Fueling the Innovation Engine, With Christoph Vonwiller, Johnson & Johnson Vision

Click here to watch the video version of this podcast.

Innovation happens in labs, workshops, and garages worldwide. How does it happen in a global enterprise like Johnson & Johnson?

Christoph Vonwiller, President of the Asia Pacific Region for Johnson & Johnson Vision, sheds light on that topic during a conversation with host Sophia Pathai, MD, PhD.

As he sees it, start-ups and academic researchers stay laser-focused on solving a specific problem. They’re agile. They fail and succeed fast.

A large, innovation-focused organization like J&J brings complimentary traits: muscle and legacy. “You can only be around for over 130 years if you’re continually innovating and evolving,” Vonwiller said.

Start-ups bring the ideas, the science, and the passion. J&J contributes the resouorces to facilitate clinical trials, regulatory submissions, and commercialization strategies. It’s a balance of fast and methodical, lean and hefty.

In Singapore, where Vonwiller leads his Asia Pacific team, J&J Vision recently launched the ELITA Femtosecond Laser, a next-generation vision correction system equipped for both flap lifts and lenticule extraction. Last year, the company teamed with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research to establish an Eye Health Digital Innovation Consortium.

Moving forward, Vonwiller sees his team taking the lead in the development of myopia treatment and management solutions. The company’s heritage in intraocular lenses and its continual innovation in that space will be of particular value for patients in Asia, as well.

Listen to the podcast today to discover:
• A look into Vonwiller’s background and how he found his way to Singapore and J&J Vision.
• How Vonwiller’s experience in metabolism, R&D and business development inform his leadership career in ophthalmology.
• Key challenges and opportunities he faces when presenting an eye health agenda within a company with multiple therapeutic area focuses.
• How the businesses within J&J work together to help improve patient health.
• An Asia Pacific Region update: J&J’s partnerships, events and other activities and how they fit within Singapore’s ecosystem.
• Vonwiller’s leadership style: how he fosters a culture of collaboration and a desire to innovate, and how diversity and inclusion is part of that business imperative.
• What’s ahead for J&J at the affiliate level, and how the various regions help drive innovation forward.

[Press Play]

Resources
Johnson & Johnson Vision https://www.jjvision.com/
Christoph Vonwiller https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoph-vonwiller-66418a6b/
Sophia Pathai, MD, PhD https://ois.net/sophia-pathai-md-phd-mph/