Bachelor’s in economics and Language, Copenhagen Business School
Master of Science in Supply Chain Management, Copenhagen Business School
Executive MBA from Copenhagen Business School
Reporting to the vice president of Global Innovation and Development, Gitte Pfeffer heads up a global commercial excellence unit within the disciplines of cost estimation and business analytics, customer contracts and negotiations, and strategic sourcing. Her team supports the business across Pharma, MedTech, Diagnostics and Commercial segments.
She has more than 20 years of leadership and international business experience working with suppliers, partners and co-workers across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, primarily in the pharma industry. Her leadership style is energizing, caring and result-driven. She has a distinct skill within negotiations and business understanding and has driven several organizational changes and started up new business areas.
Pfeffer’s professional career has taken her in the direction of leadership, project management, strategic sourcing, leadership development, consulting, change management, sales, business development, strategy development, alliance management, contract negotiations and organizational turnarounds, to name a few. Pfeffer has held various positions ranging from Lead Negotiator to equity partner in a consulting house to Executive Management support. Prior to joining Phillips Medisize in 2022, she was Senior Director in Device R&D at Novo Nordisk A/S in Denmark.
What initially attracted you to the medtech industry?
It was pure coincidence. I have a commercial background specializing in Strategic Sourcing. I worked for many years at a pharma company that was a frontrunner in terms of applying a strategic approach to how companies procure goods and services from their suppliers. I was fortunate to take on several different roles in the company, and at one point I was appointed head of Strategic Sourcing for Devices and Needles. I immediately felt passionately about devices and the role they can play if they are designed to enable patients to not feel limited by their illness.
How has your perspective on the industry evolved over the course of your career?
The industry is very broad, but in the part, I am involved in, I see an industry that has evolved and has a more patient-centric approach. Patients do not want a vial and syringe with a needle as thick as a straw or receive treatment that requires them to live a life full of limitations. Today, you need to provide patients with treatment solutions that allow them to live better lives, without limitations. Patients want to be in control and take charge of their life and health. Medtech has become an important enabler for that.
As a seasoned professional in the industry, how do you envision the future of medtech? What emerging technologies or trends do you believe will have the most significant impact?
The technologies that will have the most significant impact will be the ones that have convenience, cost-effective solutions and data intelligence/AI, as well as a design for re-use/recycling and sustainable materials and manufacturing methods.
In your opinion, what areas or applications within medtech have the greatest potential for growth and innovation? Why do you consider them promising?
Any type of device related to measuring and tracking health data and providing feedback will have the greatest potential. Longevity is becoming a phenomenon in the broader population and that links to many different areas, including physical health, mental health and physical appearance, which all have an almost unlimited potential of related areas for growth. A healthy population is good business.
As technology continues to advance rapidly, how do you think medtech engineers can stay ahead of the curve and ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge?
Staying ahead of the curve is challenging but keeping up with the development is possible. Stay curious and updated on the latest trends, and encourage your people to upgrade their skills. My experience from working with highly skilled professionals is that they naturally seek new knowledge and opportunities for learning and growing. If that is not possible, they seek opportunities elsewhere.
From a broader perspective, how do you see the role of medtech engineering in shaping the future of healthcare? What impact do you anticipate it will have on patient care and outcomes?
I don’t think medtech engineering will shape the future in solitude. Engineers have unique skills that need to be combined with other unique skills such as UX/UI, market intelligence, data and AI, customer and patient perspectives, etc. Medtech engineers are great at developing solutions that fit a well-defined need, bridge patient safety, and ensure great designs are also functional, safe and fit for commercial manufacturing and assembly. These skills also will be needed in the future.
How do you think diversity and inclusion can contribute to the advancement of medtech engineering? How do you foster a culture of innovation within your team or organization?
Medtech design and development excel when you have diversity of thought, and you won’t get that unless you have a diverse and inclusive culture. A former colleague once explained diversity and inclusion like this: “Diversity is asking the new colleague to join your party. Inclusion is to invite the same new colleague to dance with you at the party.” That thinking has stuck with me.
My team members have many diverse skills, and I prioritize bringing them together to collectively understand what they are working on in order to identify areas where they can benefit from each other’s different capabilities. My experience is that they always find common ground and add new and different perspectives because they think differently. That is extremely valuable when you want to improve and work differently and smarter.