Brutal Honesty with Realistic Optimism – Rob Brown

In this episode, you will hear from Rob Brown, CEO of a biotech, talking about the core element of any business: The TEAM. He takes us down memory lane, from his different positions as an executive in marketing, sales, and HR, from pharma to biotech... A common thread on this journey seems to be relevant to any sector or business: Following a strategy is one thing but owning it first is quite another. To get to this point you need strong leadership, which he defined as: "put the cause and the team First".

"Lead with brutal honesty and realistic optimism - Honest and transparent along the way, but also realistic and authentic."

MEET OUR GUEST Rob Brown Chief Executive Officer at Brickell Biotech after having spent over 30 years at Eli Lilly and Company, where he most recently served as chief marketing officer (CMO) and senior vice president of marketing from 2009 through 2018.

Prior to his role as CEO and CMO, Rob held the position of vice president and chief marketing officer for Lilly USA from 2007 - 2009, where he partnered with the business units to ensure the company continued to develop industry-leading marketing capabilities, streamline and improve marketing processes, and transform marketing by building a consumer marketing center of excellence.

From 2003-2007, Rob was the executive director of marketing for the Intercontinental region, including responsibility for Europe. In addition, he held a variety of other leadership roles of increasing responsibility within sales, marketing and product management departments, including serving as general manager for China, where he helped the company establish its presence. During his tenure as GM, he managed a joint venture in Suzhou, oversaw the construction of Lilly’s first manufacturing facility and expanded the affiliate’s reach from 12 to 45 cities.

Rob joined the pharmaceutical industry after receiving a bachelor’s degree in economics from DePauw University and a master’s in business administration from Indiana University. Rob currently serves on the board of trustees of Franklin College.