The strategy and consulting team at an F200 pharma company needed specialized support to define a business case for building an integrated data hub for the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, which would provide value beyond the vaccine itself by helping institutions track and manage epidemics and, thus, enhance public health outcomes.

Heidrick (Heidrick) deployed a two-person team of data science experts:

• A data engineer and former BCG consultant with a PhD from MIT with deep expertise in AI and computer science
• A computer scientist with experience developing machine learning and AI algorithms for language processing, healthcare modeling, and sentiment analysis

The consultants worked together to create an integrated data platform focused on infectious disease tracking and health outcomes. They established standards for data transparency and created open data and analytics insights to demonstrate the vaccine’s impact. Their work involved mapping the client’s data capabilities, synthesizing insights from stakeholders, and prioritizing opportunities for value creation through strategic external relationships.