This week, Isabel brings together three expert voices for an end-of-year round-up, reflecting on the moments that shaped healthcare and life sciences in 2025. Joined by Jonathan Sackier, Chairman, Medical Advisory Board, EMJ, Hanna Svanbäck, Executive Director for Neuroscience, Eli Lilly, and omnichannel expert Yacin Marzouki, the conversation looks back on a year defined by both disruption and progress.

Across the episode, the contributors share their perspectives on the biggest setbacks and standout successes of the past 12 months, from regulatory uncertainty and access challenges to collaboration, innovation and scientific momentum. They also reflect on the lessons 2025 has taught them, and what those insights mean for patients, industry and the year ahead.

Hanna Svanbäck

Executive Director for Neuroscience, Eli Lilly

With over 15 years at Eli Lilly, Hanna leads Neuroscience operations across the UK, Ireland and the Nordics, driving scientific innovation and patient-centred research.

Jonathan Sackier

Chairman, Medical Advisory Board, EMJ

Jonathan is a surgeon by training and a founding partner of many start-ups in the medical technology space, as well as being the creator of the world's first operating room robot.

Yacin Marzouki

Omnichannel expert

Within the pharmaceutical sector, Yacin specialises in shaping seamless customer journeys, driving content activation and aligning global strategies with local execution.

In Part 3, Carol Pitcher-Towner, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, explores how the pharmaceutical industry can become part of the solution. She highlights why leadership diversity matters, how trial design still excludes too many women and why embedding sex- and gender-aware science from day one could accelerate fairer, more effective care for everyone.

Speaker bio

Carol Pitcher-Towner is Senior Vice President and Head of Development Programs at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Since joining the company in 2014 as one of its first European regulatory leaders, she has gone on to oversee patient safety, risk management and Alnylam's global development portfolio. With more than 20 years of experience, including roles at AstraZeneca, Carol brings deep expertise across regulatory affairs and clinical development. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Warwick and was named an HBA Luminary in 2022 for her commitment to inclusive, patient-focused innovation.

This content was reviewed by Alnylam UK Ltd for compliance with regulations applicable to the pharmaceutical industry only.

In Part 2, Carol Pitcher-Towner, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, breaks down the systemic forces driving inequity, from diagnostic bias to the lack of women in key specialties like cardiology, and explains how historical clinical trial exclusion continues to skew the science. Discover why representation isn't just a workforce issue: it's a scientific necessity, and the first barrier we must dismantle to ensure better care for everyone.

Speaker bio

Carol Pitcher-Towner is Senior Vice President and Head of Development Programs at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals. Since joining the company in 2014 as one of its first European regulatory leaders, she has gone on to oversee patient safety, risk management and Alnylam's global development portfolio. With more than 20 years of experience, including roles at AstraZeneca, Carol brings deep expertise across regulatory affairs and clinical development. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Warwick and was named an HBA Luminary in 2022 for her commitment to inclusive, patient-focused innovation.

This content was reviewed by Alnylam UK Ltd for compliance with regulations applicable to the pharmaceutical industry only.