Digital Version In today’s rapidly transforming healthcare ecosystem, the intersection of digital innovation and human care defines the path forward. For Nienke Feenstra, General Manager at Takeda France, this is not just a professional frontier — it’s a personal mission. With a deep-rooted belief in patient-centered value, her leadership is helping Takeda France rethink what meaningful impact looks like in the age of digital therapeutics. Her story is one of resilience, empathy, curiosity, and continuous transformation — a journey that illuminates the challenges and immense possibilities of digitizing healthcare with integrity and purpose. Healthcare is not simply about treating illness—it’s about understanding lives, listening without assumption, and building solutions that truly matter to people. Technology can enhance that mission, but it is empathy, purpose, and collaboration that give it meaning. My vision is to lead in a way that connects innovation with humanity, ensuring that every decision we make moves us closer to care that is personal, predictive, and accessible for all. Leadership Built on Human Experience and Global Perspective Few leaders can claim a portfolio of leadership experiences as rich and multifaceted as Nienke’s. Across countries, business units, and crisis situations, her professional journey has been shaped by an uncommon willingness to step into the unknown. She vividly recalls one of her earliest leadership roles — building a new department with limited structure or precedent. “There was no roadmap. I had to motivate, mobilize, and create a vision from scratch,” she explains. “I learned to lead by listening, by influencing without authority, and by showing up consistently.” From that moment on, her leadership development became an ongoing, evolving experience. Working abroad was a key turning point. She embraced the challenges of cultural differences, language barriers, and varied leadership expectations. “You quickly come to understand that leadership must be adapted to context,” she explains. “What works well in one country might fall flat in another. The key is listening — deeply and often, adapting to complexity and fully accepting that uncertainty is part of the job.” Perhaps the most profound lessons came during her time in Poland, where she guided her team through a trifecta of challenges: a corporate integration, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the humanitarian fallout from the war in Ukraine. “There is no training manual for that kind of leadership,” she reflects. “You’re called upon to be calm, clear, courageous — and above all, human.” These experiences did more than refine her leadership skills; they grounded her in a purpose that now informs every decision: putting patients first and helping others rise, even in the face of adversity. Living a Purpose that Goes Beyond Strategy Nienke’s career has always been guided by a deep personal mission — one born from early exposure to real-world healthcare systems and unmet needs. During her university years, she conducted field interviews with patients and healthcare professionals. It was a defining experience. “I realized then that the value of healthcare isn’t defined by systems or technology—it’s defined by the person receiving care,” she explains. “Since then, that lesson has shaped my approach.” She has carried that mission through every stage of her career. Whether leading teams, designing strategy, or engaging with external stakeholders, she remains anchored in a simple yet powerful belief: value in healthcare must be defined by patients and delivered sustainably. This is one of the key reasons she found alignment with Takeda France, a company rooted in the values of integrity, fairness, transparency, and perseverance. “We’re not just a pharmaceutical company. We’re a purpose-driven organization committed to improving lives through science and innovation that matter to patients.” For Nienke, this alignment is not just ideological—it’s practical. It shapes how she hires, builds teams, allocates resources, and evaluates success. “You can’t deliver long-term results in healthcare without a purpose that transcends profit. You need values that guide every decision, especially when the path is complex.” Digital Transformation as a Human Imperative Over the past ten years, the healthcare industry has undergone a significant surge in digital innovation. While many view this evolution through the lens of tools and technologies, Nienke approaches it differently. She views digital transformation as a facilitator, not the final objective. And the goal is better care. “What excites me about digital therapeutics isn’t the technology itself,” she says. “It’s the potential to finally deliver care that’s truly personalized, measurable, and aligned with what patients value.” Her mindset toward digital innovation is rooted in curiosity. She dedicates time each week to learning about emerging technologies, startups, behavioral science, and digital health trends. She’s an active mentor and reverse mentee—believing that younger generations often have the clearest vision for what’s possible in the digital space. “It’s not about having the answers—it’s about asking better questions,” she says. “Digital transformation begins when we stop assuming and start listening, experimenting, and learning with humility.” Takeda France’s Digital Vision: Building Partnerships for True Value A cornerstone of Nienke’s work at Takeda France has been the creation and scaling of the Value-Based Partnership (VBP) department—a team focused on co-creating solutions with stakeholders to recognize and reward the value that matters most to patients. “This is not just about pricing or access. It’s about designing care pathways that work—for patients, payers, and healthcare providers alike,” she explains. Takeda France’s Value-Based Partnerships (VBP) team collaborates across departments and with external partners to identify clear outcomes, collect real-world evidence, and develop digital solutions aimed at enhancing patient care. Their work doesn’t happen in isolation—it’s deeply connected to patient associations, hospital systems, and policy experts. “Our ambition is to shape a system where outcomes-based models are not the exception, but the norm,” Nienke says. “And we can only do that if we build trust, transparency, and mutual accountability.” Flagship Initiatives Turning Vision Into Impact Among the many initiatives championed under Nienke’s leadership, two stand out for their innovation and patient relevance: myPKFiT: This digital tool supports individualized treatment for people living with hemophilia. By incorporating pharmacokinetic data, it enables clinicians and patients to co-create treatment plans