Brain Power: Meet Lis Brøsted Zimmermann, Director, Knowledge Management and Training
Embracing change and impacting brain health
“The job opportunity as Global Brand Manager initially caught my attention, but what truly resonated was the incredible people and the warm atmosphere I encountered throughout the interview process. From that moment on, I knew I was becoming part of the Lundbeck family,” Lis Brøsted Zimmermann, Director, Knowledge Management and Training reveals.
Having explored biotech and rare diseases at another company, returning to Lundbeck in 2022 felt like a homecoming for Lis.
“The collaborative and friendly environment that defines Lundbeck's culture played a pivotal role in my decision. It's a feeling of coming back to my roots, to my family,” she says.
After 22 years in commercial roles, Lis took a leap of faith and took on a director role in Medical Affairs.
A life-long learner
Her move from commercial to medical was motivated by several factors.
“I'm a lifelong learner who is always seeking new challenges. Collaborating with Medical Affairs during my various roles made me realize the power of cross-functional teamwork. The evolving healthcare landscape, especially in rare diseases, opened my eyes to the need for adapting and enhancing patient outcomes. Embracing these changes, my role expanded into Medical Affairs, and I found myself truly enjoying it,” Lis elaborates.
“As the Director of Knowledge Management and Training in the Global Medical Affairs Excellence team, one of my responsibilities is to elevate Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) Excellence through their unbiased scientific exchange and non-promotional engagements. MSLs are field-based scientific experts contributing to the medical strategy and fostering scientific peer-to-peer interactions with key external experts in each therapeutic area, for example, health care professionals and patient organizations. In addition, I'm dedicated to supporting the enablement of strategic leadership of Medical Affairs and ensuring our glocal model continues to expand,” she explains.
“What resonates most about Lundbeck is the dedication to restoring brain health while embracing diversity. Curiosity and change are encouraged, fostering a community of passionate colleagues eager to lead change within the organization.” Lis Brøsted Zimmermann
Leveraging the glocal model
Lundbeck’s so-called glocal model in Medical Affairs is all about collaboration. Through various communities and working groups, including among others the Medical Education task force, Medical Affairs Leaders Forum, Umbrella Real World Evidence (RWE) study, Compliance Excellence working group, Medical Affairs Strategy Plans, we co-develop projects and deliverables, we share knowledge and best practices across our global and local Medical Affairs teams. This collaboration ensures that both global and local needs shape our work and are reflected in the outcome.
From support function to strategic leader
Seeing the Medical Affairs function evolving from a support function into a strategic leader on par with R&D and Commercial was a game-changer for Lis. It offered growth opportunities that aligned with her past experiences while allowing her to learn new skills.
“I'm grateful that Lundbeck and Medical Affairs embraced my diverse background. In both Commercial and Medical Affairs, there are amazing people dedicated to restoring brain health. The primary distinction lies in the skill sets – scientific backgrounds in Medical Affairs and business acumen in Commercial. Learning from each other benefits both areas,” Lis concludes.