Omnichannel Leadership in Practice: The .iQ Suite for Medical Affairs

Leadership Context

I joined the Medical Intelligence & Technology (MIT) organization with a clear mandate: to help bring an omnichannel operating model into U.S. Medical Affairs.

At the time, omnichannel in Medical Affairs was not a single platform or program. It comprised multiple engagement channels and data sources, such as field medical interactions in CRM, advisory boards, congresses, social listening, market research, and digital education across Therapeutic Areas. My role was to integrate these signals into a unified, insight-driven approach to inform strategy, execution, and decision-making.

Early in my tenure, the organization began to evolve.

Following several realignments, MIT was tasked with defining the omnichannel vision and creating, modernizing, and transitioning the supporting technology platforms. This included migrating legacy analytics products to Power BI and establishing a scalable intelligence foundation across Medical Affairs.

During this period, I continued developing the omnichannel practice, partnering with ZS Solutions to shape cross-channel strategy while staying closely connected to users, field teams, and analytics partners. I also supported the platform transition by applying lean UX principles to enhance usability and customer experience without disrupting delivery.

This work covered the entire .iQ suite, including Personas, Insights, Beliefs, Channels, Social, Advisory, and supporting platforms, and required ongoing coordination among users, analysts, designers, and engineers. My focus was on maintaining continuity, clarity, and trust as the ecosystem evolved.

Stepping Into Ownership

As the transition progressed, it became clear that Connect.iQ, the Field Medical Dash transition project, carried significant risk.

The team had not effectively maintained the legacy product, forcing users to manually download data from an existing data lake, and leadership lacked confidence that the platform could transition successfully to Power BI or meet the expectations of Field Medical Leadership and DSCs after modernization.

At that point, I was asked to assume ownership of Connect.iQ.

This was a broad responsibility, requiring me to reorganize the roadmap, implement agile delivery practices, restore stakeholder confidence, and ensure the platform aligned with both field needs and the broader omnichannel vision.

I accepted this responsibility while continuing to lead the omnichannel practice and the broader .iQ portfolio.

How I Led

This required sustained leadership in a complex, matrixed environment:

• Building an omnichannel capability across multiple engagement channels
• Reframing Connect.iQ around user trust, clarity, and adoption
• Translating complex business needs into actionable roadmaps
• Protecting delivery teams while holding a high bar for accuracy and accountability
• Ensuring users were heard, understood, and reflected in product direction
• Giving teams visibility, credit, and purpose in their work

As organizational changes continued, additional products moved under my leadership due to demonstrated delivery, trust, and alignment. Over time, I assumed direct ownership of Social.iQ and Insights.iQ to maintain continuity and momentum.

Consistent feedback from analytics leaders, delivery partners in Hyderabad, and DSCs highlighted leadership grounded in accountability, transparency, and service to both teams and users.

A Trust Brand

The .iQ suite was intentionally developed and positioned as a trust brand within U.S. Medical Affairs, rather than as a collection of analytics tools.

In Medical Affairs, credibility drives adoption. Inconsistent data, unclear definitions, or ambiguous ownership quickly erode confidence.

From the outset, I focused on accuracy, consistency, and scalability. For any platform to earn trust, its data needed to be defensible, repeatable, and aligned across Therapeutic Areas, leadership perspectives, and upstream systems.

That meant:

• Establishing clear data definitions and reconciliation across multiple upstream sources
• Working side-by-side with DSCs to validate outputs and resolve discrepancies
• Ensuring consistency across platforms so insights would be trusted in all contexts
• Designing the suite to scale while maintaining unified standards and interpretations

Without accuracy, there was no foundation for branding or sustaining trust.

This approach, applied across the .iQ portfolio, enables multiple platforms to launch and grow under a unified intelligence identity rather than becoming isolated solutions.

For Connect.iQ, the goal was institutional confidence rather than cosmetic improvement. Every decision was measured against a single standard:

Would Field Medical Leadership trust this data in a high-stakes conversation?

Overcoming Resistance: Leadership Under Risk

When Connect.iQ launched, resistance was both expected and justified.

The organization already had effective alternatives, including legacy dashboards and direct access to enterprise data. Additionally, DSCs and senior analytics leaders had the expertise and autonomy to bypass any platform that did not meet their standards.

This posed a significant adoption risk.

Instead of mandating behavior change, I approached this as a leadership and credibility challenge. Success was defined not by launch completion, but by the platform’s ability to withstand scrutiny from the organization’s most capable and skeptical users.

By recognizing existing workflows, upholding the highest analytical standards, and maintaining transparency throughout delivery, adoption was driven by confidence rather than compliance.

Legacy tools were replaced not by policy, but because Connect.iQ consistently delivered clarity under scrutiny.

Outcomes & Impact

Connect.iQ achieved sustained adoption and received organizational endorsement:

• Became the most-used Medical Intelligence platform across U.S. Medical
• Second only to Veeva CRM in daily usage
• Successfully displaced legacy Qlik dashboards and manual data workflows
• Established a trusted system of record for field medical engagement and performance
• Enabled leadership to confidently assess activity, alignment to strategy, and regional variation

Meanwhile, the broader .iQ suite matured into a scalable omnichannel intelligence foundation, supporting Medical Affairs strategy and enabling commercial collaboration.

What Teams and Users Said

“You consistently drove strategic alignment and maintained clarity on priorities, enabling the team to deliver ahead of schedule with impressive adoption rates.” — Lead Data Analyst, Medical Intelligence

“Tom has been a pivotal conduit between technical teams and the field. His credibility with Field Medical speaks for itself.” — Business Manager, Hyderabad

“Your deep understanding of Field Medical made reporting significantly easier. You consistently delivered what we needed — quickly and accurately.” — Disease Strategy & Analytics Lead (DSC)

“You created an environment that was positive, calm, and focused, even during periods of change.” — Analytics Team Member, India

Takeaway

This case study is not about a single platform.

It demonstrates leadership through ambiguity, ownership in a matrixed environment, and the use of servant leadership principles to deliver lasting outcomes.

By leading with trust, accountability, and respect for expertise, the outcome was not only adoption but also a lasting omnichannel intelligence foundation for U.S. Medical Affairs.