30Under30 Nominee: Sloan Tandet

Great to hear from Significant Insights Global 30 under 30 nominee Sloan Tandet who is the Associate Director of Insights and Analytics at Organon, a global healthcare company dedicated to improving women’s health. She holds a master’s degree in public health from Boston University, where she specialized in maternal and child health. With over five years of research experience in her former healthcare consulting roles and in her current role, Sloan has led over 20 projects in areas such as market access, pricing, value proposition, contracting, and competitive intelligence. She is driven by her passion for creating innovative solutions that address the unmet needs of women around the world.

So, how did you get into the industry, and take us through how you got to this point?

After earning my Master’s in Public Health from Boston University, I found myself uncertain about the direction I wanted to take. I naturally gravitated towards healthcare consulting, where I spent approximately four years. Although healthcare consulting involves a considerable amount of market research, it wasn’t until I joined Organon that I truly immersed myself in the market research field. At Organon, I have been given the opportunity to blend traditional qualitative and quantitative research methods with data analysis and interpretation to help support key business questions. This transition allowed me to merge my passion for women’s health with my aspiration to drive meaningful change through well-informed insights. Over the past two years, I have dedicated myself to this field, continually learning and evolving. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities for growth, making the journey incredibly rewarding. My work in market research not only fuels my passion but also reinforces my commitment to making a positive impact in the realm of women’s health.

Why should anyone consider a career in market research, data and insights?

I believe a career in market research, data, and insights is an excellent path for many to explore. If you’re looking for a field that is dynamic, innovative, and offers the chance to delve into various topics, this is a fantastic option. Working in market research allows you to blend hard numerical data with qualitative insights, providing a comprehensive view of the business questions you’re addressing. My career has been filled with continuous learning opportunities in an environment that keeps me constantly engaged. You’ll never find yourself bored, and each project presents a new chance to learn and grow.

Career paths are rarely without challenges. Can you share an honest moment from your career when things didn’t go quite according to plan, but the lessons remain with you to this day?

My first job was in the healthcare consulting world, where we routinely provided a variety of market research workstreams. There was one project in particular where I was tasked with working on a pharmaceutical product life cycle management project for a drug that was the therapeutic area leader. The final findings did not directly align with what the client wanted to see and was not lining up with assumptions that were made at the beginning of the project. This led to a difficult final read-out, as the facts were presented to a captive audience. This experience taught me the need to stick to what is learned through the research process, even if there is pushback from your stakeholders. I am more confident now on the importance of relying on the data and the insights when delivering presentations, even if it does not align with the initial hypothesis set forward.

What two things should junior researchers focus on as they progress in their careers?

I would say that the two pieces of advice I would give to a junior researchers as they are continuing to progress are to:

Focus on building a trusting relationship with your main stakeholders

By trusting relationship, I mean always be open and communicative, delivering results on time and being confident in what you are sharing. This will help you continue to build credibility internally and externally. It will also help you develop internal advocates for you- and you can never have enough of those!

Never come outright and say “no” to a new opportunity 

Whether it’s speaking at a conference, taking on a new project, or just helping out a colleague, I think always saying yes has helped me grow so much in my career. This also comes with the need to manage expectations- going along with building trust which is my number one recommendation

Do you have any advice for our sector?

I think continuing to bring in innovative approaches to market research is going to be the best thing this field could have going forward! This, to me, includes bringing a combination of AI as that continues to evolve, as well as being open to utilizing non-traditional research (such as the behavioral science approach).

And do you have anyone who has helped your career so far that you’d like to acknowledge and say thanks or give a shout out to?

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my boss and incredible mentor, Lisa Courtade the AVP of Global Market Research and Analytics at Organon. Over the past two years, I’ve always been able to rely on her for guidance and support. She’s an amazing person to brainstorm with, and every time we talk, I come away having learned something new and feeling inspired to be my best self.