Member Spotlight

Member Spotlight

“Change is the cornerstone to personal growth”

Lisa Gray - Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Phoenix IP Ventures

“As soon as I get comfortable in a role, I like to make a change and get uncomfortable again, as each new success builds confidence and skill set.” This is part of the reason that Lisa Gray left an executive role at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to co-found a Venture Capital Company.

Lisa is a classic case of a successful woman who made it to the executive ranks within a large corporation, but decided she was ready for a change and had to leave… “to create a company, with partners I trust, in a people oriented and driven culture where I could have a direct impact on the success or failure. That really gets your blood flowing in the morning!”  

During her 13 years with GlaxoSmithKline, Lisa held various executive roles across several  divisions, including international business reviews, financial planning for the R&D Division, Group Director for hospital marketing and with GSK Ventures, a novel intellectual property (IP) based venture capital.

She attributes her success to not only having obtained the necessary technical skills and credentials, but more importantly to networking and building on her softer skills. “It’s all about building relationships,” said Lisa. “Opportunities have arisen because people remember and think of me. I am very comfortable with change and am willing to take on roles that are outside my current comfort zone.”

As the COO of GSK Ventures, she helped establish the organization and platform to successfully create value from GSK’s non-progressed R&D assets. She led and participated in various compound and technology transactions. More importantly, GSK Ventures created a mind shift in GSK and within the industry as companies reflected on the untapped value within their non-progressed R&D portfolios.

“Establishing GSK Ventures with two of my now current partners was a highlight in my career because we were able to create an alternative perspective on value creation in a fun and creative way.”  It gave her the ability to drive transactions and make decisions quickly.

It was at that point that Lisa decided to ”get uncomfortable again”, so with two colleagues, she started a new company, Phoenix IP Ventures.

Several women at GSK were surprised and asked how she could leave her role and the financial stability, especially with a family to support. Lisa’s response: “People change throughout life and need to do what’s appropriate for their life stage. I am ready for the next phase of my life. I cannot fail; the worst that can happen is that I learn a lot!” That was April 2004. Since then, Phoenix IP Ventures has built several successful operating companies and she has not looked back. “This is not a job, its how we have chosen to live our lives.”

Not only was she successful at GSK, but now she is successfully running her own business, in a male dominated industry. Which Lisa says is a benefit, because “Women by nature tend to be attuned to subtle personal dynamics and are able to bring a different perspective to business situations which can be invaluable”.   

So let’s tap into her experience for advice on helping others reach their objectives. Lisa suggests:

·       Life is a decision tree. Build your decision tree and maximize the branches or options available to you. This may require building on your education and credentials throughout your career.

·       Live With Honor. Your word and reputation are everything!

·       Be confident in yourself. You must have faith and confidence in yourself. If you have been successful in past efforts, believe you will be successful in future efforts. Why wouldn’t you be!

·       Network. People typically don’t get their dream jobs from the standard channels. Instead it’s about whom you know and being top of mind when good opportunities arise.

·       Be Pleasant. People want to work with people they like. One can be constructive, driven and “tough” while being respectful and pleasant. 

Organizations that can retain the Lisa’s of the world will likely enjoy a significant competitive advantage. The diverse leadership talents of women executives are critical to compete in a global market. While there are many corporate efforts underway to address the lack of women in executive roles, there is still much more work to be done.

Is your organization’s message to women, those hi-potential leaders of the future, that there are plenty of opportunities within your organization or that they should only expect to go so far and then need to leave?  An interesting question...

Background: Lisa is a NASD Licensed Securities Agent, a registered Investment Advisor Representative, a Certified Public Account (CPA), a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) and holds degrees in Accounting (BS) from Villanova University, an MBA in Finance from Penn State University and a Post-Graduate Degree in Marketing Management.