Read the Conversation
EF: What was the mission you were given two months ago, and what were your first impressions or diagnostics when you arrived?
JC: I found a very different company than the one I left 10 years and a half ago. It grew exponentially, particularly during the last three years. The pandemic laid a platform through which the company really did well. Our focus today is to achieve global leadership in Dermatology as an independent company. Our mindset changed when we became independent, and we are clearly much more focused on our mission, which is advancing Dermatology for every skin story. Today, we deliver an innovative, science-based portfolio of premium flagship brands and services that span the full spectrum of the fast-growing Dermatology market. Galderma has a unique integrated Dermatology strategy and three big pillars with fast-passed market growth. One is Injectable Aesthetics and everything that goes with injectable procedures. The second is Dermo-Cosmetics and the third is Therapeutic Dermatology. I came to oversee flawlessness in all the company's operations and prepare the organization to continue growing at double-digit rates in the next 2 to 5 years. Also, to guide the organization for the digital world that we're facing. We need to make sure we are putting the right resources on drivers as well, so we can communicate more often with consumers, patients, and healthcare professionals through digital platforms.
EF: 2020 was a year of prevention and diagnostics, and 2021 was the year of vaccines, what do you think 2022 would be the year of?
JC: I think it's the year of awareness of the importance of health. A year of reckoning on the importance of being healthy by understanding how prevention is key, and how vaccination is fundamental for our society. We are going back to normal thanks to what the pharmaceutical companies have been able to pull off together with diagnostic companies, and the whole government ecosystem that has partnered with these companies to provide what is needed.
EF: What lessons, growth opportunities, and operational perspectives have you learned, as a manager and company-wise?
JC: As a leader, I would say that it was a pleasant surprise to see that we were better prepared than we thought to continue operating and working from home. It's very important for us to understand how resilient organizations, leaders, and employees can continue delivering on what is vital, working in an industry that's key. In terms of the dynamics, our manufacturing facilities worked around the clock to deliver to pharmacies as well.
We're very flexible today and learned that people don't get to grasp the culture of a company or organization through Zoom. We were able to be more flexible by managing our teams remotely, but we also understood the real value of getting together, making sure creativity and innovation continue flowing. We learned to be time conscious, focused, and attentive for both personal and professional hats. Creating a working schedule and/or timetable for maximum work input even though working from home.
EF: What is the current market potential of Galderma in Brazil, and how are you capitalizing on the market to the portfolio?
JC: Brazil is the third-largest market for Dermatology worldwide and it's growing very fast, second to the US and China. There’s double-digit growth in many areas. We're talking about high teens when it comes to Therapeutic Dermatology. In Dermo-Cosmetics, depending on what you look at, you can sometimes have a 25% growth rate. So, it's a very dynamic market. When it comes to Injectable Aesthetics, it's way more interesting than it was before. The pandemic is one of the main reasons why this market grew so quickly.
This whole thing started in terms of shifting this dynamic, which was already good for a growth that was exponential. Dermatologists and plastic surgeons' offices started receiving a lot of new patients who wanted to look better and younger and feel healthier. This triggered a lot of consultations that were not part of the patient's agenda, and it became part of the agenda because of what we lived through during the pandemic, this market is growing much faster than it did before. The growth rate of this market has been double digits above 10% in all of those three different pillars, not only in Brazil.
Brazilians as patients are very mindful of their looks and looks influence whether you feel healthy or not. 10 to 15 years ago, Dermatologists were a little bit less inclined to treat Dermatology as a whole, they focused more on the therapeutic medicines and drugs to treat Dermatology. Now, they also have the aesthetics part of the business and the consultation linked to, 'how can I look better,' not only healthier, which became a very interesting dynamic for opportunities to grow. You also have new procedures and techniques and products and portfolios like what Galderma has that allows those doctors to treat the patients better, not only in the face but also in the body.
EF: Is this where the pipeline is going?
JC: We have a very rich pipeline in all three segments. Doctors are now looking into the perspective of harmonizing the treatment for healthier skin for every single patient. We're talking about advancing Dermatology for every skin story because every patient is different. For example, in Injectable Aesthetics, when talking about a bio stimulator, a filler, or a neuromodulator, health care practitioners are going to use them differently depending on the patient they have in front. For Dermo-Cosmetics, a physician will recommend a cleanser, or moisturizer depending on how oily or dry the skin of the patient is. It becomes very much tailor-made so that your solution is unique to you. Same thing with prescription drugs for Dermatology. So, Galderma’s pipeline will bring innovation that will allow doctors to continue individualizing their treatments as much as possible.
EF: What do you think is going to be the role of digital tools in helping advance the skin story of each skin?
JC: Many things changed, mainly because of these new digital tools we have in our hands every single second, things are evolving so quickly that we are trying to understand better what we're doing, and how this is going to be unfolding into the next year. A month ago, I had the chance to go with a group of clients to Silicon Valley to learn and to better understand the upcoming trends for our consumers and clients.
How would they be consuming information on their health, considering everything is digital today? We want them to be more conscious of how they are interacting with these media. Instagram, in many cases, is a problem as well. It portrays an image of beauty that is not always true with filters, creating an idea that sometimes is unattainable. We are trying to understand as well how to make this as real as possible so that people understand that they can get better without looking at an unattainable image of someone who doesn't even exist because he or she is full of filters. For that, we're partnering with influencers together with doctors.
A week ago, we had a meeting with influencers, dermatologists, and plastic surgeons to exchange quality information on how to take care of your skin, and how important it is for you to always have some reliable sources of information. That's what we're doing with influencers, not to put our brands out there, but to link them with what doctors are doing so that we have something more scientifically driven when it comes to communicating to consumers and patients alike.
EF: Is there something on Galderma's pipeline that you are particularly excited about that is coming in the future?
JC: Certainly. In all three areas, we have a very rich pipeline that will see fruition in the next five years. It's continually happening, in the case of Dermo-Cosmetics, and it's easier to see because of the dynamics of certain brands, especially the ones that have lifecycle management that's full of innovation. That's the life of Dermo-Cosmetics, where one must be very dynamic in terms of launches. In Therapeutic Dermatology, many clinical trials are being conducted, with new molecules for diseases such as Prurigo nodularis, Atopic Dermatitis, and acne, which are bothersome for patients. When it comes to Injectable Aesthetics, we're also exploring new opportunities to deliver tools that are good for health care practitioners to tailor-made what they are working on with patients.
