Simon Thornber

Visionary
DISC Type : Ds

Head of Research Data and Digital Services at University of Cambridge

Stevenage, England, United Kingdom

Overview

Simon is a digital leader who, after two decades in the pharmaceutical industry at GSK, now heads Research Data and Digital Services at the University of Cambridge. He specializes in large-scale transformation and tech partnerships to accelerate research. Colleagues describe him as an insightful, strategic, and exceptional leader.

He led a Pistoia Alliance project, sponsored by five major pharmaceutical companies, to develop cloud-hosted Next Generation Sequencing platforms.

Personality Overview

Big Vision Person

Goal-Oriented

Fast But Thoughtful

They exhibit a rare combination of being result-oriented but patient at the same time.  Reading between the lines and seeing beyond your words comes naturally to them. They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.

Topics They Care About

AI in Life Sciences
His experience at GSK involved deploying AI/ML tools like Knowledge Graphs and NLP, and his current role focuses on leveraging tech to accelerate research.
Strategic Tech Partnerships
He has a history of leading partnership engagements with major tech giants including Google, Microsoft, IBM, and NVIDIA to drive innovation.
Digital Transformation
With two decades of experience, his career has focused on large-scale business transformation within the pharmaceutical industry and now in academia.

Media Appearances

Simon has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2025
Head of Research Data and Digital Services at University of Cambridge
1-2023 - 2-2025
Head of Discovery Digital and Tech at GSK
1-2020 - 1-2023
Product Director at GSK
12-2016 - 1-2023
R&D-IT Director of Analytics, Target Sciences, and InVitro-InVivo Translation at GSK
1-2010 - 4-2012
Sequence Services WorkGroup Leader at Pistoia Alliance, Inc.

Education

1990 - 1994
Bachelor's degree from University of Leicester
mini MBA from Birkbeck, University of London

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 12 Location : Stevenage, England, United Kingdom Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Head of Research Data and Digital Services at University of Cambridge
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Insights For Selling To Simon

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Let them know of potential risks but suggest mitigation methods alongside
  • Suggest clear next steps with confidence, don't be vague or hesitant
  • Use phrases like 'your team deserves', 'best in class' etc.

DONT's

  • Don't focus too much on mutual contacts or bother about other stakeholders, focus on them
  • Avoid putting conscious effort into relationship-building
  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Simon is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Simon

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Simon move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Simon take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Simon

Personality Compatibility


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