one episode from the Life sciences space: An interview with Andrea Marazzi, SVP Commercial Strategy Operations & Launch US and former country president of Novartis Canada. Here are three key takeaways on his leadership style and approach:   - Creating Space for Thriving: “It's about how we create a space for people to thrive,” he says emphasizing the importance of fostering an environment where people can excel. - Balanced Leadership: He positions his leadership style between the Mintzberg and Porter models, which I am assuming means balancing between emergent and deliberate strategies for success. - Innovation at All Levels: “Great ideas cannot always originate from the top,” he states.   Highly recommend giving this podcast a listen for invaluable leadership insights! Here is the link: https://lnkd.in/eTjXEf_s   #Leadership #Innovation #PodcastRecommendation #BusinessStrategy #Management

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What if everyone in your team/organization knew how to "get to the point" quickly and clearly? Wouldn't that be awesome? That's why I wrote "The Point." And that's why I deliver workshops to my clients on the practical formula for communication clarity (see link in comments). Because clarity wins. Confusion loses.

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🚀 Evanta Gartner Toronto CDAO Summit! 🚀 Aligning data strategy to business strategy is a critical imperative for CDAOs. To do this effectively, data leaders must measure and communicate the impact of their data and analytics initiatives — integrating the value into the fabric of the organization. Join this session to discuss: 🔹 Demonstrating ROI of D&A initiatives to critical stakeholders 🔹 Communicating the value of data practices across the organization 🔹 Storytelling to connect business problems and data solutions Looking forward to an insightful discussion with fellow data leaders! Let's drive our organizations forward with data-driven strategies. 💡📊 #CDAO #DataStrategy #BusinessStrategy #DataAnalytics #Leadership #EvantaGartner

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🎙️ Our CFO, Aradhana Sarin, recently led a compelling discussion on her podcast ‘In Conversations with…’ Joined by members of our Senior Executive Team - Sharon Barr, Pam Cheng, Susan Galbraith, and Iskra Reic, they shared career advice, highlighted the critical role of women in leadership, and tackled the ongoing obstacles women face in the workplace. Discover the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eMxCh7js #WhatScienceCanDo #WomenInSTEM

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Sustainable, long-term business relationships are forged through personal relationships. They’re built with people who take a personal accountability for quality results. In today’s more transactional, and often “faceless” outsourcing environment, I believe more than ever, that a model that prioritizes the trust that eminates from a personal approach makes the most meaningful impact.

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Thoughts on this? >> DURECT Corporation to Announce Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Provide a Business Update >> Comment below! >>> lqventures.com #industry40 #AI #mhealth #IoT #healthtech

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Acknowledging the Extraordinary: Acts of Kindness and Compassion As a father of two children living with a rare disease, I’ve learned to appreciate the extraordinary moments that touch our lives. Sometimes, it’s the small gestures that truly stand out. Let me share a couple of heartwarming experiences related to my daughter, who is getting married next month: The Wedding Dress Surprise: When we took my daughter’s wedding dress to a local tailor for alterations, we chose a shop known not only for its tailoring skills but also as an award-winning dry cleaner. To our delight, when we picked up the dress, it looked absolutely fabulous. But here’s the remarkable part: they refused to charge us. Instead, they insisted, “Consider it a wedding present.” Their generosity left us speechless. A Dentist’s Thoughtful Gift: Recently, my daughter faced her first cavity. The dentist, aware of her tight budget, recommended a top-quality Oral B electric toothbrush and water pick. Knowing she couldn’t afford these products, the dentist surprised her by giving both as a wedding present from the staff. It was a gesture that went beyond professional duty, reflecting genuine care and kindness. And let’s not forget the “above and beyond attitude” demonstrated by one of my colleagues: Late-Night Commitment: Our Disability Employee Resource Group aimed to enhance awareness of neurodiversity through revamped training courses. Despite the late hour (past midnight in her time zone), one of my colleagues joined the call because she believed it could positively impact our corporate culture. Her dedication exemplified the extraordinary commitment we can make to create a more inclusive workplace. In these moments, we find inspiration to acknowledge the extraordinary acts of kindness, compassion, and selflessness that shape our lives. #SyneosHealth #Extraordinary #Compassion #Kindness #Selflessness

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The first time-limited recommendation under Canada's Drug Agency new HTA process has been issued, for AbbVie Canada’s epcoritamab for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. https://lnkd.in/grX7kVyw It is encouraging to see the language about #equiable and #timely #patient #access in the recommendation: "pERC noted that this approach would help facilitate the equitable and timely access to promising treatments for patients while ensuring that treatments considered for public reimbursement adhere to a level of rigour that sufficiently demonstrates effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness. The time-limited reimbursement strategy allows the integration of future clinical trial evidence to help shape stronger health policy and drug funding decisions where longer-term follow-up data is required." Next up in the process: the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance's #pTAP: “…pCPA Temporary Access Process (pTAP) will inform the negotiation process and potential product listing agreements for any drug products that follow the CADTH time-limited recommendation pathway.” #Canada #HTA #managedaccess #managedentry #patients #patientsfirst #RWE #RWD #realworlddata #realworldevidence #healthoutcomes #data #pharmaceuticalindustry #outcomes #innovation

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