What if the biggest risk in pharma wasn’t bold innovation — but staying exactly where we are?
This conversation with Marc Gailhardou challenged the way I see leadership, growth, and purpose in a world that never stops shifting.
Marc is the President of MSD’s EEMEA region and board member of the digital-health startup Resilience. With a career built on bold transitions between global headquarters and local markets, Marc brings a unique mix of strategic depth, operational clarity, and genuine human insight.
Together, we explore how he navigates one of the most complex regions in global health, what emerging markets can teach mature systems, how purpose guides career decisions, and why clarity, courage, and connection matter more than ever.
What you’ll hear in this episode:
◾️ What it really means to lead 25% of the world’s population
◾️ The mindset shift that changes everything in so-called “emerging” markets
◾️ Why distance helped him see Europe more clearly
◾️ The hidden tension between global vision and local reality
◾️ A radically different way to think about career risk
◾️ The one leadership question that has guided him for 20 years
◾️ What stepping into a startup taught him
◾️ Why trust in pharma requires more nuance than strength or vulnerability alone
I invited Marc because of his remarkable ability to listen, his humility, his eagerness to learn from others, and his entire set of talents needed to thrive in a transforming world. This is a leader you need to hear — urgently.
👉 Tune in and let Marc shift the way you think about leadership in pharma.
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Chapters:
00:00:00 — The hidden risk shaping pharma’s future
00:02:10 — How global–local transitions quietly shape powerful pharma leaders
00:07:58 — The real difference between acting global and operating local
00:15:55 — Leading in EEMEA: inside one of pharma’s most complex regions
00:20:16 — High-growth markets: the bold strategy mindset europe forgot
00:27:10 — The long-run mindset: why career growth is a marathon, not a sprint
00:33:22 — Purpose in action: the real driver behind marc’s career choices
00:38:36 — Leadership evolution: the traits forged by sweden, the us and EEMEA
00:44:44 — Getting out of the bubble: why marc chooses discomfort to stay relevant
00:50:58 — How Pharma can be more trusty in the future
00:55:25 — Pharma and society needs: how leaders can navigate in 2026
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Find Marc Gailhardou:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-gailhardou-aa51811/?originalSubdomain=ch
Resources mentioned in the episode:
📌 Delphine Horvilleur
📌 MSD https://www.msd.com/
📌 The startup Resilience Care https://www.resilience.care/fr
📌 The podcast mentioned by Marc about risk and purpose (in French) : https://podcast.ausha.co/une-philosophie-le-podcast-de-charles-pepin/jusqu-ou-aimer-le-risque
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