A.T. Kearney’s Sean Ryan, 99, on opportunities in biopharma consulting

Growth areas in the biopharma area are shifting, according to Sean Ryan, ’99, manager at A.T. Kearney, Inc.

The opportunities for blockbuster drugs are drying up, so there may be more opportunities with firms working on smaller-scale products, he told students at Gleacher Center on May 23. “The need for research and development continues to grow,” Ryan added.

Cohosted by the GSB BioPharma Group and the Chicago Consulting Club, two organizations targeted toward students in the Part-Time MBA Programs, the presentation focused on opportunities and challenges in pharmaceutical, biotech, and health care consulting.

Ryan said that while there are still numerous manufacturers and producers here in the United States, three distributors control 90 percent of that particular market. With such a large concentration, the U.S. Department of Justice is frowning on any more acquisitions by the big three, so rather than growing horizontally, they are starting to look at vertical growth through supply chain acquisitions.

While some consultants at A.T. Kearney focus on the biopharmaceutical industry, Ryan emphasized that the firm prefers to hire new MBAs with a broad range of experience rather than those who have specialized in a single area. Additionally, he said, new hires who join the company as associates should look to move up to a manager’s position after three to five years. “We have a philosophy of up or out,” he said. “We tend to grow from within.”

 Phil Britt