From Patterns to Prompts: Pawan Verma on AI Across the Pharma Value Chain

AI is reshaping every stage of pharmaceutical distribution, but only if the organization is built to absorb it.

In this episode of Technovation, Peter High speaks with Pawan Verma, Executive Vice President and Chief Data and Information Officer at Cencora, about leading technology and data strategy at one of the world’s largest healthcare companies ($320B+ in revenue, 5 million pharmaceuticals moving through its network daily).

Verma joined Cencora in 2024 after serving as Global CIO at MetLife, with earlier leadership at Foot Locker, Target, and Verizon, a cross-industry arc that shapes how he thinks about patient access, workforce transformation, and what AI can and cannot replace in leadership.

Key Highlights:

• Why “centered-out” change management outperforms both top-down mandates and bottoms-up experimentation
• How Cencora evaluates AI investments against a four-bucket prioritization model, including long-term sustaining value
• Where AI is shortening the pharmaceutical chain: virtual clinical cohorts, faster drug discovery, and real-time inventory optimization
• Why pharmaceutical supply chains demand a different standard of precision than conventional logistics
• What AI cannot replace: the ability to unlearn, reframe on new emotional data, and hold authentic human connection

This episode is sponsored by Tines. This episode is presented by Tines: Freedom to build. Complete security. No compromises. Learn more at tines.io