Tech, data & AI fuel AstraZeneca’s bold business transformation ambitions

Technology, data and artificial intelligence (AI) are fueling AstraZeneca’s bold business transformation ambitions.

Speaking at the Digital Transformation Conference London, Arrie van der Dussen, head of digital services at AstraZeneca, said the firm aims to deliver 20 new medicines and reach a business value of US$80 billion by 2030, with sustained growth thereafter.

To make this goal a reality, the organization is advancing the next wave of science and technologies to deliver differentiated treatments, supporting medicines and investments into its pipeline to transform care and maximize patient benefit and investing in the right teams and ways of working while keeping sustainability at its core, van der Dussen said.

How tech, data and AI are driving business transformation

In his keynote, van der Dussen discussed how transitioning from a project-centric mindset to a product-focused approach unlocks significant potential and value, exploring the transformative impact of AI and emerging technology on work, culture and developing adaptive workflows. Embracing true business agility empowers leaders and teams to drive meaningful change and transformation, he said.

AstraZeneca’s technology, data and AI strategy – dubbed IGNITE – is driving change in four key areas, van der Dussen added.

• Accelerating drug discovery and design: Enabling AstraZeneca to discover, develop and deliver new treatments faster and more precisely than ever before.
• Transforming how the business works: Improving employee experience and how the organization works across operations – helping it to focus on the right care to the right patient.
• Empowering patients: Pioneering new approaches in the clinic and beyond with the aim of improving patient experience along the continuum of care.
• Working ethically and responsibly: Ensuring the use of data and AI is ethical, safe, responsible and for the benefit of patients, society and the planet.

AstraZeneca ensures success in its transformation ambitions through a portfolio of products and services that span:

• Emerging technology intelligence
• User experience
• Lean center of excellence
• Transformation and engagement
• Product portfolio management

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Creating the business agility model at AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca has led transformation with the concept of “delivering value faster than the customer can change their minds,” van der Dussen. This has given rise to an outcome-focused business agility model, he added.

Since 2023, AstraZeneca has approached business agility in a methodical way – building momentum across eight steps:

1. Intent and positioning – shifting from a center of excellence to a center of enablement approach.
2. Establishing a multi-disciplinary group with geographic visibility and coverage.
3. Internalizing Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA), establishing ‘Ways of Working’ and normalizing feedback loops.
4. Investing in tools and resources such as playbooks, gamification and dashboards.
5. Engaging the business through coaching and development offerings.
6. Establishing partnerships and communities of practice.
7. Measuring agility health and use data to drive decision-making.
8. Community business impact and outcomes.

Today, AstraZeneca is enabling agility at scale – adopting AI as an agile catalyst and driving product and outcome excellence, van der Dussen said. It uses Lean governance for real-time value flow, building adaptive leadership and talent agility while orchestrating enterprise tools as strategic enablers, he added.

To conclude, van der Dussen advised transformation leaders to “avoid the trap of being additive” and instead strive to “make agility a verb for all” by simplifying, actively removing waste and breaking institutionalization with facts.

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