Community Leader – Jeff French

In this conversation with Naji, Jeff French shares insights on leadership, generative AI, innovation, and fostering a sense of community in healthcare. For leadership, he emphasizes the importance of a community of leaders working toward common objectives. Regarding innovation, he advocates for purpose-driven innovation over opportunistic approaches, highlighting the need for meaningful impact. Lastly, on spreading love within organizations, he underscores the significance of a shared purpose, collaboration, and focusing on group ambitions to achieve positive outcomes. In a final word of wisdom for healthcare leaders, Jeff urges a transformative approach to technology and digital integration, emphasizing holistic change and differentiation in the healthcare space for greater opportunities and impact.

"Purpose-led innovations achieve great things"

MEET OUR GUEST Jeff French, a resilient, collaborative, and influential global leader who leverages deep expertise in digital and information technology.

Jeff is considered a resilient, collaborative, and influential global leader and change agent who leverages deep expertise on digital and information technology, customer experience management, and brings broad business accountability experience in international sales, marketing, manufacturing, and finance in both the pharmaceutical and aerospace industries. He has held multiple regional and global leadership roles, digitally transforming organizations, re-engineering and standardizing business processes, establishing and embedding next-generation systems and capabilities, all in pursuit of building better customer experiences and driving real value generation.

He is recognized as a thought leader, sitting on several Customer Advisory Boards for consultancies and service organizations supporting the Pharma industry, specifically on the challenges of digital and CX transformation, helping to define and drive industry standards and benchmarks.

Jeff is currently a Senior Director at DT Consulting, a specialist strategy consulting organization supporting the pharmaceutical industry leadership in modernizing their organizations across commercial, medical, and R&D functions. Most recently, Jeff was the Chief Digital Officer at ViiV Healthcare and focused on building next-generation channels and services that leverage bold innovation and digital technology to deliver exceptional and unifying customer experiences, as well as valiant digital health innovations in the HIV therapy area.

Prior to ViiV, Jeff worked for Biogen for 2 years and led the establishment of a global digital Centre of Excellence, focused on the commercial business transformation across global markets. His pharmaceutical experience, however, began at Eli Lilly in 1999, starting as a Senior Financial Analyst working on the Global Business Improvement Program, which then led to him joining the European IT organization in 2004. Here he held several roles in supporting manufacturing and commercial, eventually becoming accountable for all commercial digital and technology for the region.

Prior to his pharmaceutical experience, Jeff had a short stint in consulting after working for Rolls-Royce Aerospace in various capacities including finance, process improvement and engine warranty sales.

Jeff maintains a Bachelor’s degree in International Finance as well as an MBA, all from Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana U.S.A.

Jeff is an American living in the UK, married to a Spanish wife, has a son who was born in Germany (Lucas), three lovely daughters and another son who were all born in the UK (Daniela, Noa, Bela and Tyson).