A candid conversation on how small biotechs can build lean clinical development teams, decide what to keep in-house, work smarter with vendors, and protect their critical path without overbuilding.

How do you build a biotech team that is lean, accountable, and ready to execute?

In the first episode of Season 4 of Cut The Chat, Life Science Insider, Sabine Hutchison speaks with Ross Pettit, Chief Development Officer at Kestrel Therapeutics, about the practical realities of building a clinical development function in a small biotech.

Ross brings more than 30 years of clinical development experience across pharma and biotech, and in this conversation, he shares a clear view on what small sponsors should keep close, what they should outsource, and why senior experience early can make all the difference.

Together, Sabine and Ross discuss:

• why biotechs should outsource scale, not accountability
• how to decide which roles to hire and when
• why program management and financial planning are often underestimated
• what makes consultants feel like true team members
• how vendor relationships depend on trust, transparency, and healthy tension
• why clinical operations is a strategic function, not just execution

This episode is for biotech leaders, clinical operations teams, and anyone thinking about how to build the right team around an asset without burning runway on the wrong structure.

A practical conversation on how biotechs can read RFPs differently, avoid the fluency trap, challenge assumptions, and choose vendors that can actually deliver.

Every biotech faces this moment: the RFP looks perfect, polished, aligned, convincing. But does it actually signal readiness?

In this episode, Seuss+ CEO Kieran Engels joins Julia Vassiliadou (F2G) to break down why a beautiful proposal can mislead sponsors, what real signals of vendor readiness look like, and how biotechs can tailor the selection process to avoid costly mistakes.

Together, they unpack:

• Why we confuse polish with capability
• The four signals that a vendor is genuinely ready
• How to challenge assumptions during bid defenses
• Why risk-based thinking (ICH E6 R3) should shape sponsor decision-making
• How governance, oversight, and setup determine long-term CRO success

Whether you’re selecting your first CRO or refining your next vendor strategy, this conversation gives you the tools to see beyond the surface and choose smarter.

🎧 Listen now and don’t let polish fool you.

Clinical systems compliance sounds like a box to tick, until the box breaks your trial.

In this episode, Seuss+ CEO Kieran Engels and Lauren Alani, Director of Digital Innovation, reveal the blind spots many biotechs miss when it comes to system validation and data integrity.

From “fake data” to AI oversight, they unpack why compliance is not just about regulation these days, it’s about protecting the science, the patients, and the investment.

🎙️ Listen now to Beyond the Checklist: The Hidden Risks in Clinical Systems Compliance

📄 Read the whitepaper: Uncovering Hidden Risks in Clinical Systems Compliance