Navigating regulation while driving growth in healthcare

Mizanu Kebede, Chief Quality & Regulatory Officer at Smith & Nephew, caught up with Emma Carroll, Head of Content at Source, on the latest episode of our Business Leader's Voice podcast.  

Mizanu shares his insights on the following matters and more:   

1.  AI is transforming diagnostics, personalised medicine, and operational efficiency within the healthcare industry. The integration of AI and machine learning, and advanced data analytics into medical devices, promises to enhance patient outcomes while reducing costs.  

1. Cybersecurity is a crucial topic as the medical devices market becomes increasingly digitalised, safeguarding patient data against cyberthreats is paramount. Advanced encryption is critical here.  

1. Great quality and compliance processes can help drive business growth, including by providing a solid and reliable platform for innovation; establishing a trustworthy reputation in the market, which is essential to attracting and retaining customers; and navigating complex and numerous global regulations to allow a business to operate internationally. 

1. Businesses often go wrong by failing to keep comprehensive records. This can delay product launches, cause recalls, and damage both reputation and financial performance. Failing to prioritise cybersecurity and data security is another significant risk.  

1. Transparency, collaboration, and proactive communication are the bedrock of interacting with regulators. Regulators should be seen as partners—it's about building trust. 

1. AI is significantly transforming the role of quality and regulatory leaders. For example, the huge amount of data that can be absorbed and analysed can feed into innovation and also predict potential defects before they are discovered and so reduce the risk of product recalls.  

We also discuss what Mizanu values in a professional services firm, and where consultants can fall short.  

If you enjoyed this conversation, don't miss our sister podcast, Future of the Firm. In a recent episode, we talked to Lesley Uren, Global CEO for Consulting at Korn Ferry, about the future of human capital consulting.