Corporate Vision May 2017

36 CORPORATE VISION / May 2017 , Female CEO of the Year 2016 – USAwinner is MethodSense, a life science consulting firmwith offices in the US and Europe. We enjoyed an in-depth interviewwith Chief Executive Officer and Senior Consultant Rita King to find out more about her success leading up to and in her current role in an exciting industry. Focus, Passion and Drive MethodSense is a life science consulting firm with offices in the US and Europe. We guide medical device, biotech and pharmaceutical companies with quality, regulatory and technology solutions that support the commercialization of their products. Our clients typically do not have a straightforward path to market or they do not have experience bringing a device to market, which is why they seek our expertise. Clients we most enjoy working with have challenging, long-term needs that require strategic thinking and ongoing support. These projects often include complex medical devices that incorporate both software and pharmaceutical products. Tell me about your business and your ongoing strategy? MethodSense is both a consulting and product development firm. I initially created the company to help large life science companies manage critical information subject to regulatory oversight. We evolved further with the development of InfoStrength, a regulatory compliant information management software we designed, after extensive market research, expressly for life science companies. In order to facilitate the quality and regulatory requirements of our clients, my team created this software solution specifically geared toward maintaining compliance throughout the lifecycle of a business, from product design and development through commercialization. Most software in the industry was not intuitive and was cumbersome to use. My goal was to develop a product that would require little to no training for the users, yet still meet life science company requirements. As the software gained traction, client demand for hands on quality and regulatory support, in addition to the software, grew. MethodSense’s consultants use their critical thinking skills and industry experience to guide medical device manufacturers through worldwide commercialization. Since 2012, the consulting aspect of the business has grown considerably. This growth has enabled us to expand our services with expertise in quality compliance, regulatory strategies, software validation, human factors and usability engineering, risk management and other services for US and global markets. Moving forward, I will expand our team with talent in these areas, enabling MethodSense to continue providing quality and regulatory services that support innovation. What is the process/ approach you have taken in order to develop your company effectively? Do you have any key principles you adhere to? We are a regulatory and quality assurance company whose mission is to practically address the commercialization challenges experienced by our clients. To accomplish this mission, we add expertise to our company by keeping up with state of the art innovation, as well as adding team members with their own niche skill sets. When we work on a project, we pull together the team members with the skills best suited to meeting the client’s objectives and goals. We are continuously learning and looking for people who will add to the team based on their personal and professional strengths. We are like a family at MethodSense, so when we find a person who will be a good fit, we focus on developing his or her strengths in a manner that will support both the individual and the company. Key principles that have supported our growth include: • Focusing on strategic thinking; • Believing in the talents of our team; • Always seeking opportunities for learning and; • Good, old fashioned hard work. What challenges have you encountered as a woman working in the corporate environment and how have you overcome them? In this day and age, I feel hard work, dedication and perseverance can bring success to anyone – whether male or female. Because I have never let sexism be an issue, it never has been. I attribute the challenges I faced on my road to success to inexperience and lack of mentorship, not to any sense of inequality. To overcome these challenges, I read every business book I could get my hands on, obtained an MBA from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and sought relationships with respected, successful entrepreneurs. The knowledge I gained from these sources gave me direction and supported my path to success. What are the key attributes you possess that make you an award- winning CEO? Key attributes that make me an award-winning CEO include focus, passion and drive. I am focused on the success of my clients, my team and my company. I have a passion for learning and teaching. With every project, I expect to learn something new. And, when I do, I take the opportunity to share that knowledge with my team, 1701CV75