Rob Hockney, Director of Alliance Management, Global Discovery Alliances, AstraZeneca

Rob Hockney talks to Fintan Walton about the ongoing evolution of AstraZeneca's alliance management strategy and capabilities, and the increasingly important role that dedicated alliance management plays in the drug development process for big pharma and small biotech companies alike. Rob emphasises the need for flexibility when developing an alliance management strategy and the importance of dialogue between partnering companies. Together, they examine the different metrics by which to measure alliance success and consider how termination does not have to be the end of a potentially profitable relationship. They also discuss the characteristics of an alliance that enables first-class management to make a value-generating difference. In addition, Rob highlights the essential role that alliance management plays in bridging the gap between companies with big differences in size and culture.

About Rob Hockney

Rob Hockney has over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is currently Director of Alliance Management in Global Discovery Alliances with AstraZeneca. His responsibilities have included the post-deal management process for discovery alliances within AstraZeneca and a number of key R&D relationships. Recently, Rob has been leading the development of new methodologies for the valuation of, and value realisation from, early, preclinical investments in science and technology. Rob has a discovery background, and before joining the alliances function, he headed up AstraZeneca's Enabling Bioscience and Technology group in the UK; before that he headed the Biotechnology group in Zeneca. He is a graduate of the University of Leeds in the UK, where he took a 1st in Biochemistry and a PhD in Biochemistry and Genetics.