Vigilance Unplugged

Alan White

In this episode of Vigilance Unplugged, Alan White tells a story of chance, courage and calculated pivots: a business-student from Liverpool who lands in the Czech Republic, stumbles into translation work, and discovers a regulatory niche that becomes the spark for Arriello. Through vivid scenes—knocking on doors with printed CVs, awkward early sales pitches in a pizzeria, and the crunch of global financial shock—Alan traces the twists that turned frustration into a founding moment. As the narrative unfolds, we follow the hard lessons of growth: why sticking to what you do well matters, how culture and leadership shape careers, and how technology and AI are changing the rules of pharmacovigilance. Alan’s candid reflections—on bosses who made him cry, interns thrown in at the deep end, and the difficult choices that create resilience—weave together personal stakes with industry-wide shifts. Tune in to hear a human story about building a business in a regulated world: the setbacks, the strategy pivots, and the long view on where life sciences are headed—and what he would tell his younger self about taking risks, learning fast, and staying curious.

Stephanie Martin

She began as a child inspired by a kindly pediatrician and ended up reshaping how companies keep patients safe. In this episode Stephanie Martin traces a winding path through biochemistry studies in France, a life-changing move to the UK, and formative roles at GSK, a CRO, Sanofi and Eli Lilly — each stop sharpening her instincts for quality and risk. As an auditor Stephanie learned to balance detail and perspective, to turn deviations into opportunities, and to teach teams that audits are a partnership, not a police visit. She shares the moment she chose independence, founding SMPV Limited, and how that leap let her scale the impact of her values: smarter systems, simpler processes, and clearer focus on patient safety. Along the way she confronts the challenges of a changing PV landscape — AI, localization, and the temptation to move fast without asking why — and invites listeners to pause, think critically, and redesign pharmacovigilance with patients at the center.

Adam Sherlock

On this episode of Vigilance Unplugged, Adam Sherlock an accidental life sciences leader walks us through a four-decade career shaped by curiosity, serendipity and strategic risk. From a failed fast-jet dream to clinical microbiology, from building RegTracker to leading multiple buy-and-build ventures, Adam reveals the pivotal moments, the tough calls, and the intuition that guided him through growth, exits and transformation. We dig into the evolving landscape of pharmacovigilance and life sciences: how blending technology and services unlocks new efficiencies, why AI and digitalization are rewriting service delivery, and what private equity-driven consolidation means for innovation. Along the way, Adam shares his pragmatic leadership playbook for the first 90 days, the trade-offs between CEO and non-executive roles, and a striking vision of a future shaped by wearable health data and personalized care. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, an investor, or a curious listener, this conversation offers lessons on following curiosity, making bold career moves, and leading teams through change — all while keeping people and culture at the center of decision-making.

Rena Pandit

In this episode of Vigilance Unplugged, Rena Pandit recounts how a chance move to the UK turned a hospital pharmacist into a global pharmacovigilance leader. Through vivid scenes, late-night case processing, building teams from scratch, and learning in EMA corridors—she reveals the unexpected turns that shaped a career dedicated to patient safety. Rena traces the industry’s arc from paper and fax to paperless systems, vendor partnerships, and the looming promise of AI and predictive safety. Along the way she shares hard-earned insights on inspection readiness, vendor trust, and the fragile foundations of ICSR work, inviting listeners into the tension between legal duty and meaningful impact. Practical, candid, and human, this conversation closes with a call to invest in yourself: take risks, learn the fundamentals, and lead with curiosity as the future of life sciences reshapes how we protect patients. Tune in to hear the stories behind the science.

David Kolosic

Join Indy as he sits down with David Kolosic, whose unexpected detour, from a small Slovenian town and a failed pharmacy exam to quality assurance, regulatory work, and eventually a pivotal role at Veeva, reveals how chance, curiosity and grit can remake a career. Through candid stories of internships, risky moves to Barcelona, and the excitement of building Veeva Safety, David uncovers the human choices behind technical change. Hear how data, platform thinking and a bold AI roadmap are reshaping pharmacovigilance, why standardizing information matters more than hype, and how one company’s values turned customers into fans. This episode blends personal resilience with clear-eyed predictions for the next five years in life sciences. Tune in for practical advice for early-career listeners, about networking, soft skills and leading by influence, and for anyone curious about where technology, regulation and patient safety intersect.