Blue Matter Blog
March 18, 2021
At Blue Matter, we stand with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and condemn all forms of hate, racial discrimination and violence. We are deeply saddened by the horrific events that took place on Tuesday night near Atlanta, where the majority of those killed were Asian women. The recent rise in racially motivated violence …
March 3, 2021
Blue Matter wishes everyone a very happy Women’s History Month – this is an opportunity to discover, document, celebrate and respect women’s lives and achievements. At Blue Matter, we support an inclusive and intersectional feminist work environment where women have the freedom, recognition, and right to be their own powerful selves. We are observing Women’s …
February 12, 2021
If you’re a consultant who’s looking for your next big career move—or if you’re thinking about a career in consulting—then you’re probably doing a lot of research about what it’s like to work at Consulting Firm A vs. Consulting Firm B, C, and so on. We’d like to make that process a bit easier for …
January 19, 2021
Last week, we reported that Blue Matter was ranked as one of the Top 50 consulting firms to work for in North America (#19). Today, Vault released its rankings for Europe. We’re thrilled to announce that we were ranked #11 among the best firms to work for in Europe, improving our position over last year! …
January 13, 2021
For the second time, Blue Matter has earned a spot in the annual Vault Consulting 50 list! We’re excited to be ranked as one of the 50 best consulting firms to work for in North America. Among all consulting firms surveyed, Blue Matter ranked #19, up from the #30 position last year. Among boutique firms, …
October 30, 2020
If you’ve been reading the various articles in our “People First” series, you’ve no doubt learned that fostering an open, inclusive, and diverse environment is ingrained in our culture. It’s one of our core values and we hold ourselves accountable by including it in our regular Values Survey, which you can learn more about here. …
September 22, 2020
A key part of building a People First Culture is making sure team members have the tools, training, and support they need to do their jobs. But it doesn’t stop there. At Blue Matter, People Development is essential to the success of our employees and our company. We want to help team members continually develop …
September 1, 2020
In an earlier article, we introduced readers to our quarterly Values Survey. Our “People First” culture is incredibly important to all of our team members, and we work hard to maintain and continuously improve it. That means staying true to our core values, which are based on a deep-seated desire to foster a happy, productive …
August 25, 2020
If you’ve been following along in this series of articles on Blue Matter’s People First culture, then you probably know by now that building a happy and motivated team is super important to us. In fact, it’s in our core values. After all, taking every reasonable step to ensure a happy team is the right …
August 11, 2020
In a previous article, Emily Hua described our People First culture and why It’s so important to us. Today, I want to add a little more to the story by telling you about our Values Survey. Lots of companies out there will talk about their values. However, not many are willing to truly measure whether …
July 30, 2020
If you’ve followed our blog for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that we like to create high-value content on some of the leading topics in the biopharma industry. Today, I want to shift gears and write a bit about Blue Matter as a company and its culture. We’re growing rapidly, always engaging with …
June 4, 2020
We are deeply outraged and shattered by the death of George Floyd, yet another death among too many horrific killings driven by racism and hatred. We stand together with Black Americans and all those who are affected by systemic and learned racism. Our Blue Matter team—which is made up of talented people from more than …
September 24, 2019
About a month ago, we reported that Blue Matter was ranked as one of the Top 50 consulting firms to work for in North America (#30). Obviously, we were excited about that. Today, Vault released its rankings for Europe. We’re thrilled to announce that we were ranked #12 among the best firms to work for …
September 4, 2019
This past weekend (31 August – 1 September), a team from Blue Matter took part in the South Coast Challenge to help raise money for cancer research. Zeren Kocak, Linah Richer, Anwen Brown, Nafees Masri, Mariah Peixoto, and Magda Palczynska put on their hiking shoes and hit the trail to raise funds for Cancer Research …
August 20, 2019
We are very excited to report that Blue Matter has joined the Vault Consulting 50 for 2020, earning a ranking as one of the 50 best consulting firms to work for in North America. This was our first year participating in Vault’s annual survey. Among all consulting firms surveyed, Blue Matter ranked #30. Among boutique …
July 25, 2019
The weekend of 31 August – 1 September will be a busy one for Blue Matter team members Zeren Kocak, Linah Richer, Anwen Brown, Nafees Masri, Mariah Peixoto, and Magda Palczynska. They’ll be putting on their hiking shoes and taking part in this year’s South Coast Challenge to help raise money for cancer research. The …
February 18, 2019
On February 1, Blue Matter launched its first Global Happiness Survey. This monthly survey asks Blue Matter team members around the world to rate their current levels of happiness. Even though the global survey just got started, the idea of measuring team happiness has a lengthy history within the firm, starting as regional efforts in …
February 11, 2019
At Blue Matter, we love what we do. The work is interesting, and we always feel like we’re learning something new. There’s also a sense that, in our own small way, we’re joining in the fight against some of the world’s worst diseases. Our team members have a passion for the areas in which they …
May 25, 2018
Blue Matter Academy (BMA) is Blue Matter Consulting’s in-house learning and development organization. Officially launched in 2017, BMA’s goal is to provide ongoing learning opportunities for all Blue Matter team members. Recently, Karen Foster, Learning Strategist and Head of Blue Matter Academy, took the time to answer some common questions about the Academy and Blue …
As a founder and managing partner, Ashwin brings 18+ years of life science consulting experience to Blue Matter. Prior to starting Blue Matter, he was Senior VP, Head of Brand Management / Business Development at Campbell Alliance. He is a physician and MBA by training and his specialties include product and portfolio strategy.
As a founder and managing partner of Blue Matter, Emily brings 21 years of life science experience. Prior to Blue Matter, Emily was Senior VP and head of the San Francisco office for Campbell Alliance. Her specialties include product and portfolio strategy and oncology product launches.
As head of Blue Matter Europe, George brings extensive experience from 17+ years in life science consulting. Previously, George was GM / Head of Europe for Campbell Alliance. His specialties are commercial excellence, organizational design and customer engagement strategy.
Jeron brings 16+ years of life science experience, including more than 11 years in consulting. Previously, Jeron was Corporate Development and Commercial Excellence Lead at Campbell Alliance. His specialties include product, portfolio, and corporate strategy in oncology and diagnostics.
Thomas has 12+ years of experience in life science consulting (bio-pharma / diagnostic). He was formerly VP of Brand Management and Medical Affairs at Campbell Alliance. His specialties include product commercialization and Medical Affairs organization development in oncology and rare diseases.
Pankaj brings an impressive 26+ years of life science experience in industry and consulting to Blue Matter, having held increasingly senior positions at GSK, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Norgine. He was formerly Head of Consulting at IDEA, and he specializes in product, franchise and portfolio strategy, new product planning, and oncology launch readiness. He holds a BSc Pharm from UCL and an MBA from Imperial College London.
With over 11 years in research and consulting for the life sciences, Mary’s primary focus is on product strategy, franchise/portfolio strategy, launch planning, and commercial excellence in oncology and other TAs. She has a PhD in Biology from MIT and also hails from Campbell Alliance.
Kurt is a seasoned expert in market access, with over 23 years of experience. In addition to his extensive experience in life sciences consulting, his background includes several strategic roles across both payers and biopharmaceutical companies (large and small). He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and his JD from Pepperdine University.
Martin brings 20 years of Life Sciences Consulting experience to his work. Responsible for leading Blue Matter’s business in the eastern US, he is a specialist in commercial strategy and pharmaceutical launch. Prior to joining Blue Matter, Martin served clients at ZS Associates and Navigant (Guidehouse). He earned his MBA from the European Business School in Germany as well as the University of Pittsburgh.
Alex has more than 13 years of experience consulting to life science companies. He brings deep expertise in market research and analytics, particularly related to commercial strategy development. Before joining Blue Matter, Alex spent three years at Campbell Alliance and five years at ZS Associates. He earned an MS degree in Management Science from Lehigh University and a degree in Engineering from Lafayette College.
Shankar brings strong scientific and commercial expertise to his consulting work. In his 9+ years in life sciences consulting, he has delivered broadly, including product launch and portfolio strategy across oncology and other therapeutic areas. Shankar earned a BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California at Berkeley and a PhD in Biochemistry from MIT.
Matt Durbin brings more than 13 years of life sciences experience to his role at Blue Matter, including 10 years in strategic consulting. Prior to joining Blue Matter, he worked as a consultant for IMS Health. In addition to his consulting experience, Matt spent 3 years performing research at the University of Oxford. He earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Bath.
Isabel has more than 10 years of experience in life science research and strategy consulting. Her work focuses on integrated product and diagnostic strategy, disease area strategy, and launch readiness in oncology. She brings a strong educational background in neuroscience, having earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from ETH Zurich. Isabel also has a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Design Thinking.
With more than 15 years in the life sciences, Theo's experience spans from bench to business strategy. For the past 10 years, Theo has provided consulting services to help biopharma companies achieve commercial success in Europe and North America. He leads Blue Matter’s “Pathfinder” business line, which specializes in helping biopharma companies enter and succeed in European markets. Theo earned a Dr. sc. In Physical Chemistry from ETH Zürich and an MBA from IMD Business School.