Member Spotlight: Saurabh Shetti 🧬 Head of Data Strategy & Acquisition, Genentech | Gies iMBA
Join us here: https://meet.google.com/gsk-jxxg-wev
Or dial: (US) +1 574-213-3012 PIN: 765 216 688# More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/gsk-jxxg-wev?pin=3202468638350
Saurabh Shetti is a data and analytics leader who has spent his career at the point where data meets commercial decision-making in life sciences. He currently serves as Head of Data Strategy and Acquisition at Genentech, where he shapes how the organization sources, governs, and operationalizes the data behind its commercial decisions.
The Highlights:
🧬 Big Pharma Data Leadership: Leads Data Strategy and Acquisition at Genentech — owning the question of what data the business should buy, build, trust, and retire, and the capability required to act on it.
📈 Across Stages of Biotech: Director of Data Strategy & Commercial Analytics at Cytokinetics and Associate Director at Jazz Pharmaceuticals — analytics leadership across launch-stage and commercial-stage organizations with very different resources and constraints.
🧠 Consultant to Operator: Over a decade at ZS Associates advising life sciences clients before moving in-house — a transition many people in our community are actively considering.
🤝 Community & Contribution: Lifetime member of Beta Gamma Sigma, HBR Advisory Council member, and former advisor to the Customer Experience Program Advisory Council at Cal State East Bay.
🎓 Gies Connection: iMBA from Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, plus an Advanced Project Management credential from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Engineering from Maharashtra Institute of Technology.
Ask him about:
- What "data acquisition" actually means inside a commercial pharma organization, and why it's a strategy problem rather than a procurement one
- How to move from consulting into an in-house leadership seat, and what changes when you own the outcome
- Where AI is genuinely delivering value in life sciences analytics today — and where it's still mostly theater
- Staying active and continuous learning mindset
- Finance and Investments
📅 Join us for Saurabh's Spotlight on Friday, September 11th at 5:00 PM PDT!
About the Member Spotlight Series 🎙️ Our community's greatest asset is the quiet depth of experience in the room. The Member Spotlight Series is designed to institutionalize that social capital — going beyond résumés to share not just where our members have been, but where they are going.
Join us each month for a high-signal Q&A diving into our featured member's unique edge, hard-earned lessons, and what they're exploring next.
Our goal is to help the Gies iDegrees Bay Area Community: 🔗 Make targeted, high-value introductions 🎯 Identify mentors and advisors for specific challenges 🚀 Surface opportunities for those navigating their next chapter (VP → C-suite, Operator → Investor, etc.)