Christina Busmalis: On Bold Choices, Mentorship, and Owning Your Path

Hi Christina, good. Well, is it morning? No, it's not even morning anymore. The day's zipped by already. Hello. Good, and it's good to see you. Thanks for starting your week here with this podcast. Very exciting. And I want to surprise it on you. You thought we were going to have only audio, but we're having video as well so everybody can see you.

Hi, Sabrine, how are you?

Yes. Luckily the background is not so bad either. I won't turn it this way. Then you can see the bed and it's not made up very nicely.

I'm going to face it this direction.

Yeah, that's the beauty of how we work nowadays and for blurred backgrounds too when we're in places that need to be blurred. So thank you so much. First of all, because you contributed to the book, which is fantastic, and I'm excited that that's gonna be out soon and that you've also agreed to be on the podcast. So our paths crossed only last year, but I feel like we've known each other for years. It's just been such a pleasure. We've seen each other in our...

Exactly.

in the cities, you were in Hamburg, I saw you also in Switzerland, so it's been a great journey getting to know you. And I obviously know not aspects about you, but would you be willing just to do a short introduction and introduce yourself to everyone that's listening on the podcast?

Yep. pleasure. So my name is Christina Busmalis. I live in Zurich, Switzerland, with a very strong American accent, which I can't get rid of. here for almost 28 years. I like to define myself as a tech and life science enthusiast or life science and tech. Most of my career has been driven through technology as a consultant with PWC and IBM, working at IBM Watson Health, working with Google Cloud in the sales role, leadership role, and most recently was pivoting at a biotech as a CRO, a chief revenue officer.

I have had a very interesting career of both really technology and then moving into SAUS and moving into strong leadership and yeah, very, very happy to be here and I look forward to the conversation.

Yeah, me too. Yeah, I think every time I hear you make the introduction and I think about all the places that you've been in and the variety of businesses that you've worked in, it's really interesting. There's obviously there's kind of this red thread, but always on development. And I loved your story that you shared also in the book about how you really got excited about data and working in the data space as well. So we will get into that a little bit later in our conversation. So thanks.

Yeah, absolutely.

I know that you've made some big decisions. You know, as you said, we're both we're both Americans living in Europe. And that was probably a decision in itself to come and do that. But If you if you reflect on your career and you think about having facing faced big important decisions and not necessarily always playing it safe and being willing to take a risk. One of the things that I ask myself if I'm if I'm in the situation where I do need to make a big decision, I ask myself, what if I don't?

and what happens if I don't make this decision? How is my life going to be impacted? And if you reflect on your own career and steps that you've taken, is there a time that you can share with us about when you've asked yourself that? What if I don't?

You know, it's I, and because you gave the questions ahead of time, did some thinking, right? But it's, you know, it's funny because there are so many, you know, obviously moving to Switzerland when you're 24 years old.

But from a career perspective, mean, that was a big changing moment, but I looked over my career and probably the biggest one that really affected me and was the question of play it safe or take a challenge, most of my career steps have been play it safe or take a challenge. And I've always taken the challenge. One of these times I may play it safe, it was actually in 2006 when I was working at IBM. So I was at that stage, I was an associate partner in the consulting business.

You

Probably not.

My career was going great. I was flying on the road to become a partner, probably in a few years after that. And I was given the opportunity to pivot out of the consulting business. So IBM had bought PWC a couple of years prior. So we were, we still, like I always introduce myself, hi, I'm Christina, I'm ex-PWC, right? So it was still, you still felt yourself being PWC and not IBM. And I was given an opportunity, hey, do you want to see the bigger IBM? You could

go into what they called sales and distribution, which was more the sales organization that went across all of IBM's offerings, whether it's software, hardware, outsourcing, consulting, all the stuff that was there. And so I was offered to go there, to pivot over, leave the consulting business, moving into the sales and distribution. And then I was given two different clients I could become the technical advisor for. One was UBS, which is where I was working for the last 10, 12 years of my career, was financial services. So it's like, okay, and UBS was a...

as you know big bank, but but IBM was was doing really great with them. They had of course they had the big mainframe They had a lot of consulting they had a lot of software. They had a super happy client they were making lots of money all the great stuff and then I was also offered Novartis and Novartis which is in life sciences, of course big pharma IBM was their biggest IT provider, but they weren't doing so well, right? So they had a lot of issues. It was the outsourcing contract was a mess. They were bringing in a whole new account team and they wanted me to be part of it. So I did make the

You know, at first I thought, okay, do I leave consulting? Where I was, my whole career was consulting and then at that stage, 12 years in the consulting business and was again, flying high and moving forward very well. ⁓ So, you know, do I leave it? Do I not leave it? I okay, I'm going to leave it. So I made that decision. And then I said, okay. And I, because I could always come back. Right. So I felt like, you you could always, you could always go back. Right. And then I said, okay, do I go to financial services or I go to life sciences? And, and there I distra, I struggled because I said, okay, one's making really

money and they're doing really well, another one is really not doing well, but I could make a big impact. And as you know, because we're talking to each other now, I took the Novartis one. it was, if I look back, that was the biggest change in my career because I got into an industry which I fell in love with. So healthcare life sciences, it was an industry back in 2005, 2006, where so many decisions were not made by data, as you talked about data, right? So all of sudden you saw this world of

Yeah

Right, yeah, absolutely.

Yes, they had an SCP system. Yes, they had a G drive to store their documents. Yes, they were doing a lot of great stuff in research. But after you got out of research, was very much decisions by the gut. Is this decision to develop? Should we do it? Should we not? You can see all these steps that were taken not with data in mind, just with experience and with knowledge. And people were very experienced and knowledgeable. So I'm not questioning that. as we know, evidence-based decision making is

Hmm.

usually, usually, usually better, right? Not always, but usually better for us. So that's, you know, that's, would say from a ripple effect, you know, obviously I stayed on that account for 12 years with Novartis and I've been, turned the show around. Yeah, in 12 years I worked with them, right? So, you know, worked around the world, got to see, you know, worked in Asia, worked in obviously US again, in Europe again, you know, all the time, worked across the value chain of life sciences, you know, all these things that, you know, could have...

Yeah, yeah, definitely.

12 years, that's incredible.

really helped me in my career, became the industry leader for IBM globally for life sciences. I was driving our strategy across IBM as well. And that pivoted me eventually into becoming a sales leader in Watson Health and et cetera, et cetera. So we would not be talking today if I had not made them. I don't know if our paths would have, maybe they would have crossed. You never know, but there's a good chance they wouldn't have crossed. so that was probably for me the.

I know, had you not made that decision. Yeah, yeah. They wouldn't have, true.

I mean there's other career decisions I've done, but that was probably the one that stood out as, know, had I not done this, I probably would have still had a very good career. I probably still would have, you know, become a partner at at the consulting side, becoming an executive on the other side of IBM. But just had a great experience to live by as I went forward.

Mm-hmm.

Did you, cause you mentioned some of the pros and cons. I don't know if you made your list, how you made that decision to move into pharma, because it was also a new industry. You, I know you as a very confident person also in what you do. Did you feel that confidence when you stepped into the role to work in pharma?

I, picked it up fairly quickly, I guess, because at that stage, especially in the early 2000s, a lot of technology was just technology, right? So, ⁓ you know, some of the stuff that we were doing at an IBM world, you know, was that you could go across industries. And then I, then I had a lot of, you know, good people around me to help me learn and I learned, right. I liked stuff. So you just, you just, you just got, I got into understanding the industry very quickly and, know, finding where, where we could help and where we couldn't help.

Yeah.

And those sort of things. So yeah, I mean, I think that was one of the things of, I get to experience a new industry. That was one of the things that excited me. you know, One of, when I met the two managing directors, one that managed UBS and one that managed Novartis, they were both great people, right? No issue, the Novartis guy was a better sales person, right? So he also told me on the road because, know, it was true Like we were hit, we hit rock bottom, right? The only place we can go is,

Yeah.

Yeah.

is either we're done or we're going up. And that's what we did is we went up and the other one, we're doing great. You could just come and join our team and have a really good time. And it was like, ah, well, you I kind of like the, you have to do something. It's a challenge, absolutely. And that's why most of my other jobs I've taken have definitely been, it's a challenge. I've always liked that. You have to step out of your comfort zone. You have to do something different and you have to learn on the way, right, as you go forward.

Yeah.

It was the challenge. That's what it was. It was that challenge.

Yeah, yeah, that's true. But so many people you say that so easily and so many people struggle with that and taking those taking that that challenge and going, yeah, you know, you can always go back. And I think for for other people to hear, it's it's just it affirms that you can always go back. You can always go in another direction and it's willing to take a risk. Yeah.

And I never went back, right? I never, I

never went back. thought about it a couple of times. I debated whether to go back into consulting, you know, in IBM or other consulting companies. And I've never gone back, right? I've always gone more towards technology and sales and, know, obviously into pharma and biotech as well.

Yeah.

Right.

Yeah, And also the biotech step, right? Because that's where we originally met. That's also a completely a new space to step into.

Yes.

Yeah.

That was the other ripple, but it's not as, I mean, the story isn't still being written, I guess, is why I kept that rip. because a week before I joined Benevolent AI as our chief revenue Officer, which is a new role for the company, the CEO, how was he reporting to step down. and there actually was a decision point. I talked to the chairman of the board, do I go or do I not go? And again, I said,

Mm-hmm, yeah.

He could have said he said you can walk away. You wanted to work with with this person. She's not not going to be there anymore. I said no, let's do it. It's a challenge, right? So it was a challenge that was a little bit. And you know that still that still. Things happen on those things, but yeah.

Yeah, there it is again. There's that word.

Fantastic. That's your challenge. I don't know if you can hear my dog in the background. So apologies for that. can't. That's life too, isn't it? Exactly. So thinking also about people. think you've also obviously had individuals that have impacted you and helped shape where you are today. And Is there somebody in particular that you'd like to share a story with us today that has had an impact and a ripple in your life? And if they're here in this call.

I can, it's okay, no worries. Must be part of the conversation as well.

What would you say to them?

Yeah, you know, I'm going to stay back to that same point. Again, you know, I have a lot of people that have helped me through my career. Absolutely. You get these great sponsors. You have great mentors. But it's probably that same person that I mentioned as a great salesman that got me to join the New Novartis account, a gentleman named Adrian Cohn. He's probably one that changed my career. And it was, you know, one of, in your book, that story of, you know, of learning was also, he was my mentor.

Right.

He was my boss, right? So was my boss for a long time. I guess about eight years he was my boss. we got along well, a boss is a boss as well, right? So you have to take direction of what happened. But I think he was straight up with me most of the time, and most of the time things went really well. And when they didn't go well, we had really good conversations. He's the one that recommended that I should treat, to look at people for their whole selves and really of the individual.

Yeah, true.

Yeah.

⁓ and, And over time he became my mentor. So when he, when he wasn't my boss, after a while he moved, he moved back to the UK. He was here in Switzerland. And so he was, he was someone that I trusted, you know, quite a lot with as my career was going on, who I would talk to. ⁓ and, and even when I left IBM and when I was deciding to, to join Google or I had an offer for my IQVIA as well. ⁓ I kept, he was my, I was talking to him at that stage he was retired. So he was not, he was not working anymore. So he had a lot more free time to talk to me.

And especially during COVID, I still remember I was having video calls with him. had this big beard. He's like, yeah, I'm not shaving anymore. It's COVID. One of those things. But yeah, over the career, and even now, we still talk. I still keep in touch with him. And our families know each other as well. One of those things that, yeah. I was looking back of how our relationship became more of a friendship at one stage. And it was, what was that? I guess it would be.

Wow, that's incredible.

He was still my boss at the time, but it was 2010, 9? I don't know, maybe 11. There was one, remember the volcano ash that hit over Iceland? Whatever that was. I don't know.

Right, yes, yes. I don't know what

year it was, but I remember where I was because I was impacted by it. It's funny, it's one of those you always know. Yeah, I was in, no, no, no, I was in the volcano, that was the other one. That was the terror attack, but I was in Pennsylvania during the ash cloud, yeah, or the volcano.

So I was in, I was in, we talked about this, you were in Brussels, that was the other one. Yeah. That's right.

Because I was in, we

were in for work together in Beijing, right? or we were in Shanghai. We were in Shanghai. No, we were in Shanghai. We were in Beijing and then we were in Shanghai together and then we were supposed to fly back to Switzerland. And the volcano ash closed all the flights, right? So it kept delaying flights and finally canceling it. So we kept going.

Yeah.

Mm.

And then finally, flight was canceled, tried to book a new flight. It was like three weeks later to get back. So we had both packed for three days, right? we worked from there for a while and then we got flights to the US. So we went actually around the world to get back to Switzerland. While we were there, we were just, yeah, we spent a lot of time together. like, know, we were researching restaurants every night we're trying

The longest business trip.

That bonds, that makes a bond.

restaurants because what do do when you're stuck traveling in a beautiful city like Shanghai? So yeah, we spent a lot of time together for like over a week. And I think that, you know, all of sudden you had your friendship, your work relationship became also a personal relationship. I think we still remember that time together. But, know, to answer your other question, what would I say to him? I think it would just be a thank you. You know, very simply, he's been a great, was a great supporter of my career, a great sponsor.

You

Yeah, yeah.

a difficult, not a difficult, challenging boss, a fair boss, but a boss and a good friend. So I want to thank him for all that. And I would also thank him for still being, we still talk and now the conversations are very different, but we're still out there as colleagues that turned into friends.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's incredible. And it's interesting that you say that because I was speaking to someone else and they were talking also about the challenging conversations that with these individuals and with people that we engage with, the nice ones are great. You have wonderful conversations. But to be able to have those challenging conversations, those are pivotal. Those are key to be able to do that.

Absolutely.

Yeah. And it links back to the question of how did you learn the industry? I remember when I first joined the account, he had already worked at AstraZeneca for IBM. So he knew the industry much better than I did at that stage. Probably when he left, I probably knew it better than him. There's a point that when you do consulting on that side. The first, I don't know, the first or second one on one we had, he literally gave me the annual report of Novartis and of Roche. Print out of it, the big, big thing.

Yeah.

This is back in early 2000s, so of course you still had to these. You should

read these and it'll help you understand the industry a lot.

I'm

like, all right. Really?

I did skim them, I have to say. did read them because

they are, I mean, actually, annual reports, especially back then, there was a lot more content than have now, right? I think back then they had a lot more, really, their strategy was coming out in the reports. Now they just, you know, give their numbers, right? Because it's all video-based. But yeah.

That's true, they're very insight, yeah.

Mmm.

Yeah, that's true. That'd

be interesting to pull up annual reports from 20 years ago to today to do a comparison.

I keep the diet through those out. I don't keep paper, so everything's lost.

All right, we won't do that. That'll be another topic comparing annual reports. Well, that's great. And actually, we'll have to share this with it. We'll make sure you share this with him when it comes out because it's so fantastic, I think, for people to hear that, yeah, that that's what their legacy is, that they had a positive impact on individuals. So it's so important to thank them. So thanks for sharing that.

Yeah.

I will,

Yeah, that's a great idea.

I will.

So we know Adrian, right, that was his name, Adrian's legacy, but what about yours? So thinking about your legacy sometimes can seem maybe a bit strange because you think, ⁓ you know, also it's these huge moments, you know, I've discovered something or I did things, but I believe that our legacies are woven into just what we do every day and how we engage with people and even have conversations with individuals. But what about yours? What is something that you would like,

your legacy to be or that you would like people to remember you by.

Yeah, that's a tough one. I don't know if my legacy is yet written, right? So I still think I got years to work. I may still, something may come out. Christina. Wow. You knew Christina. She was this, right? I don't know. Maybe that's still to be, to be defined. But if I look back again, you know, I've, I've, I've led, I've led, I've been, I've been led and I've led, right? So, you know, I've, I've been in really successful teams and I've also led, I think what I would say would be successful teams. And I think they're all of that, you know,

That's alright, yeah.

Yeah

What you see is what you get, right? I always feel like I try to be as authentic as possible. mean, There's sometimes you have to, know, things change. You have to do what you have do. I feel like, you know, I've been an authentic leader throughout my career. And that's what I kind of want people to remember me by, know, what I always loved, I mean, and it's happened to many times. I've had many people say, I took this job so I could work with you.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Wow, that's a huge compliment. Yeah.

And that, is, and you know, and it was

just kind of like, really? You're serious. Cause you're not trying to just make this up, but like, no, no, really. You know, I really wanted to work with the team, really, or, you know, sometimes it's matrix. I really wanted to work with you. Right. And, that was just, that's like the best confidence you can get actually. Right. So, so, and I would always ask why and they'd be like, well, cause you bring so much enthusiasm. You bring so much charisma and you know, you just tell it like it is.

Yeah.

Yeah, it is.

Yeah, you do.

You know, you don't sugarcoat stuff. you know, I hope that, you know, those people that have said that to me is reminiscent, is actually actual, right? You know, That's probably, I've had so many different types of jobs and different types of roles that, you know, whether you're managing your individual contributor, all those different things, right? It's gotta be, some of the people wanna talk to you. They wanna come and get to know you, right? And that's what I hope, you know, they a remember.

Yeah.

Yep.

Yeah, well,

I can attest to that because when we met, I saw you were on a stage and you were speaking at a conference, HBA conference. And I remember we were the conference wasn't in rows, it was at tables. And so we were all like, whoa, the what you did with the topic was incredible. And afterwards I was like, I have to talk to her. And you did that in your talk. And I was like, this.

Yeah, exactly.

And I was like, oh, she has to be in the book. Oh, God, she's going to think I'm crazy. I don't even know her. I'm going to. But I just I need to make this. This has to happen. And you did that. And that was the way your authentic way, the way that you spoke, the way that you address the topic. Yeah, it was just infectious. And It wasn't just me. It was everyone else that was around there as well. So you definitely that is one tick. That is one part of your legacy for sure.

Thank you.

Yeah, fantastic. Now, I like to speak at conferences, as you know, right? So it's always fun to do that. Absolutely.

Yeah, you do that well.

Yeah, well, Christina, thank you. As always, I so enjoy our conversations. Yeah, I really, really do. We should. I was talking to someone last week about that. We used to volunteer together for the HBA, and now we've shifted and we don't have these regular calls. And we have decided to set up a monthly call. And that's what we need to do.

As do I. We should do them more often.

Yeah.

Just set up 20 minutes coffee chat just to do it because I think that if we don't, just, everyone gets involved in their lives. Like you said this morning, know, where does the time go? And scheduling those chats is just, yeah, so valuable and great. And we don't lose track. So I'm gonna reach out to you. That's my commitment for today. And that we find a time and we can schedule something regularly again.

100%.

Fantastic. Yeah.

I look forward to it. No, definitely for sure. All right. Well, thank you very much. Really a pleasure to be on your podcast. Yeah. And to have a face-to-face and not just a recording. Hopefully I passed that.

All right. Thanks.

end.

I know now we just see each other. All right, Christine,

have a good week and we will chat again soon. Take care. Bye bye.

Take care. Thanks very much. Bye bye.