My role as a Senior Director in market access

Written by Alison Lawrence

A fervor for staying ahead of the curve in healthcare innovation and contributing to patient care are key motivations for Alison Lawrence, Senior Director at PRMA Consulting, part of Fishawack Health. In this update, one of our series about careers in market access, Alison explains what drew her to the job and what it takes to succeed in a career in biopharmaceutical policy, access, value, and evidence.

What drew you to work within market access at PRMA Consulting?

It’s fair to say that when I left clinical practice in a UK hospital, it was a bit of a leap of faith for me as I was uncertain whether I would adapt to a commercial environment. After a period of freelancing wrapped around the demands of being a parent, I joined PRMA Consulting. With its supportive culture and close working relationships, it’s been the perfect next step in my career.

I really enjoy being able to utilize my experience as a practicing pharmacist, as well as learning from the myriad of projects I have worked on over my career.

The key driver for me developing my career in market access is the variety of work and being able to stay ahead of the curve in healthcare innovation. Healthcare has remained my passion, but these days I get to contribute to patient care in a different way.

What does it take to succeed as a Senior Director within market access?

Our global team is wonderfully diverse and inclusive, and I think that is critical to our success. We have a variety of backgrounds, personalities, skills, and ambitions. Diversity drives innovation and we encourage different approaches and perspectives in our collaborative partnerships.

Of course, our clients are the sun we revolve around, and I enjoy working as a team with my internal colleagues and clients on a variety of parallel projects.

What are you working on now?

I am part of the senior team so I am always here to coach, mentor, share experiences, and support new team members in their career development. I like leading training sessions and ‘seeing the penny drop’ when learners take what you have shared and apply it in real life.

I am also delighted to be leading a new offering for our clients called MALCOM: Market Access Learning COMpendium. MALCOM is an on-demand e-learning platform that helps market access teams of all sizes to upskill and keep their finger on the pulse of evolving policy, access, value and evidence landscapes.

We have poured years of senior consulting experience into MALCOM and have engaged our global payers to ensure relevancy.

How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Having a family certainly shifts your priorities and challenges your time management skills. I want to look at myself in the mirror and know I have done my best work and been the best mum I can be.

This requires setting careful boundaries between my personal and professional lives, with respect for the demands of each. I don’t always get it right, but over the years, I have become well-practiced at giving my full attention to one or the other.