Amgen Taiwan’s General Manager Daniel Villegas began his career in the fast-moving consumer goods space before transitioning into biopharmaceuticals. His professional journey has spanned four continents and covered various therapeutic areas, from rare diseases to immunology.
A California native, Villegas earned his BA from San Diego State University and MBA from Michigan State University. In early 2023, he relocated from London to Taipei to assume his inaugural General Manager role at Amgen, bringing a wealth of experience that has shaped his approach to leading a rapidly expanding business in Taiwan.
TOPICS Senior Editor Julia Bergström sat down with Villegas at the Ghost Island recording studio in early July to discuss the future of healthcare, generative AI, and strategies for career advancement. An abridged version of their conversation follows. Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Healthcare-related companies often talk about patient-centricity. What does this mean in practice? How does Amgen realize these values every day?
Patient-centricity is a core principle that biotechs discuss and prioritize due to the importance we place on delivering value to patients. At its core, it involves placing the patient at the center of all company activities, ensuring that their needs and voices are not only heard but also drive the development and delivery of treatments and solutions.
At Amgen, our approach to patient-centricity is built on culture, strategy, and patient-centric initiatives. We actively promote an environment where our teams are encouraged to always consider the impact of their work on patients. Ensuring we don’t only benefit Amgen and the healthcare systems, we operate within but also deliver real value to patients – we prioritize what patients voice throughout our decision-making process.
In Taiwan, we offer various patient support services, including early access and financial assistance programs to help patients access our medicines. We also collaborate closely with local patient advocacy groups to run annual events for patients and their families.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Amgen’s internal Mission Week. It’s a global event featuring forums, fireside chats, panel discussions, and community engagement activities where our staff worldwide can come together to better serve patients and hear directly from patients and patient advocacy groups. This event reminds our teams about the impact of their work and inspires them to pursue new ways to improve patient outcomes.
What is your pitch highlighting Taiwan as a strategic location for healthcare investment?
Firstly, Taiwan has a good overall healthcare system. Taiwan operates under a single-payer system administered by the government through the National Health Insurance (NHI). It’s the NHI’s ability to deliver the dependable, quality, and cost-effective care that has positioned Taiwan as an attractive market for healthcare.
Secondly, the current administration’s proactive approach to healthcare evolution is encouraging. It’s actively reaching out to international institutions to learn, share, and align Taiwan with global health standards. I also see a strong focus on important therapy areas like cancer and heart disease – the leading causes of death in Taiwan.
Still, continued investment requires more than just potential. We need a healthcare system that engages in transparent dialogue and fosters partnerships across the public and private sectors. Healthcare must be viewed as an investment rather than a cost, especially if we want to build a healthier Taiwan. Meaningful investment in healthcare innovation considers the value it brings to patients, society, and economic prosperity.
What healthcare trends is Amgen looking out for in Taiwan?
One critical issue is Taiwan’s rapidly aging population. Aging is linked to a higher incidence of chronic diseases and conditions like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer, which in turn escalates healthcare costs and demands. We have to shift focus from treatment to prevention to deal with these challenges.
Another major focus for us is the application of generative AI in early-stage medicinal development. Traditionally, bringing a prescription drug to market is a lengthy and costly process. This process becomes even more daunting when targeting diseases with unmet medical needs, with the added risk of a drug failing to meet clinical efficacy endpoints after extensive time and investment.
Generative AI is set to revolutionize this landscape by accelerating the pace of research and development. Amgen is harnessing AI through a subsidiary called deCODE, which focuses on understanding the relationships between genetic variations and disease. It enhances our ability to detect rare genetic variants crucial for disease understanding, significantly aided by generative AI due to the complex data involved.
You’ve worked across numerous markets and cultures. How have these experiences shaped your leadership style?
One of the most enriching aspects of working across different cultures is the exposure to fresh perspectives. Seeing how other people approach the world around them has been inspiring and has helped shape my work style, from my problem-solving skills to how I incorporate diversity across teams. These experiences have honed my ability to appreciate nuances in communication styles and decision-making processes, and to balance supporting the needs of individuals with those of diverse teams.
Working across cultures and languages has also greatly improved my ability to connect, listen, and interpret non-verbal cues. Understanding the subtle differences in how appreciation, discomfort, and dissent are expressed has been eye-opening.
Being fortunate enough to observe leadership styles across different countries has been like holding up a mirror to my own approach. It has helped me refine my own voice on complex themes like building courage, intuition, and selflessness.
How do you make a new home, home?
My tips are simple. Firstly, I eliminate any barriers to exploring spontaneously. It might not be the first thing on most people’s minds, but mastering local transportation is important to me. Within the first week of arriving in Taiwan, I tried everything from buses and metros to trains and the bike-sharing system. I even took the high-speed rail to Taichung one weekend just to grab a coffee and wander for half an hour. It wasn’t really about the coffee – it was about learning how to book tickets, navigate stations, and even get a bit lost.
The second aspect involves building a life outside of work. Starting a new job in a new country is inherently busy – you’re juggling new cultures, colleagues, and business environments. But life truly begins after office hours. Since I am on my own, I have to make more of a concerted effort to put myself out there by attending events, meeting people, and exploring new places.
In previous roles at GSK, you rose from being an associate to a commercial director in five years. What strategies have you found most effective for advancing your career?
Clarity has been foundational. I prioritize being intentional about the direction of my career by reflecting on what truly makes me happy and why. I’ve found this approach gives me a sense of purpose and makes it easier to navigate the ups and downs of a career.
A balanced life teeters between chaos and order – clarity provides order, and new challenges introduce chaos. So, if you want to progress, you also need to step out of your comfort zone. I actively seek roles and situations that challenge me. Embracing new opportunities that slightly disorient me keeps me in a learning mode.
Finally, I look for other people I want to learn from – mentors or peers. By observing and asking questions, I gain a lot of insights into diverse ways of thinking.
Amgen has implemented an early talent accelerator program to help its people advance. What changes have you observed in employee engagement and development as a result?
The Amgen Taiwan Leader Accelerator (ATLA) is a program we launched last year in collaboration with National Taiwan University (NTU). It features monthly sessions with NTU College of Management professors, alongside presentations and case studies, aimed at developing key capabilities for Amgen Taiwan’s future needs.
ATLA, together with our leadership forums, is designed to cultivate the capabilities our teams will need over the next few years to excel during times of change and growth, and to capitalize on the many opportunities we see ahead. Although it’s still early days, I love seeing a growing recognition among our team of the importance of self-development.
Genuine desire for personal and professional growth is needed in a flat organizational structure like ours. We embrace leadership at all levels. Receiving the Great Place to Work award for the third consecutive year underscores the positive impact of ATLA and cultivating leadership.
What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and recharge?
I recharge in quiet moments. I use my daily walks to and from work to clear my head and reset. While it’s not the most glamorous strategy for recharging, I also prioritize good sleep. Understanding and cultivating the conditions that lead to a restful night’s sleep has changed a lot for me. I work hard to understand what elements – be it sleep, diet, exercise, or relationships – help me be my best self.
Outside of work, I like going to the cinema, exercising, and visiting museums. Being outdoors is particularly important to me, which makes Taipei an ideal location. I also like skiing, especially in Europe, but lately I’ve appreciated the slopes in Japan, too.