Brian Cantwell

Commander
DISC Type : D

Vice President, Head of AI, US Pharma at Bayer

Waban, Massachusetts, United States

Overview

Brian is the Vice President of Digital Strategy & Product Operations at Bayer, where he leads AI transformation and marketing innovation for the U. S. Pharmaceuticals division. Educated at MIT Sloan and Harvard, he is described by peers as intelligent, practical, and collaborative, with deep expertise in creating impactful, data-driven customer experiences in healthcare.

Outside of work, Brian is engaged in his community, having volunteered with his team at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. He is a supportive leader who actively celebrates the successes of his colleagues and fosters a collaborative team culture, enjoying connecting with peers at industry events.

Interesting fact: Brian led the pharma industrys first initiative to take all digital media planning and activation in-house, earning his team a PM360 Innovator Award in 2021.

Personality Overview

Risk-Taker

Impact-Driven

Candid & Clear

They take a lot of pride in personal achievements.  More than the product, they care about the impact of the product. They respond well to strong and respectful communication.

Topics They Care About

AI in Pharma
He co-leads Bayer's Agentic AI transformation and speaks publicly about cutting through the "hype cycle" to find practical, high-value applications for AI in content and analytics.
Digital Marketing Innovation
He pioneered the award-winning, industry-first strategy to in-house all digital media at Bayer, significantly improving efficiency and precision while saving millions in agency fees.
Customer Experience
His career has focused on designing and running multichannel organizations to deliver more relevant, impactful, and cost-effective customer experiences in the biopharma sector.

Media Appearances

Bayer pharma goes all‑in for digital media buying, moving external operations fully in‑house. Featured in FiercePharma

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Work History

11-2025
Vice President, Head of AI, US Pharma at Bayer
1-2024
Vice President, Digital Strategy & Product Operations at Bayer
7-2020 - 1-2024
Vice President, Digital Strategy & Operations at Bayer
12-2018 - 6-2020
Senior Director, Multichannel Excellence at Biogen
10-2017 - 11-2018
Director, Multichannel Excellence at Biogen

Education

2008 - 2010
MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management
2000 - 2004
AB from Harvard University

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 15 Location : Waban, Massachusetts, United States Job Level : Senior Designation : Vice President, Head of AI, US Pharma at Bayer
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Insights For Selling To Brian

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Hold your ground without indulging in one-upmanship
  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing objective proof points without becoming too analytical
  • Get to the point quickly instead of spending time doing small talk

DONT's

  • Don't try too hard to forge relationships with them
  • Do not spend too much time focusing on product tech or features
  • Avoid being a storyteller and don’t try to oversell

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Brian is

  • Confidence in impact is paramount to them, followed by a sense of achievement and ROI.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Brian

  • If they decide not to go ahead, they will say no without hesitation.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Brian move?

  • They can reach decisions fairly quickly if they are convinced.
  • Can Brian take some risk or not?

  • They don’t mind risks but can be quite binary about them.

You And Brian

Personality Compatibility


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