Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech: Kinnari Patel of Rocket Pharmaceuticals On The 5 Leadership Lessons She Learned From Her Experience

Trust your instincts and your experience, especially when you’ve done your homework. Being confident in decisions that are based on science, data and feedback from experts.

As a part of our series about “Lessons From Inspirational Women in STEM and Tech”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kinnari Patel.

Kinnari Patel is President & Chief Operating Officer for Rocket Pharmaceuticals, a premier biotech company seeking cures for rare, life threatening diseases through gene therapy. As one of the early leaders of Rocket, Kinnari has led clinical execution globally and regulatory affairs, among other responsibilities.

Kinnari is an industry veteran with over 15 years of experience in rare disease Research & Development and is a leading advocate for the rare disease community. Prior to Rocket, Kinnari has held positions in some of the world’s leading healthcare and pharma companies including Novartis, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb among others, where her experience spanned areas as wide ranging as Regulatory Science, Pharmacovigilance, Policy and Quality Compliance.

Among her extensive education, Kinnari has dual degrees of a B.S. in Biology and a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, PA; a two-year Postdoctoral fellowship in Regulatory Affairs; and an Executive MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

During Pharmacy school, I spent time in the FDA’s Office of Orphan Products Development. This was an incredibly moving experience, as I heard firsthand from parents about the devastating and life-threatening impact that rare diseases can have on patients and their loved ones. I recall one parent stating that clinical research for her son’s disease was showing early promise. However, the company opted not to pursue further clinical development because pursuing a treatment for the disease wasn’t financially viable.

The family was understandably upset, and I couldn’t stop myself from questioning why a therapy with promising early data would not be developed further because it might not make the company enough money to overcome the R&D costs. So that really became the reason I pursued a path in the healthcare industry with a passion for bringing potential therapies to the rare disease community. I also recognized that it wasn’t just about getting drugs approved, it was about how you do it efficiently. And at the same time, how do you shorten the typical drug development timeline that can take 15–20 years from concept to approvals? I wanted to make drug development less burdensome, nimbler and navigate a more efficient process overall. At Rocket, we have incorporated our learnings to enable products to go from first-in-human in late 2018 to now having topline data read out (just 4 years later!). We hope to apply this efficient drug development model for other devastating diseases. My motivation is saving one patient’s life and then expanding to the point where we have the ability to do this for hundreds and then thousands. But even making things work for a single patient is a humbling experience.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company?

One night, my husband and I were home in New York City watching the news while having pizza and a glass of wine. Alicia Keys’ song ‘Empire State of Mind’ had just come out and the newscaster mentioned that the lights on the Empire State Building had been coordinated along with the music for her new video. And it made me wonder, “Why does the Empire State Building do this?” So, I googled it and discovered they do it for football games, high-profile events, music videos, etc. And I thought, “Why aren’t they doing this for nonprofit organizations? Could this be done for rare diseases?” That off-hours idea led to the start of a campaign called, “Light Up For Rare” that is active today, and championed by Rocket and collaborating patient advocacy organizations for rare diseases. Now, we have over 100 monuments around the world participating in the movement on Rare Disease Day, held annually on the last day in February.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I first started out in corporate America, I had five years of postgraduate education under my belt. But as a 5-foot tall, Indian-Asian woman who looked even younger than my age, people would not take me seriously. One colleague suggested that if people perceived me to be older, it might help. At the time, my nieces — who I love dearly — were 1 and 3 years old. I brought in a picture of them and put it on my desk. People automatically assumed I was older because they thought I had two kids. Another piece of advice I got was to wear glasses and smile less. So I did all of those things at my first job because I wanted to be impactful. I felt like I had to be “older” to be “wiser.” That used to be the norm in pharma. Aside from feeling like I was not being myself, I kept getting asked about my kids and found myself wearing my glasses at all the wrong times! Since then, I’ve come to learn that your content should speak for itself. When you’re surrounded by the right people, they’ll see the value you bring to the table. And if you’re at a place where you have to misrepresent who you are, that’s not the right job for you. This is one of the reasons I am so proud of what we have built at Rocket — we consciously promote an environment where every individual can thrive while just being themselves.

What makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

In addition to our innovative approach to seek gene therapy cures for rare and devastating diseases, one of the things that makes Rocket so special is our diversity. The range of our employees’ ages, gender, ethnicities and educational backgrounds makes it a melting pot where people can be their best selves, and diversity of thought leads to great results. This diversity also extends to how we are organized. We’re not a deeply hierarchical company. Instead of having an org chart, we have an accountability chart. As a result, it becomes about the people and responsibilities, and less about position and title. And finally, our family environment and culture is such that we celebrate people’s whole lives — we don’t just have birthday parties, we also do baby showers! We also have our share of brilliant science leaders who are also musicians. It’s not unusual for them to take a seat at the piano or pick up another instrument. This combination of science and diversity of background and culture really has made Rocket unique at every level, and helps us in our mission to seek gene therapy cures.

Tell us about the most exciting new projects you’re currently working on? How will they help people?

Never in my life did I think there could be a “one and done” cure for a genetic form of heart disease. Like many people, I have family members with severe heart diseases. One of the most exciting programs at Rocket is our work on a gene therapy for Danon Disease — a rare, pediatric heart condition. Boys with Danon Disease typically pass away around the very young age of 19. The only treatment is a heart transplant that comes with a number of complications and limited long-term survival.

Based on our early clinical data, Danon patients in our investigational gene therapy program seem to be living normal lives. I never fathomed we’d be at a place where we can actually treat the disease at its core cause to hopefully save people’s lives. If we can do this for Danon disease, we can potentially do it for other monogenic cardiac diseases.

Are you currently satisfied with the status quo regarding women in STEM? If not, what specific changes do you think are needed to change the status quo?

Oh my goodness, no! First, we still don’t have enough young girls and women in STEM — we need to close the gender gap so everyone is equally encouraged to be scientists, engineers, coders and so forth. I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged me, but we need more of that. Second, what I didn’t understand or fully appreciate early in my career — and what I’m now working to change — is the widespread issue of salary inequality among women in STEM. I learned in a former company I worked at that females were being paid 30–40% less than males who held the same titles, including myself. At Rocket, employee compensation is equal without regard to gender or ethnicity. And every six months, we take the time to complete a comprehensive compensation review of employees. No employee, regardless of their gender, should be undercompensated just because they’ve been at the company longer and the market value has gone up since they joined. It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort, but I believe it’s something every company should do.

Another big aspect of this inequality for women is representation. When I became a C-level executive before I turned 40, there were not that many women in the C-suite at publicly traded companies. I remember going to banker and investment meetings and seeing that there were very few women I could look up to and ask for their advice. I found that to be incredibly disappointing, because I’d thought we’d made so much progress, but at the boardroom level, we still hadn’t. Fortunately things are changing for the positive. The biggest change I think biotech companies are slowly making is getting female scientists from the labs into managerial roles. This is going to fundamentally alter the status quo for women in STEM as more leadership roles are filled by women who appreciate this experience. I think these are active things companies and we as female leaders in STEM have to do in order to give people equal opportunities and change the status quo.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women in STEM or Tech that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts? What would you suggest to address this?

Early in my career, unless I knew something 100% and really did my homework, I was afraid to go with my gut instinct and express my opinion. And I’ve seen this happen with lots of other women in the sciences. One of the biggest challenges faced by women is the generations old perception that STEM is not cut out for women. As a result, women are often forced to work harder to prove themselves versus their counterparts, and thus often are forced to be more cautious and guarded. We need to create an environment that acknowledges that capabilities in STEM have nothing to do with gender, so women can have the same confidence in expressing their opinion and are empowered to share their instincts– which is essential even in STEM.

These challenges often surface in more subtle ways. I remember answering questions in an external meeting earlier in my career and the other party dismissing my responses. Yet when my male colleague said the same exact thing, the other party was supportive and took detailed notes. This disparity in treatment is something we have to keep fighting. At Rocket, the leadership works hard to find the best people for the job, period. I am proud that we have female leaders across the organization. As female leaders in STEM we need to encourage this in everything we do.

What “myths” you would like to dispel about being a woman in STEM or Tech. Can you explain what you mean?

As a woman, people have often said to me early in my career, “Don’t talk about the science or the data and don’t geek out, because it will make it seem like you can’t see the big picture.” The idea that a woman can’t know the science and think strategically is a myth that needs to be broken. As a scientist in drug development, talking about the science helps me form the basis for the strategic decisions I need to be making. Much of this goes back to the earlier point about the perception that one gender is more predisposed to STEM than the other. This myth, above all, needs to be broken. I was fortunate my parents encouraged me into STEM — we need parents, educators and society as a whole to do this, at the very earliest age so girls and boys are viewed as equally capable. To be clear, to bust these myths, you need everyone — ourselves as females in STEM but also our male counterparts to not only recognize these biases, but to be part of the change as well. The more companies and leaders in STEM that do that, the quicker these myths will be in the past, and the more progress we’ll make as a corporate and scientific community.

What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience as a Woman in STEM or Tech” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Trust your instincts and your experience, especially when you’ve done your homework. Being confident in decisions that are based on science, data and feedback from experts.

2. It’s OK to say “I don’t know:” “I don’t know” is actually a sign of truth, trust, and strength. Step up, take responsibility, and give credit where it is deserved.

3. Ask for help. It’s impossible for one person to know (how to do) everything and be able to do it. There may be a better, faster and easier way to do things. Leaders need to ask for help as role models that lead by example and promote collaborative culture, therefore better productivity.

4. Self-care matters. It’s not selfish for you to take time out for your own health and wellness, whether that means going to the gym, taking a lunch break or even to get coaching. Your well-being leads to your team’s well-being. In this busy world, you should actually schedule in time for yourself: 5–10 min of reflection, a lunch break, a short walk, exercise, no-tech time in the evening, etc. Doing this could help you become even more impactful.

5. “You are not selling ice cream.” While doing so would be a sweet position, being a biotech executive means challenging the status quo and making important decisions that may not always be popular. Keep the end goal in mind — helping patients.

What advice would you give to other women leaders to help their team to thrive?

First, set a great example for your team by trusting yourself and not being shy to own the work you do. Be a good role model by having confidence and showing other women how to advocate for themselves. Most importantly, create a culture that welcomes diversity of thought process, clear career ladder pathways and celebration of authentic leadership. If your team can see paths for success for women being themselves, they will thrive.

What advice would you give to other women leaders about the best way to manage a large team?

Remember that every single person is unique. You need to tailor how you work with each team member based on their personality, cultural differences and experience. Everything should be personalized. And as a leader of a team, you want to hire people better than you, people that one day you want to report to. Then, you can actually learn from them and grow together.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Of course, my biggest early supporters were my parents who really pushed and supported my passion for science from age 6 or 7. But for the past twenty plus years, it’s been my husband. Not only has he moved around the country for my life’s work, he’s made more personal sacrifices that I can imagine. To have a partner who understands and appreciates your work passions — as frustrating as that can be at times — and to see your strengths and gaps, and give you unconditional support when you need it has been really essential to my being where I am today. I’ve been very lucky in that way.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

From the beginning, my work has always been about helping others, and part of that today is paying it forward. If we can share our mistakes, learning, as well as our best practices, we can really make the world a bit better. I recently got on a call with someone who was starting his own lab to salvage drug products that might otherwise go under due to stresses on the healthcare industry. This is critical work, because if no one pursues these particular drugs, patients won’t have access to treatments that could save their lives. I shared my knowledge and talked about mistakes I’ve potentially made — or think I’ve made — so he doesn’t make the same ones. To me, knowledge is only powerful if you share it. Personally, I continually strive to be a role model in the biotech field by sharing what I can, following the example of every single person who has helped me along the way. As companies, the more we can share about our successes and learning in STEM, the better we will leave the world.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

I don’t know if I would say I have had “enormous” influence in the world, but with the influence I am fortunate to have provided… in a word, it would be equality. I want all kids to have equal access to education and basic healthcare. That’s really critical as millions of kids are prevented from reaching their potential by not having access to these basics. I would also advocate for equality in opportunities based on race, culture or gender preference.

In our own field of rare disease, for patients with rare diseases, it’s very unfortunate that in this day and age, only 5% of the approximately 7,000 identified rare diseases have an FDA-approved treatment option. This is something we are working day and night to change.

By addressing equality on all these fronts, I feel this will do the greatest good for the most people and create a new world for so many people. I’m striving to make a difference in humanity one day at a time.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Nothing is permanent.” Try not to stress too much about any one particular thing, because no matter how bad a situation is, it will change. When I find myself in a bad place, like we all do from time to time, I try to refocus on the good in my life and appreciate what I have. I always remember that life is full of ups and downs so I remind myself to never give up. I’ve found this to be a very effective rule in my life.

Is there a person in the world with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?

My idol is Mother Teresa so if I had a chance to privately share a meal with anyone, it would be with her. Of course, we have lost her in this life, but I’ve long admired what she did in giving up the life and luxuries she had to selflessly help humanity, by enabling kids to have better education and by bringing food and healthcare to underserved populations. She did that all her life and it was never about her. It was just about being her best self, which meant helping other people be their best selves.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.