NEXT 2025 Agenda
NEXT Pharma Summit is the go-to event for leaders in commercial excellence, medical affairs, digital innovation, marketing, AI, and CX who are driving the transformation of engagement strategies with HCPs and key stakeholders. Our NEXT 2025 Australia Agenda will be packed with forward-thinking topics designed to inspire and equip you for the next wave of innovation in pharma. Stay tuned for updates!
Registration & Welcome coffee
Welcome to Country
Opening remarks
Dario Safaric – Chairman NEXT Pharma Summit
Australian Pharma’s “Make or Break” Moment
Nathalie McNeil – VP and General Manager ANZ at Abbvie
Owen Smith – Vice President and General Manager at Bristol Myers Squibb
Joana De Castro – Managing Director at Johnson & Johnson
Manoj Saxena – Managing Director ANZ at Bayer
Training, Trials, and Launch: AI’s Drug-Like Journey
Arthur Alston – Therapy Head Of Solid Tumours and Radioligand Therapy at Novartis
Not So Patient – Pharma in the Hot Seat
Peter Said – Head of Patient Engagement at Bayer
Sharon Lo – Patient and Community Engagement Lead at Sobi – Swedish Orphan Biovitrum
Bas Ebaid – Medical Manager at Dr. Reddys
Krystal Barter – Founder & CEO at Humanise Health
Debate: Who should lead company field strategy: Medical or Commercial?
Clare Smith – Medical Affairs Expert
Adrian Dunstan – Vice President APAC Sales & Marketing at Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
Steve Royle – Founder at Rumi
Morning Tea/Networking
The Future’s Already Here: Pharma’s Digital Wake-Up Call
Assoc. Prof. Stephen Reddel – Neurologist
Prof. Michael Barnett – Neurologist
Peta McCarthy – Patient Services Manager ANZ at Eli Lilly
Monisha Nair – General Manager at RxPx
What does Medical Launch and Soccer have in common?
Bernd Merkel – Senior Medical Advisor at Teva Pharmaceuticals
The Uncomfortable Truth – Will the Doctor See You Now?
Bryn McGeever – Managing Director at Australian Doctor Group
Matt Britland – Medical Director at Medwise
Charlotte Hespe – Head of General Practice and Primary care Research at UNDA Sydney
Elizabeth de Somer – Chief Executive Officer at Medicines Australia
Dr Michael Bonning – Chair of Public Health at Australian Medical Association
Marketing Mavericks: the Skills Pharma Marketers Need Today, to Thrive Tomorrow
Darren Woodhouse – Marketing Manager at iNova Pharmaceuticals
Rebecca Cadd – Marketing Lead at MSD
Nikki Lorenz – Pharmaceutical Executive
Rob Williams – Associate Director, International Marketing at CSL
Cracking Compliance: Getting Agentic AI Across the Line in Pharma
Romain Bonjean – CEO at RoseRx
Ron Eames – Regional Counsel at iNova Pharmaceuticals
Market Access: Accelerating the Path to Tomorrow
Louise Graham – Head of Market Access at Pfizer
Sarah Bridge – Market Access Director ANZ at Abbvie
Elizabeth de Somer –CEO at Medicines Australia
Adrian Goodall – General Manager ANZ at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
Julie Ellis – Regional Market Access & Pricing Director at Menarini
Lunch / Networking
Good Start Pharma! What Nurses, Patients and Patient Advocates REALLY Need
Richard Vines – Founder, Rare Cancers at RKV Consulting Pty Ltd
Jemma Still – CEO at Cancer Nurses Society Of Australia (CNSA)
Beth Invey – Specialist Lung Cancer Nurse Consultant at NSW
Matt Britland – Medical Director at Medwise
Time to Get Out of Global’s Blind Spot
Dr Sarah Tregenza – APAC Oncology Medical Affairs Director at Pierre Fabre
Dmitri Egorov –Senior Scientific Engagement Lead Oncology, ANZ at BeOne
Owen Smith – Vice President and General Manager at Bristol Myers Squibb
The Psychology of Doctors and How Irrational Minds Can Hinder Your Product
Nayana Wade – Managing Director & Founder at Hummingbird Insight
Where Government Affairs is Going: The Future of Pharma Policy and Access in Australia
Kieran Schneemann – Government Affairs Expert
Penny George – Director of Corporate Affairs at AstraZeneca
Andrew Thirlwell – Policy and Public Affairs Cluster Lead, ANZ and Korea at Pfizer
Afternoon Tea / Networking
Debate: Who is the TRUE customer of Pharma: HCP or Patient?
Sharon Lo – Patient and Community Engagement Lead at Sobi – Swedish Orphan Biovitrum
Philip Murphy – Associate Director at Gilead
Jennifer Accumanno – Business Unit Head at Ferring
The field team conundrum for product launches: – internal or contract sales teams?
Rebecca Cadd – Marketing Lead at MSD
Kim Pendlebury – Oncology Sales Manager at MSD
Daylan Riddle – Head of Sales GI and Sales Excellence Oceania at Takeda
Daniela Trifunovic – Franchise Head – Neurology at Alexion
WFH in Pharma: Leadership exposed?
Adrian Dunstan – Vice President APAC Sales & Marketing at Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
How can General Managers best leverage medical affairs now and in the future?
Jon Zdon – Head Medical Governance, Evidence and Patient Access at Novartis
David Henderson –Managing Director Australia and New Zealand at Biogen
Nathalie McNeil – VP and General Manager ANZ at Abbvie
Josie Downey – General Manager and Managing Director at Merck
Making “Glocal” Work
Rob Williams – Associate Director, International Marketing at CSL
Julie Ellis – Regional Market Access & Pricing Director at Menarini
Charles Morgan – Head of Commercial at Norgine
Michael Stewart – Managing Director, Australia & Region Cluster Head of APAC at Pharming Group
Winning Hearts, Driving Change: The Change Management Leadership Imperative
Nicole Good – Head of Commercialisation at Bristol Myers Squibb
Leiha Slaven – Informatics Partner APAC at Roche
Tsumi Smith – Head of Omnichannel Experience at Abbvie
NEXT After Party – Jacksons on George
Breakfast and Coffee
Fireside Chat: Capability uplift and the power of aggregated marginal gains
David Carroll – Learning & Capability Development Manager – Medical Affairs at Johnson & Johnson
Marie Daniels – APAC Associate Director for Commercial Learning and Development at Alcon
Empathy in Action – Leading with Heart in the Digital Age
David Henderson –Managing Director Australia and New Zealand at Biogen
Getting Sentimental: Understanding Long-Term Changes in How HCPs Perceive the Value We Bring
Philip Murphy – Associate Director at Gilead
The Omnichannel Panel: Can We Crack the Code?
Felipe Ramirez – Digital Business Analysis Lead Omnichannel South Korea & ANZ at Sanofi
Lynne Robb – Associate Director – Omnichannel Strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb
Tsumi Smith – Head of Omnichannel Experience at Abbvie
Morning Tea/Networking
It’s All Fun and Games Until Someone Loses AI
Michelle Tucker – Head of Digital at AstraZeneca
Kyren Lazarus – Medical Manager at AstraZeneca
Matthew Britland – Medical Director at Medwise
The culture conundrum in Australian Pharma: How to get it right
Dr Sarah Tregenza – APAC Oncology Medical Affairs Director at Pierre Fabre
Audience first: Finding the Sweet Spot Between Personalisation and Practicality for Meaningful Impact
Michael Kirby – Country Director ANZ at WebMD
Darren Woodhouse – Marketing Manager at iNova Pharmaceuticals
Simon Walker – Commercial Operations Lead ANZ at Pfizer
Steve Royle – Partner at NEXT Pharma Summit
Where Does the Role of Medical Stop, and Commercial Begin in the Field?
Daylan Riddle – Head of Sales GI and Sales Excellence Oceania at Takeda
Kim Pendlebury – Oncology Sales Manager at MSD
Clare Smith – Medical Affairs Expert
Jodi Tainton – Field Medical Team Lead at Pfizer
Anita Ackerman – Medical Advisor and Medical Affairs Coach at Recordati Rare Diseases
Failing Fast and Learning Faster
Lauren Leahy – International Medical Affairs Omnichannel Leader at Eli Lilly
Lunch
Pharma AI – From Chaos to Coffee Break and how to build your 24/7 AI Agents Team
Dr. Christian Fillinger – CEO at Capptoo Group
Michal Myszkowski – CTO at Capptoo Group
Digital Transformation, why smaller more agile companies are set to thrive
Michael Stewart – Managing Director, Australia & Region Cluster Head of APAC at Pharming Group
Michelle Tucker – Head of Digital at AstraZeneca
Anita Ackerman – Medical Advisor and Medical Affairs Coach at Recordati Rare Diseases
Daniela Trifunovic – Franchise Head – Neurology at Alexion
Metrics with a Pulse: Humanising Performance in a Data-Driven World
Amanda Jacobs – Commercial Excellence Lead at Organon
Overcoming the Great Pharma Divide in CX
Simon Walker – Commercial Operations Lead ANZ at Pfizer
Nicole Good – Head of Commercialisation at Bristol Myers Squibb
Nikki Lorenz – Pharmaceutical Executive
Felipe Ramirez – Digital Business Analysis Lead Omnichannel South Korea & ANZ at Sanofi
From Insight to Impact: How Medical Affairs & Clinical Can Lead in the Age of AI
Jon Zdon – Head Medical Governance, Evidence and Patient Access at Novartis
Kyren Lazarus – Medical Manager at AstraZeneca
Aneta Porczynska – Head of Business Excellence & Execution at Novartis
Robin England – Associate Director International Medical Excellence at Astrazeneca
The Main Event: Will AI Live up to the Hype in Pharma? – The Skeptic v The Superuser
Arthur Alston – Therapy Head Of Solid Tumours and Radioligand Therapy at Novartis
Leiha Slaven – Informatics Partner APAC at Roche
Steve Royle – Partner at NEXT Pharma Summit
Closing Remarks
