Arvashni Seeripat
Director, Gilenya® Consumer & Patient Services Marketing
Novartis
Achieving Localized Success
“Gilenya has been on the market in the U.S. for seven years, but that didn’t stop Arvashni Seeripat from taking a step back with fresh eyes to determine the best strategies for helping patients and for brand success,” explains Stephanie Brown, VP, Head Neuroscience Franchise at Novartis. “She also helped deliver a refreshed and focused strategy for healthcare practitioners based on enhanced customer insights.”
One of the new strategies that Arvashni and her team brought to the brand: A localized approach (e.g., geo-targeting) to Consumer targeting that delivered the right message to the right audience based on customer geo-locations. Some of these initiatives were firsts for Novartis, including Facebook postings that would help patients learn more about market access with posts such as, “Did you know that in Texas, there’s 98% coverage for Gilenya?”
Arvashni and her team looked at the touchpoints, cadence, delivery channel, and geo-locations to create a localized surround sound that leveraged multiple digital channels within specify radii—again presenting content that is meaningful and timeous.
“These initiatives were not only motivating to our team in terms of the ability to do innovative work,” Arvashni says, “but they truly transformed the way patients receive their information.”
Having worked for Novartis for about 12 years, Arvashni has spent time in a variety of roles, but one of her proudest: Serving as the business franchise head for the cardio-metabolic franchise on the African continent where she helped to launch several innovative drugs in areas that were challenged by multiple issues beyond just cost. Arvashni isn’t just proud of the work she and her team accomplished in bringing medicine to disenfranchised communities, but also in her ability to help the people on her team to grow and thrive.
“I believe in an empathetic leadership style,” Arvashni explains. “If we understand people and what motivates them, we’re more likely to have happy associates within our organization, which ultimately leads to success. It’s about making sure people have the freedom to think broadly and bring ideas to the table that will help to drive outcomes for patients in a compliant manner that is aligned with Novartis’ values and behaviors.”
