This is a profile image of Lieven Van der Veken

Lieven Van der Veken

Senior PartnerLyon

Draws on his professional background in neuroscience to help pharmaceutical companies and public health organizations with challenges in strategy, growth, innovation, leadership, and change

Lieven is a senior partner in McKinsey’s Lyon office. A doctor by training, he is a member of our Life Sciences Practice and serves industry clients and public health bodies across Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa.

Lieven has extensive experience in commercial and medical functions, late development and lifecycle management, and BD. He has also been involved in a number of due diligence studies for clients undertaking mergers and acquisitions.

Among his recent projects, Lieven helped a US pharmaceutical company transform its operating model and organization design to address changing customer needs; supported a European public health body in preparing a program roll-out to more than a dozen countries; assisted a US generic drugs manufacturer in streamlining its supply-chain management; and advised an African government on its response plan for health emergencies.

Before joining McKinsey, Lieven qualified as a doctor at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and took an MSc and an MPhil in neuroscience at the University of Columbia. He also worked as a fellow with Columbia’s technology transfer office and as an intern with the Belgian Embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo, analyzing healthcare systems in urban and rural areas.

Published work

Rewired pharma companies will win in the digital age,” McKinsey & Company, June 2023

Top ten observations from 2022 in life sciences digital and analytics,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

How Daiichi Sankyo Europe drives growth with digital and analytics,” McKinsey & Company, January 2023

Quarterly value releases: Transforming pharma through digital and analytics—fast,” McKinsey & Company, December 2022

How AI can accelerate R&D for cell and gene therapies,” McKinsey & Company, November 2022

Measuring preparedness: Are public health systems ready for the next pandemic?,” McKinsey & Company, October 2022

Accelerating pandemic response efforts: An interview with CEPI’s Richard Hatchett,” McKinsey & Company, October 2021

Finding solidarity in an effort to vaccinate the world,” McKinsey & Company, July 2021

A call to action: Opportunities and challenges for CGTs in Europe,” McKinsey & Company, January 2021

The COVID-19 vaccines are here: What comes next?,” McKinsey & Company, December 2020

COVID-19 and cell and gene therapy: How to keep innovation on track,” McKinsey & Company, August 2020

Not the last pandemic: Investing now to reimagine public-health systems,” McKinsey & Company, July 2020

“Public-private partnerships: An untapped strategic lever,” Unlocking Pharma Growth (PDF–2.91 MB), McKinsey & Company, 2012

Optimizing clinical strategy to drive lifetime brand value” (PDF–87.5 KB), McKinsey & Company, August 2011

Education

University of Columbia
MPhil in neurobiology

University of Columbia
MA in neurobiology

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
MD in medicine