Succeeding as a Life Sciences Consultant

Ryan Tubman (MBP '09) has more than a decade of consulting experience, and during that time he has identified perhaps the single most important skill needed to be an effective consultant: 

Trust.

Trust is necessary when you're brought into an organization as an outside resource and asked to help accomplish something new or change a strategy that isn't working. It can be a challenge to convince clients to follow your recommendations, particularly if they run counter to preconceived notions or actions. With trust, the process becomes a lot easier.

So, how do you develop trust as a consultant? Tubman said it all comes down to relationship building. 

"Relationships are built over time and typically through past work and referrals," Tubman said. "Clients want to hear that you understand their needs and know how to help solve them." 

Since 2018, Tubman has been doing that as managing director at ClearView Healthcare Partners, a strategy consulting firm focused exclusively in the life science industry. Tubman leads the company's advanced analytics practice and co-leads its San Francisco office. His specific work is focused on helping life science clients make strategic choices related to clinical and commercial strategy, including how they choose and prioritize research targets, understand markets, and launch their products. 

Learn more about life as a consultant and other industries MBP alumni go into in our latest e-book, Biotechnology In and Out of the Lab. 

Life sciences consulting is more clinically based than general management consulting, Tubman said, and is focused more on a deep understanding of a specific industry rather than management practices. As managing director, Tubman gets a first-hand look at the breadth of work being pursued within the pharmaceutical industry. 

"The industry is rapidly changing and adopting and incorporating new data and methodologies," Tubman said. "It’s fun to be able to bring all of those opportunities to a firm." 

To be successful, Tubman relies on the fundamental scientific knowledge he honed in MBP. He also leverages the critical thinking skills he developed in the program to logically address new challenges clients present. 

Beyond those technical traits, Tubman credits the program's structure as well as Northwestern's reputation for helping him get where he is today.

"MBP gave me both a strong technical background and the ability to flexibly pursue electives where I could learn more about the business side of the industry," Tubman said. "Being at a top school like Northwestern also gave me exposure to recruiting options that don’t exist everywhere."