Many pharma leaders tell me, “We’ve invested in omnichannel platforms, automation tools, AI-powered analytics… but digital transformation still feels incomplete.”
When we dig deeper, the issue is rarely the technology. It’s talent.
Digital transformation isn’t just about deploying new systems—it’s about people who can shape strategy, bridge silos, and embed digital ways of working. But too often, companies fail to create the roles and capabilities required to make this shift successful.
In this article, I’ll share what I’ve seen while working with global pharma companies:
- Why transformation roles are too broadly defined or stretched too thin
- How this creates execution gaps even when budgets and tools exist
- What organizations can do to build a talent structure that truly supports digital transformation
The missing layer between strategy and execution
While working with a large pharma company’s content excellence team in APAC, we were tasked with creating a multi-year charter to drive digital progress.
One of the first challenges we faced was not technology—it was defining who would drive this transformation.
We had to:
- Identify missing capabilities
- Decide which skills could be developed internally vs. hired externally
- Map how these roles would connect to leadership and justify their structure to the regional CEO
Without this, transformation would stall or rely heavily on external vendors to fill gaps.
This experience showed me that defining roles isn’t just an HR exercise—it’s how you future-proof transformation.
Restructuring without transformation coaches
I am seeing similar challenges during major restructuring efforts at other companies:
- Employee counts reduced significantly
- Hierarchies flattened from seven to three levels
- ‘Agile pods’ introduced as ‘Cross-functional teams’ introduced to accelerate transformation
On paper, these changes promised agility. In practice, something was missing: digital advisors and transformation coaches.
When you bring together sales, brand, medical and marketing functions, one voice often dominates. Without a dedicated role/rule to balance perspectives and guide priorities, transformation skews toward whichever function is loudest.
And many consulting firms face the same issue internally—without solving it in-house, enabling it for clients becomes even harder.
Why growing talent from within sometimes isn’t enough
There’s a strong belief that companies can “grow” digital leaders organically by promoting sales or marketing leaders into omnichannel or transformation roles.
Example 1: Sales-led transformation
A sales leader turned digital lead could quickly spot adaptations needed in global strategies for his teams & markets
Strength: Deep field experience helps uncover practical execution gaps and ensures initiatives are grounded in sales realities
Gap: Without broader brand exposure, transformation efforts may miss brand priorities, and the cross-functional balance needed for long-term success
Example 2: Marketing-led transformation
Similarly, marketers leading transformation often create marketing-heavy digital campaigns with little sales integration, causing disconnects.
Without a distinct transformation role, companies end up with functional—not holistic—digital strategies.
How to design talent for successful transformation
Digital transformation roles are seen to work better in the US because:
- It’s a well-defined role fit into the company ecosystem
- Digital transformation teams operate under one set of regulations and rules
- Transformation leads have recognized authority within organizations
In smaller markets/ regions such as Asia Pacific, challenges include:
- Small size of business may not be able to sustain a dedicated role
- Limited input from the region in global planning leading to adaptation challenges later in markets
- Multiple markets with unique regulations and customer behaviors
To fix this, companies should:
Define transformation-specific roles – Make it part of existing job descriptions and not as a 'stretched assignment'
Embed transformation coaches – A dedicated expert to balance cross-functional perspectives and ensure transformation doesn’t skew toward one function
Include regions in strategy early – Adapt global plans to local realities from day one
Build and buy talent smartly – Upskill internal teams while hiring externally where critical gaps in experience exists
Closing the talent gap in digital transformation
Digital transformation is not just a technology playbook—it’s an organizational shift.
The companies that succeed are the ones that take a hard look at their talent map—who’s steering transformation, who’s balancing perspectives, and who’s making it real in every market.
Until we design roles that empower teams, bridge functional divides, and truly fit local markets, ambitious programs will continue to under-deliver.
As one industry leader once told me during a workshop, “Technology doesn’t fail us—our org charts do.” That’s the gap we need to close for digital transformation to actually stick.
Originally published on LinkedIn on July 31, 2025.
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Manvi Kapoor
Founder & Managing Director of ThinkCraft. 10+ years advising global pharma brands on customer engagement, analytics and go-to-market. Guest lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
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