Welcome to the Agency Advantage
My name is Sian Kneller, MSc, CMPP and I am the Founder of The Agency Advantage
I am a seasoned medical affairs professional with nearly two decades of experience in medical affairs and scientific communications. Throughout my career, I have honed my skills working both in-house in Pharma as well as in agency, from medcomms to advertising and PR.
My three main missions:
1) Raise the profile of medical affairs within pharma - the bigger the profile, the more we can deliver for patients
2) Help people pivot from agency, healthcare, public sector and other parallel fields into pharma
3) Support and raise awareness around neurodiversity, introverts and women in leadership
We specialise in helping people understand and navigate careers in the pharmaceutical, biotech and wider life sciences industries.
At the heart of what we do is the Pharma Pivot Program, designed to help professionals understand where their skills fit in industry, position their experience effectively and build a practical strategy for making their career move.
We also believe that useful career information shouldn’t sit behind a paywall. That’s why we create a growing library of free resources, including articles, podcasts, YouTube videos, guides and practical templates, to help people make better-informed career decisions.
As a neurodivergent founder (AuDHD), I understand how difficult it can be to navigate the unwritten rules of careers and workplaces. We’re committed to making our resources accessible and creating an inclusive space for women, neurodivergent professionals, racialised communities and others who have traditionally been underrepresented.
Our approach is practical, strengths-based and straight-talking. No gatekeeping, no one-size-fits-all career advice and no pretending there’s only one route into industry.
Because understanding how the industry works — and where you might fit within it — shouldn’t depend on who you know.
How can we help?
Sian Kneller - Medical affairs professional
Skills:
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Nearly two decades of experience working in scientific communications both in agency and in-house
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Strategic approach to scientific communications and engagement activities, including assessment of reach and impact
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Hands-on experience developing content (written and digital) for a wide variety of audiences including HCPs, internal, media/lay audiences, patients and care givers and government/policy makers
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Expertise in scenario planning ahead of pivotal study readout
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Successfully launched three therapeutics across rare disease, multiple sclerosis and lung cancer
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Extensive experience managing projects, agencies and budgets
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Expertise in publication planning and external goverance - I hold the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) certification: Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP)
Therapy area expertise:
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Neuroscience: brain health and longevity, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
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Oncology: lung cancer and women's cancers
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Rare diseases: spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH)
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Infectious diseases: HIV, Hepatitis B and Shingles
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Autoimmune disorders: Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis
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Metabolic diseases: diabetes and obesity
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Women's health: infertility, perimenopause and menopause
Partner with us
We’re always interested in building partnerships with organisations that share our commitment to helping people build successful careers in pharma and the wider life sciences industry.
Looking for pharma talent?
If you’re a pharmaceutical, biotech or life sciences company, or a recruitment organisation specialising in the sector, we’d love to hear from you.
Through the Pharma Pivot Program, professionals develop their understanding of the industry, explore where their existing experience fits and learn how to position themselves effectively for a move into pharma.
This gives us access to a growing community of motivated professionals who are actively preparing for careers in the industry.
If you’re looking for candidates with transferable scientific, clinical or healthcare expertise, there may be opportunities for us to connect your organisation with people who have completed the program and are ready to take their next step.
Interested in accessing our talent community? Get in touch.
Interested in partnering with us?
We’re also open to partnerships with organisations whose work aligns with our mission and audience.
That might include collaborations with life sciences organisations, professional associations, education providers, events, platforms, content creators or businesses providing genuinely useful services to people building careers in the sector.
If you have an idea that could create value for both of our communities, we’d be happy to explore it.
We’re particularly interested in partnerships that increase access to career opportunities, useful knowledge, professional development or resources for people entering and progressing within the life sciences industry.
Have an idea for a partnership? We’d love to hear it.
Our partners
