Richard Withers, MBA

Strategic Advisor, London

Richard founded Deallus in 2004, he was essential in forming our original vision around the value that CI could bring to pharmaceutical clients. As a strategic advisor, he works to ensure that we continue to deliver best-in class competitive and strategic intelligence to our clients. He also supports the facilitation of client workshop, competitive simulations and direction-setting sessions.

How did you end up forming Deallus?

I started out in the army, and worked my way from infantry to commander before earning an intelligence role. After the army, I set out to earn an MBA and it was during this process that I started learning more about the pharmaceutical industry.

What I noticed was that it seemed to lack intelligence expertise, and I saw an opportunity to take my experience in the intelligence process and apply it to pharma. During this process, I realized how much of an unmet need the industry had in regards to people with a strong understanding of what was going on around them, which seemed to be a function of so many companies having a strong inward focus.

Part of my goals with Deallus was to shift that mindset and help people be aware of what was going on outside of your business, to see how it would affect their success and competitive advantage. In those first few years we focused on gaming and thorough analysis, and then we grew from there.

I pride myself on keeping my promises. I listen, and I commit to doing something, and then I do it. On top of that, I care about driving value in a lot of different forms. It has always felt good to be the one to solve the problem, or find the right person for the job, so I try to maximize my usefulness by seeking out where I can add the most value.

Life outside of work

Outside of continuing to work with Deallus as a strategic advisor I am in the proves of helping a few other companies to grow. I enjoy lending my advice where I can in those instances. I’m also trying to live a bit more locally, and I enjoy biking instead of driving when I can. Besides that, it’s all about spending time with my five kids and my grandchild.