Three Decades as Executive, Caregiver, and Philanthropist: Christi Shaw Reflects
At a tumultuous moment for many diagnostics and biopharmaceutical companies, Christi Shaw’s participation in the Annual Personalized Medicine Conference promises to remind audiences including investors, policymakers, and journalists of all that the life sciences industry, and the professionals who work within it, do to improve the lives of patients and their families.
Christi has worked in the pharmaceutical industry since 1989, holding leadership positions at Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis. In 2016, when Christi was serving as United States Country Head and President for the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, she chose to step away from her career to serve for a year as a full-time caregiver for her sister, who had just been diagnosed with an aggressive form of multiple myeloma. Christi was by her sister’s side for the duration of her battle with the disease, including her participation in a clinical trial for an emerging type of treatment called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
Three years later, Christi agreed to spearhead the commercialization of some of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved CAR T-cell therapies when she accepted a position as the CEO of Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company. CAR T-cell therapies require physicians to remove immune cells, ship them to external locations for genetic engineering and preservation, and return them to the patient for re-infusion. Despite the extraordinary disruptions to shipping schedules and supply chains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Kite Pharma never failed a single patient during Christi’s time as CEO.
Christi serves today as a board member for several life sciences companies and as a co-founder of the More Moments More Memories Foundation, which is committed to removing financial obstacles and clearing a path for patients with cancer to seek innovative treatments at oncology clinical trials. Her work has helped cancer patients live to see children graduate from college, make it to family weddings, meet new grandchildren, and book dream vacation trips.
On November 13, Christi will take the conference stage with her friend, colleague, and session moderator Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn, to reflect on three decades of experiences as a business executive, caregiver, and philanthropist.
