239 Rami Suzuki, President ARC Therapies

Previously Rami was President of Moderna Japan, CEO of Ferring
Pharmaceuticals, VP Head Medical Affairs Division Janssen
Pharmaceuticals,  Corporate Officer, Business Development
Eisai.


Summary


Rami Suzuki’s leadership journey is marked by adaptability,
honesty, and a commitment to empowering others. Beginning her
career as a cancer researcher, she quickly realized her strengths
lay in enabling scientists rather than conducting experiments
herself. This realization led her to venture capital and later to
executive roles in pharmaceutical and biotech companies, where
she managed teams across diverse cultural landscapes.


Suzuki’s leadership philosophy centers on honesty. She believes
in expressing both praise and concerns openly, ensuring that her
team members feel valued while also addressing challenges
directly. This transparency builds trust and fosters engagement,
helping employees feel safe to share ideas and mistakes without
fear. She sees mistakes not as personal failures but as systemic
issues that can often be resolved through better alignment
between roles and individuals.


A strong advocate of creating an empowering environment, Suzuki
prioritizes making employees comfortable and motivated in their
roles. She believes in adjusting leadership styles based on
cultural contexts, noting that while leading multinational teams
in London came naturally, managing Japanese teams required
learning Japan’s unique business culture. She found that Japanese
employees often hesitate to share ideas or admit mistakes due to
cultural norms but discovered that remote work and written
communication encouraged more participation from reserved
individuals.


Building engagement within teams is another cornerstone of her
leadership. When she led Moderna Japan, she grew the team from
three to over a hundred in just 18 months while maintaining high
morale. She credits this success to a culture of trust, shared
purpose, and active listening. Instead of dictating solutions,
she encourages discussion and collaboration, often leveraging
off-site retreats (gasshuku) for deeper engagement and
idea-sharing.


On leadership challenges, she highlights the difficulty of
balancing corporate, national, and personal leadership styles
within global organizations. She advises foreign leaders in Japan
to immerse themselves in the culture—not just through work but by
enjoying Japanese food, art, and history. She also stresses the
importance of clear communication with international headquarters
to bridge cultural misunderstandings.


Suzuki’s leadership is defined by a non-authoritarian, enabling
approach where people are encouraged to work toward a shared
mission. She likens leadership to traditional Japanese
music—where each individual contributes their own unique sound
rather than conforming to a single melody. In her view, great
leadership does not come from being the loudest voice in the room
but from creating an environment where every voice can be heard.