The Foundation Every AI Transformation Needs (But 73% Ignore)

I help life sciences leaders build the operational excellence infrastructure that separates successful AI implementations from expensive pilots that never scale

Let's Discuss Your Transformation

The Uncomfortable Truth

Every pharmaceutical and biotech company is racing to implement AI. Yet 73% of these initiatives fail to deliver promised value. The pattern is predictable: organizations pour millions into cutting-edge AI technology while ignoring the operational foundations that determine success or failure.

My Approach

With 15+ years transforming global pharmaceutical operations at Amgen, Illumina, and Inova Health, I've learned that sustainable AI adoption requires three non-negotiable foundations:

  • Mature change management processes that address human resistance before it derails progress
  • Lean operational excellence that creates the data quality and process stability AI requires
  • Agile execution frameworks that enable rapid iteration in regulated environments

I don't just advise on AI strategy—I help you build the organizational capability to execute it.

The Difference This Makes

Organizations with proper foundations achieve:

5x
Higher AI project success rates
70%
Faster time-to-value
$10M+
Sustained savings
Zero
Compliance violations

Transformation Track Record

$20M+
Verified operational savings
10,000+
Employees transformed
300+
Leaders trained in Agile

The Convergence of Expertise

🎯

Operational Excellence

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, designed enterprise-wide continuous improvement programs

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Change Leadership

Led transformations impacting 16,000+ employees, achieving 90%+ adoption rates

🚀

Agile in Pharma

Pioneered Agile frameworks for drug development and commercial operations

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AI Implementation

Currently building AI solutions while maintaining deep operational roots

Strategic Perspectives on AI-Ready Organizations

📄 The $50M Question: Why Your AI Pilot Succeeded But Your Rollout Will Fail

The problem isn't your technology or data scientists. It's the operational foundation you haven't built yet. Here's the framework that changes everything...

Read more

📄 The Augmented Operations Framework™: Where Lean Six Sigma Meets Machine Learning

Traditional operational excellence and AI aren't competing philosophies—they're complementary forces. A first-principles analysis of the convergence...

Read more

📄 Change Management in the Age of AI: Why Your Playbook Is Already Obsolete

AI transformation requires fundamentally different change management approaches. Here's what I learned transforming 10,000 employees at Amgen...

Read more
View All Insights

Building AI-Ready Organizations

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Operational Excellence Infrastructure

Before AI can optimize your processes, those processes need to be stable, measured, and understood. I help establish the Lean foundations that make AI implementation 5x more likely to succeed.

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Agile Transformation for Regulated Industries

Speed and compliance aren't mutually exclusive. Learn how we implemented Agile across Amgen's global operations while maintaining FDA compliance.

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Change Leadership That Sticks

Technology is easy. People are hard. Master the human side of AI transformation with frameworks proven across 30,000+ employee journeys.

Explore Transformation Approaches

Three Questions That Determine AI Success

1.
Do you have stable, measured processes that AI can actually improve?
Most organizations try to optimize chaos. AI amplifies what exists—including dysfunction.
2.
Is your organization capable of adopting new ways of working at scale?
Without proven change management infrastructure, even the best AI becomes expensive shelfware.
3.
Can you move fast while maintaining quality and compliance?
In life sciences, agility without governance is a liability. You need both.

If you answered "no" to any of these, we should talk.

Build Your AI Foundation Before It's Too Late

The race to implement AI in life sciences is accelerating. But winners won't be determined by who adopts AI first—they'll be determined by who builds the strongest operational foundation.

Whether you're:

  • Planning your first AI initiative
  • Struggling to scale successful pilots
  • Watching AI projects fail to deliver ROI
  • Building a comprehensive digital transformation strategy
Schedule Your Transformation Assessment

In our strategic conversation, we'll assess:
• Your organization's operational maturity and AI readiness
• Critical gaps that could derail AI initiatives
• A practical roadmap tailored to your current state
• How to build momentum while managing risk

Real Results from Real Foundations

"

Max didn't just help us implement Agile — he fundamentally transformed how Amgen approaches innovation. His framework became the foundation for our entire Agile transformation.

- VP - Ops Transformation, Amgen

"

The Lean program Max developed saved us $1M in the first year. But more importantly, it created the operational discipline that made our AI initiatives possible.

- Director of Operations, Global Pharma

"

In healthcare, change is hard and failure isn't an option. Max's approach gave us the confidence to transform at scale while maintaining patient safety.

- President & COO, Inova Health System