Fran Milnes is the President of Novartis Taiwan, the largest international pharmaceutical company in the country. Originally from the UK but born in India, Milnes holds a bachelor’s degree in Physiology and an MBA from Cambridge University. With over a decade of experience at Novartis’ global headquarters in Switzerland, she has developed expertise in commercial operations and market access – skills she now applies in her leadership role in Taiwan.
Milnes is known for her active involvement in policy advocacy, exemplified by her influence in prominent trade associations. She was elected as a Standing Director of IRPMA in 2022, where she co-leads the Market Access Committee, and served as a Supervisor on the Board of AmCham Taiwan in 2024. Since 2023, she has also co-chaired AmCham’s Public Health Committee.
TOPICS Associate Editor Alex Myslinski sat down with Milnes at the Ghost Island recording studio in mid-October to discuss the importance of advocacy and collaboration, having a strategic vision, and team empowerment before Milnes transfered to Novartis’ Copenhagen office in November. An abridged version of their conversation follows. Listen to the full interview on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
After nearly 14 years with Novartis, how would you say the company and the pharmaceutical industry have changed?
The pace of innovation has been exponential over the past few years, and for Novartis, this means innovation is emerging from multiple platforms. Pharmaceuticals started with chemical compounds and moved to biologics, and now we have cell therapies and radioligand therapies. We’re no longer just using tablets and pills for chronic diseases – there are cutting-edge ways to treat a growing number of specialty diseases. It’s truly mind-blowing.
Despite these advances, many needs remain unmet, which places enormous strain on healthcare systems. A term we often hear is unaffordable cost-effectiveness: these medicines are cost-effective and could be integrated into the system but risk breaking it at the seams with the burden of delivering comprehensive care to everyone. But things are looking positive now with President Lai’s “Healthy Taiwan” initiative, which lays out a clear policy for how to get Taiwan to a place where we’re improving and extending the lives of all Taiwanese.
Cardiovascular disease is a major health challenge. How is Novartis addressing this critical area?
The biggest issue with cardiovascular disease is awareness, as heart attacks and strokes often come out of nowhere. Novartis is working to spotlight prevention with campaigns like Unblocked Movement, which promotes unblocking heart vessels to avoid these life-threatening events. As part of this focus, we emphasize lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a better diet and regular exercise, and the importance of knowing key health numbers like LDL cholesterol.
It’s all about being proactive. Ask your loved ones, “Do you know your LDL-C?” Shifting from treatment to prevention is how we empower patients and physicians to act, aiming to keep people healthy before they even need care.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women globally, yet public awareness about the recurrence risk of early-stage breast cancer is lacking. How is Novartis working to close this gap to better support patients?
Breast cancer is so prevalent that most of us know someone impacted by it. For early-stage diagnosis (stage one or two), outcomes are very good, but the problem is that for some women, the cancer comes back. When it does, it’s often metastatic, stage four, with much worse outcomes.
Novartis is focusing on prevention by spotlighting interventions that reduce the risk of recurrence and extend lives by helping to prevent cancer from returning. We’re also raising awareness about self-checking – programs like Know Your Lemons visually illustrate signs to look for. Encouraging women to know their breasts and regularly check for abnormalities is crucial. It’s an exciting era in breast cancer care – by taking these steps, we’re changing the narrative and giving women hope for a future where breast cancer is less daunting.
You earned a degree in Physiology from Newcastle University and began your MBA studies about 10 years later. How did your education influence your career path?
I worked in consulting – a fantastic way to learn about the industry and see different companies – in the years between completing my undergraduate and MBA studies. Some moves were planned, while others were more serendipitous. For instance, when my husband and I moved to Cambridge, my company’s Cambridge office specialized in pricing and marketing access. I initially asked if I could hot desk there. They later invited me to join their team, which was perfect timing as access was becoming a challenging area in pharma.
Eventually, I realized I didn’t want to be a lifelong consultant. I sought advice and was told to consider an MBA or PhD to avoid hitting the glass ceiling, so I joined the inaugural Executive MBA Program at Cambridge. Those 20 months were amazing, and even before I finished, Novartis reached out about a role in their pricing and market access team.
I think optimism helped me take those leaps. I tend to see the glass half full, which makes it easier to make bold career moves.
How did your experience volunteering in Mumbai affect the values you apply to your work today?
During a university summer holiday, I volunteered as an English teacher at the Blind School, which also served children from the slums in the evenings. The kids were eager to learn and fascinated by things many of us take for granted. They’d constantly want to go to the bathroom to play with the taps and running water, so I moved the reading class in there so they could have that experience while listening and learning.
It’s one of the reasons why equity is so important to me. I’ve seen the reality of the “have-nots” firsthand, and it shaped my view on access. At Novartis, we talk a lot about keeping the patient at the center of everything we do, such as having an empty chair in meetings to represent the patient. It’s a reminder that just making our products available isn’t enough. We must work closely with governments, charities, and patient groups to ensure that patients everywhere can benefit.
How has your experience at Novartis Taiwan shaped your approach to leadership?
Before coming to Taiwan, I lived in Hong Kong for four years, so I was somewhat familiar with Asian culture. However, working in Taiwan has been a unique experience. I joke with my team that I was a bit like a typhoon at first, as an eager leader excited in my first country president role and full of ideas. But I’ve learned to slow down, be more inclusive, and ensure everyone feels heard.
People express themselves differently here – some prefer group discussions, while others need one-on-one sessions. In Switzerland, feedback was direct, so I initially thought everything was going smoothly here since no one said otherwise! Thanks to a few brave and trusted colleagues, I realized I needed to actively seek feedback. Leading a team in Taiwan has been an invaluable lesson in adapting my leadership style to fit a new culture.
What advice would you give to young professionals, especially women, who are looking to enter leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry?
This is a topic close to my heart. I always tell women to aim higher than they initially thought possible – set your sights on becoming the CEO, for example. Maybe you won’t reach all the way up, but aiming that high could land you on an international leadership team. Push yourself to go one level higher than you planned.
Another key piece of advice is to build a strong support network. Ask yourself, “Who’s my sponsor? Who’s talking about me when I’m not in the room?” In addition, it’s important to know the difference between a coach, a mentor, and a sponsor and to have multiple of each, both inside and outside your company. I’ve been lucky to have amazing mentors and sponsors throughout my career, and they’ve played a big role in my growth.
One of the best pieces of feedback I received was from a coach on gravitas. She told me to take my time when speaking and not undercut my points with humor. It helped me realize how others see me and how I wanted to be seen, which made a real difference in my presence as a leader.
How do you balance your professional responsibilities with your personal life?
At Novartis, we talk a lot about work-life balance and whether it truly exists. For me, it does if you love what you do. However, you still have to make choices to find it. When my kids were young, I’d go home at five every day to be there when they came home, cook dinner together, do bath time, and handle bedtime. The routine has shifted as they’ve gotten older, but I still prioritize those subtle moments to find centeredness, personally and as a family.
These days, it’s more about watching a comedy together or spending weekends outdoors. Taiwan has been wonderful for that – exploring Kenting, Sun Moon Lake, and especially Xiaoliuqiu with all the turtles. We love getting out, being on our bikes, exploring, and savoring those moments together.
