by Holly Stefl, Chief Commercial Officer
Agilex Biolabs is proud to introduce the West Coast of the United States to their new Senior Business Development Director, Cameron Smith. Cameron has over 14 years in the CRO industry, specializing in preclinical drug development (originally, he began with pharmacology). He began his scientific life as a bench top scientist but migrated to the commercial side of the CRO industry when joining Charles River Laboratories. Over the course of his 14 years in the industry, Cameron has supporting clients through Discovery, Proof of Concept, Lead Optimization and IND-enabling studies, most recently with organizations like Labcorp (formerly Covance) in Europe, Asia/Pac and North America.
We sat down recently with Cameron to ask him about the things that motivate him as a Senior Business Development Director, and the way he has seen the industry change over his years in pharma and biotech. Take a few minutes to get to know Cameron by reading over our interview with him below.
What motivates you in your role as a Senior Business Development Director?
I have always found being a business development specialist fascinating and rewarding, as it places me at the forefront of the industry and gives me an opportunity to gain an insight into the development of novel and cutting-edge technologies right across the industry. Often, we’ll see biotechs who are going through the development process for the first time and require experienced CRO specialists to assist them through that process. Helping my clients through this process and seeing their technology advance and their companies grow is a fun and rewarding upshot to my day-to-day.
What changes have you seen take place within the industry, and how have these changes affected the decision-making processes?
The only constant in the drug development industry is change. The role of business development and our feedback on industry trends is incredibly important. It’s vital we track the growing successes of particular drug types, regulatory requirements and that we ensure our CROs are equipped to stay ahead of the curve to meet the needs of clients within the changing environment. Like many other industries, there is an anticipation about how AI will streamline the drug development process. Hopefully it will allow an accelerated route to market for more effective/safer drugs – and at a reduced cost to the end user. In the coming years, it will be interesting to watch this new technology take shape and play a role in the future of drug development.
What made you drawn to work with Agilex Biolabs?
Agilex Biolabs is a company I knew well, long before joining the team recently. I had the opportunity to collaborate with them on a joint project, during which I was particularly impressed by the commercial and scientific support offered to their client. Their business model of providing scientific insight while leveraging local economic benefits was attracting both Australian and internationally clients. Lastly, I’d had the opportunity to meet with the Agilex team at all levels, from the technical teams to the C suite and it was clear that there was a vision that was being implemented. It was an excellent opportunity to join a client centric company that had an excellent offering.
Cameron Smith will be serving Agilex Biolabs customers in the area of the West Coast of the United States. If you would like to know more about how Agilex Biolabs can support your development process reach out to Cameron, by emailing Cameron.Smith@agilexbiolabs.com or by filling out the form here.
