Nordic Life Science 1
ne of the challenges of starting a business has b
een finding people best suited for different milestones, Evelina says. “Ilya has been developing a new type of pharmaceutical drug candidates and we have to be disruptive on many different fronts – there is no normal right now for the framework we’re using. I appreciate when I work with someone who has the right mindset. The skill has to be very specific to the field we are active in. Sometimes you have to work very hard to find an expert. Everything needs to be aligned.” As CEO, she describes her leadership as committed to the objectives. ”I also empower others in our team, and I challenge people to be their smartest.” Like most scientists at pharmaceutical companies, Vågesjö has been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to stop it. She says she does not expect the disease spread to be under control within six months, but like most people, she is hopeful a vaccine will come along in the not-so-distant future. “It’s important that the safety and efficacy, of any vaccine, are tested and people make informed decisions based on the efficacy level,” she says. “It’s important that it is well thought-out and that quality is maintained in the vaccine. Vaccines are fantastic when they work; the best case would be that a vaccine is available within a short time, so that COVID-19 is not an issue in a few years.”