Laura Haden-Smith

Focus Therapy Areas: Infectious Diseases, Haematology, Neuroscience, Rheumatology, Dermatology

Specialist Expertise: Cell & Gene Therapy, CAR-T Manufacturing, European Pricing & Reimbursement, Disruptive Technologies, Portfolio & Investment Strategy

Education: BSc Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town (First Class); MPhil Bioscience Enterprise, University of Cambridge

What is your focus at Eradigm?

My key focus is to help clients critically assess the impact of novel developments within the cell & gene therapy space. Stemming across cellular advancements, enabling technologies, manufacturing platforms or Market Access models; I help deliver realistic strategic recommendations. 

Who do you work with?

I typically engage with either cross-portfolio or therapeutic area-centric Competitive Intelligence leads across top 20 biopharma companies. 

What is your specialist expertise, and what types of projects do you work on?

I have worked on projects which address client needs at varying altitudes between company-wide pharma vision to brand-level strategy. More recently, I have been developing myself as a cell therapy specialist through projects such as characterising pricing & reimbursement models for CAR-Ts in Europe or global CI-monitoring for oncology disruptive players-to-watch. My extensive portfolio of projects includes global CI COVID-19 monitoring, launch strategy assessment for a first-in-disease DMT in neuroscience, and strategic brand wargames in rheumatology and dermatology. 

What did you do before Eradigm?

Prior to Eradigm, I worked for management consulting firms Accenture (in Johannesburg) and Efficio Consulting (in London and San Francisco), growing my consulting core capabilities and learning to apply these to a diverse range of client problems.

My segue into life sciences was sparked by my undergraduate thesis focusing on vaccine manufacturing. This inspired me to pursue a masters in the field, for which I was awarded the Standard Bank Chairman’s Scholarship to attend Cambridge University in 2018. 

What are your passions outside of work?

I spend most of my free time rowing, training for Henley Women’s Regatta. When not in a boat, I enjoy hiking the countryside, cycling to Windsor for cinnamon buns or touring London to find the best dumplings. I am also a passionate Lord of the Rings, Harry potter and Star Wars fan.