Bennett Smith MBA

Bennett Smith is a senior pharmaceutical/biotech executive with a 20+ year track record of launching blockbuster brands and revitalizing late-in-market assets through architecting and implementing innovative commercial initiatives and strategies. With proven success building and managing commercial functions and teams of up to 140 at Akebia, Regeneron, and Novo Nordisk, Bennett previously served as Senior Vice President, General Manager (North America) at Orchard Therapeutics where he lead the first U.S. commercial launch for a first-in-class cell and gene therapy for an ultra-rare pediatric condition.

Bennett joined Orchard Therapeutics (a subsidiary of Kyowa Kirin) in October 2023, quickly building high-performing teams in Marketing, Patient Services, Market Access, and Advanced Therapy Account Management. Additionally, Bennett led a commercial analytics strategy for early diagnosis, successfully generating leads across the U.S. while executing a Market Access strategy inclusive of major Commercial and Medicaid payers to enable patient access at launch consistent with the value of OTL-200.”

Prior to this, Bennett served in increasing roles of responsibility at Akebia Therapeutics from 2018 to 2023, culminating in serving as Senior Vice President, Commercial where he and his team achieved 25% YOY growth for AURYXIA while realizing $20M in yearly savings by rearchitecting the Sales force strategy. Additionally, Bennett led a rebate concessions strategy that yielded significant gross to net savings through LOE.

From 2016 to 2018, Bennett served as Senior Director, U.S. and Global Market Access at Regeneron Healthcare Solutions where he developed price, contracting, channel, health economic, and trade strategies for PRALUENT® brand and pipeline assets. In this time the brand achieved Market Access goals with over 90% covered lives and #1 covered product by entering into innovative contracts with pharmacies and hospitals to unlock access and dramatically increase approvals while improving Commercial and Medicare approval rates from 20% to ~75%.

Earlier in his career, Bennett served as Brand Director of Market Access at Novo Nordisk, achieving double-blockbuster success for the Victoza® launch in the U.S. Prior to this, Bennett worked at DRAFT FCB HealthCare in NY as an Account Group Supervisor, and in multiple roles at Forest Laboratories from 2002 to 2011.