A Dose of Reality with Charles Spence Charles Spence

In this episode, Charles talks about his top rules for success in recruiting, which he calls 'The 10 Commandments of Recruitment.' He believes that having principles or commandments as a person or business is what sets us apart.
He also shares a bit of fun insight about who he is and what he believes in business.
Here's what you are in for:
00:08 The 10 Commandments of Recruitment
00:14 Commandment 1: Always Give Feedback
00:47 Commandment 2: Don't Add to the Problem
02:47 Commandment 3: It's Not Personal
03:20 Commandment 4: Pride in Work Before Business
04:18 Commandment 5: Always Be Learning
05:07 Commandment 6: Understand Before Advising
06:04 Commandment 7: Don't Be an Idiot
06:15 Commandment 8: Be Refreshingly Honest
07:01 Commandment 9: Be Authentic
08:00 Commandment 10: Be Different and Keep Going

About Charles
Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry.
He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.


In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website: https://discera-search.circle.so/

In this episode, Colin Hayward, CMO of Telix- a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, talks about his contribution to the success of Rituximab which culminated in transforming it into a $3 billion radiopharmaceutical giant.
He also shares invaluable insights into the challenges of leadership, the burden of firing people, and the strategic decisions that drive success in the fast-paced world of biotech innovation.
Here's what you are in for:
01:36 Colin's Switch from Medicine to Biotech 
04:15 Moving from Treating Patients to Business
05:58 Lessons from Working on Rituxan
10:59 Changing Careers: Consulting, CROs, and Teamwork
23:03 Tips on Hiring and Making a Strong Biotech Team
27:45 The burden of Firing people

About Colin Hayward
Colin Hayward, MD is the Chief Medical Officer at Telix Pharmaceuticals, a company that specializes in radiopharmaceuticals. He has over 20 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Colin leads the medical, regulatory, clinical operations, and safety activities at Telix worldwide.

He originally wanted to play football professionally for Brighton Hove Albion, but realized he wasn't good enough at age 12. Switched to field hockey, was academically gifted, loved science, and decided to pursue medicine to help people and dive deeper into science.

About Charles
Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry.
He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.
In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website: https://discera-search.circle.so/

This podcast episode, Charles drops some real talk on communicating well when hiring people. 
He tells a story about how poor communication can really upset candidates and from this story, he gives three tips for hiring managers. This episode emphasizes that it's good to give rejected candidates helpful, positive feedback and to keep talking to them for possible jobs later on rather than ghosting them.

He also shares three tips for hiring managers to protect their reputation and improve their interactions with candidates.

Here's what you are in for:
00:24 Why Protecting Your Reputation Matters
00:44 How Feedback Can Strengthen Your Reputation
02:23 Dealing with Rejection Positively
07:22 Tips for Hiring Managers on Empowerment and Feedback
07:56 Knowing How People Act at Work
15:01 The Need for Empathy and Humility in Hiring
17:40 Wrapping Up: Keeping Your Good Name at Work

About Charles
Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry.
He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.
In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website: https://discera-search.circle.so/

In this episode, Ben Pais, Senior Vice President at Ariceum Therapeutics, discusses innovative cancer treatments. His company develops drugs that use radiation to combat cancer.
He explains their strategies and adjustments in medical technology, focusing on radiotherapy. 

He talks about the challenges of producing and distributing these drugs and the importance of having capable leaders.

Ben also explores future developments in this field and how large pharmaceutical companies acquiring smaller ones can impact the industry.

Here's what you are in for:
00:22 Moving from Clinical Medicine to Pharma
02:00 Starting Out from Surgery to Pharma
04:33 Discovering New Areas in Pharma
08:50 Getting into Radiopharmaceuticals
16:02 Growing in a Radiopharmaceutical Career
19:25 Understanding Radiopharmaceuticals: Simple to Complex
24:34 Finding Your Way in the Radiopharmaceutical Field
33:57 What's Next for Radiopharmaceuticals and Career Tips

About Ben Pais
Ben is a doctor with 25 years in the life science field. He knows about urology, cardiology, and radiation oncology. He has handled clinical trials (phase I-IV), medical affairs, drug safety, getting products to market, launching products, and early sales steps. Since 2019, he's been a certified Pharmaceutical Physician NVFG. In 2020, he started at Ipsen as the Global Development Lead for Radiopharmaceuticals. Later, he moved to Ariceum.

About Charles
Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry.
He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.
In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website: https://discera-search.circle.so/

In this episode, Charles talks about how to craft authentic and genuine stories that can sell yourself and stand out from the rest. He points out that many resumes lack persuasive pitches and unique stories, so he offers 5 tips on creating these narratives. He stresses the need for authenticity and alignment with one's CV and interview responses.
He also discusses typical mistakes, like not showing the hidden benefits or linking past experiences to what future employers are looking for.

Here's what you are in for:
01:03 A Sneak Peek at Making Your CV
01:36 How to Make Sales Stories That Stick
04:18 Knowing Your Audience is Your First Step to Win
05:14 Being Specific on How to Make Stories Catchy
10:42 Using Lessons for Future Wins
11:26 The Secret to Job Applications
12:45 Building a Strong Professional Image
13:09 More Than Crafting a CV But Growing Your Career Chances

About Charles
Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry.

He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website: https://discera-search.circle.so/

In this episode, Charles talks with Riccardo Canevari, the managing director and CEO of Radiopharm Theranostics, a company that is innovating the way we see cancer. They talked about his leadership journey in transitioning from leading 110k employees to a 3-man startup team. He also discusses launching innovative cancer treatments such as Luziterra and BluVicto and the challenges of selling them. He also highlights the importance of mission-driven work in biotech and the promise of radiopharmaceuticals in cancer treatment.
Here's what you are in for:
00:00 Ricardo's Journey From Milan to Pharma Leader
00:19 Family's Influence in Early Life
03:25 Ricardo's Career Path from Chemistry to Pharma
05:38 Highs and Lows in Pharma Industry
05:51 Leadership Lessons
10:27 Taking the new role as the head of Radio Pharm
17:59 Building a 3-man start up team
30:24 Reflecting on Leadership and Advancement
35:41 The Future of Radiotherapy

About Riccardo Canevari
Riccardo is an experienced leader in specialty pharma, cancer care, and radiopharmaceuticals. He served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Advanced Accelerator Applications, a leading company owned by Novartis. There, he led commercial strategies in around 20 countries. His main focus was on expanding the market for Lutathera and preparing for the launch of Lu-PSMA 617 to treat advanced prostate cancer. Before this, Riccardo held top positions at Novartis Oncology. He oversaw the successful introduction of breast cancer drugs like KISQALI and PIQRAY. He also gained extensive experience from different roles at Novartis Pharma and Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson.

Connect with Riccardo:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccardo-canevari-7239931/
Website: https://www.radiopharmtheranostics.com/

About Charles
Charles Spence leads Discera, a leading recruitment firm specializing in the biopharma industry.

He graduated with a biomedical degree, has worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent years doing diabetes research. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

In 2023, Charles decided to launch his firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the 
biggest talent needs of Early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with Charles:
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
Website:https://discera-search.circle.so/