Kana Matsubara’s journey into pharmaceutical development was sparked at a very young age, when a beloved family member was diagnosed with cancer.
“I remember her fight, and how the cancer treatments allowed her to continue living a joyful life,” Kana reflects. This early experience ignited her interest in medicine and inspired her to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Graduating from Hiroshima University, Kana earned her pharmacist license in Japan. Her professional journey began as a Clinical Research Associate at Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., an R&D-driven specialty pharma focusing on the fields of oncology, headquartered in Tokyo.
Kana’s drive to excel advanced her career into a pivotal role as a Product Leader in Clinical Development. Recently, she was promoted to Product Chair, leading an international team developing a new cancer drug, currently undergoing a global clinical trial in collaboration with its U.S. subsidiary, Taiho Oncology, Inc.
Leading a global team presents significant challenges for any leader. Kana embraced the challenge of guiding multi-functional teams across different time zones, cultures, languages, and perspectives. She recognized early on in her leadership role that helping her team overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential would require new skill sets and innovative thinking.
When given the opportunity to expand her horizons through a global management development program abroad by Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd., the parent company of Taiho Pharmaceutical, Kana looked to Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education.
“My top priority in choosing a program was to hone my leadership skills for effectively leading diverse teams, as well as my negotiation and persuasion skills vital for motivating others,” Kana says. “I also sought a program that would allow me to interact with peers in similar situations, fostering meaningful exchanges and mutual growth.
With endorsement from colleagues who had attended Stanford GSB Executive Education programs, Kana enrolled in Managing Teams for Innovation and Success (MTIS).
Building and Leading High-Performance Teams
Kana recalls her anticipation for the one-week, in-person MTIS program. “I was eager to bring back valuable insights on how a global team should work and tools for managing such a diverse team.”
The MTIS curriculum covers the dynamics of diverse teams, managing team interactions, working in teams across boundaries, and using design thinking for innovation, among other topics.
Kana was particularly interested in mastering how to avoid “process loss” that prevents groups from achieving their full potential and how to help her team of clinical development personnel, researchers, biostatisticians, regulatory personnel, and others collaborate efficiently — critical in bringing new oncology products to market.
During her week on campus, learning with other team leaders, Kana gained insights for helping her diverse team achieve its benchmarks.
“I comprehended two essential elements of effective team management,” she says. “One is managing information, and the other is managing team members’ motivation. I explored methodologies to persuade, negotiate, and obtain consensus from a wide range of function experts. And I learned the importance of ensuring that everyone’s opinion is heard.”
Kana also found value in the case studies and hands-on simulations, as well as learning with other team leaders from different industries. “The debriefing sessions after the small-group activities made the theoretical concepts much clearer to me,” she says. “And the connections I formed with other participants are truly precious to me.”
Gaining Confidence as a Global Team Leader
The connections Kana made in the program continue to inspire her. “Meeting driven participants from around the world has been incredibly motivating,” she says. “The desire to continue developing myself so that I can proudly reconnect with them someday serves as a powerful source of inspiration.”
In addition to gaining valuable leadership insights, the program also helped her build confidence in her abilities as a global team leader. Now she has the tools, knowledge, and mindset to evaluate how her team is working together, ensure all team members are heard and contribute, and make adjustments as needed.
“Self-reflection led to immediate changes in my behavior, such as speaking up more when I believed it was necessary and creating more opportunities for communication within the team. Additionally, I shared what I had learned and reflected upon with those around me, trying to foster a more open and communicative work environment.”
Kana emphasizes a critical insight that “pharmaceutical development cannot be achieved by one person alone,” and the program has given her team-leading skills that she will build on going forward, as she does her part to discover new ways to treat cancer. “The MTIS program has equipped me with a valuable compass to navigate my future career as a pharmaceutical leader.”
