Fostering a Workplace Place for Innovators to Thrive

Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky enough to work with innovative and creative minds who push the biopharma field forward. Great innovators think outside-the-box, aren’t afraid to speak up, and set ambitious goals for themselves. But the best minds can easily be stifled if they aren’t in a company that supports them and their development. Thankfully, Kura Oncology is place where innovators grow, with patients always at the forefront of our work.

Kura was recently named to Fast Company’s annual Best Workplaces for Innovators list and a top biotech for innovators . This external recognition highlights what I already knew: Kura is a place to innovate and push boundaries.

One recent example of Kura’s pioneering work was our place at the forefront of implementing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Project Optimus, which seeks to ensure cancer patients receive the lowest possible dose of treatment with the greatest possible benefit, rather than the highest tolerable dose. When the program was brand new, we took on the new guidance without missing a step. Through close, cross-functional internal collaboration and consistent dialogue with the FDA, the Kura team moved quickly on our feet to make real-time changes to the KOMET-001 clinical trial to ensure we were compliant with Project Optimus and design a trial with patient benefit in mind. Kura’s work with the FDA has laid the foundation for other companies to follow suit.

Another example of an innovative mindset across the company is our work in pay equity. It’s rare for companies our size to undergo a pay equity analysis, but our human resources and leadership team are consistently ahead of the curve. We brought in external experts to conduct the analysis to ensure all employees are paid fairly and there are no differences on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity. The analysis showed that Kura team members are in fact compensated fairly, showing that Kura values innovation and hard work regardless of demographic. Additionally, it highlights our industry-leading, visionary operations team that worked to conduct this analysis in the first place.

We are always looking for ways to ensure all voices are heard with all inventive and creative approaches truly considered. Our cross-functional Operational Excellence has taken on a number of roles, all of which help establish best practices and encourage ideas from wherever they may arise.

As a seasoned leader, I was drawn to Kura due to a strong vision and team. Supporting the growth on my team – including people at all stages of their careers – I get to see the next generation of industry leaders develop. The leadership at Kura has created an environment where emerging leaders can flourish, but credit goes to the full team for stepping up to the plate. Fast Company naming us a Best Workplace for Innovators is an incredible honor and reiterates what we know to be true within our team.

Learn more about Kura and our recent recognition here !