Building High Impact Leadership Capabilities through Vertical Development

With a storied history in antiviral treatments, Gilead, an American biopharmaceutical company, has been instrumental in reshaping the landscape of healthcare. Under the leadership of CEO, Daniel O’Day, Gilead has nearly doubled its scientific programs by introducing five new therapies, marking substantial progress toward its ambitious vision of delivering more than ten groundbreaking therapies to patients by 2030. Realizing these ambitious goals has demanded more than just innovation: it also requires a robust workforce and exceptional leadership. It also has meant overcoming historical organizational and culture barriers to unleash new ways of working more broadly in the organization. To overcome these challenges and continue realizing Gilead’s growth goals, O’Day envisioned a culture where people leadership and scientific expertise were equally valued. His vision focused on making the organization a more inclusive, empowering, and agile environment for leaders at every level.

To achieve this, Gilead partnered with BTS to design and implement a solution, Gilead High Impact Leadership Skills (HILS), that would enable leaders to embrace and internalize this new approach. The HILS experience was developed to equip Gilead’s leaders with the tools and insights needed to drive change within the company. What set this program apart was its focus on shifting mindsets and empowering leaders to see themselves as agents of transformation, with its unique structure encouraging deep reflection and practical application for lasting impact.