James F. Resch, PhD, Director, Strategic Intelligence , Global Discovery Strategy and Performance, AstraZeneca

Jim came to the AstraZeneca organization via the former Zeneca Pharmaceuticals (and its predecessor ICI), where he had worked since 1982.  Jim began his career as a medicinal chemist in CNS drug discovery, exploring therapeutic approaches to both psychiatric and neurological diseases.  Later, Jim managed CNS chemistry efforts in Wilmington, Delaware, and chaired the CNS Therapeutic Area Team with responsibility for developing long-term R&D strategy.   He was also responsible for the implementation of a new portfolio management process for discovery projects in Wilmington.  When Zeneca re-engineered its global research function in 1995, Jim assumed the role of Portfolio and Operations Manager, with responsibility for the design and implementation of portfolio management processes for Zeneca’s international discovery portfolio.  This included both operational and strategic processes, designed not only to prioritize existing projects, but also to direct internal and external research investment into new disease areas. 

Following the merger of Astra and Zeneca in 1999, Jim served on several international integration taskforces, covering such topics as discovery processes and portfolio management.  He was instrumental in the application of scenario-based planning and strategic early warning to a series of long-term strategy development projects in Global Discovery, Development, and the US commercial business.  Today, as Director of Strategic Intelligence, Jim specializes in the integration of benchmarking, competitive and business intelligence into portfolio and technology investment decisions in AstraZeneca’s global R&D organization.  Jim holds a B.A. in Biology from The Johns Hopkins University, and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Organic Chemistry from Cornell University.