Now accepting applications for our Certification Program!

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Certificate in Quality Business Leadership

The only advanced certification program of its kind for learning the necessary leadership traits to become Quality Business Leaders.
Accepting applications until 20 Sept, 2024

Duration
10 weeks
Commitment
10 hours / week
Format
Live online + self‑paced material
Investment
$7950
Outcome
Certficate in Quality Business Leadership

What is the Certificate in Quality Business Leadership?

Course Overview

The Certificate in Quality Business Leadership program is designed to transition Quality and other key leaders into Quality Business Leaders who make the Quality function a core company business competency.

The program develops the participants financial skills required to make quality and the quality system an engine for both quality and financial improvement; it teaches successful ways to engage senior leaders and employees across the company to take ownership for quality, and it develops patient focused, data and science decision-making weighing benefits and risks. The course aims at progressing the participants skills to master the 6 traits of successful quality business leaders and move from being mainly compliance focused to becoming focused on sustained product quality, consistent product supply and robust financial performance.

The QBA certification program is accredited by TU Dublin* and runs over a period of 10 weeks. Each week will include a 3 hour online virtual education session taught by experienced senior industry and regulatory agency leaders and 7 hours of preparation and homework. 

The curriculum is built around the 6 Quality Business Leadership traits and includes theory, practical examples, cases studies, and practical application of the traits in your company. The class size will be kept small to facilitate class discussions.

Is the Certificate in Quality Business Leadership right for you?

The Certificate in Quality Business Leadership program is ideal for any Pharma Operations, Quality, and Regulatory Agency mid to senior-level leaders with 5-10 years experience and an ambition to advance their career and make Quality a fully integrated function.

Praise for QBL

Actionable Insights, Practical Tools

Participants from the first cohort of the program had some great feedback about their experience.  

    This program redefines quality leadership. I’ve already introduced the systems-thinking approach in my organization, and it’s opening up new possibilities for strategic alignment and cross-functional collaboration.

    Kieran Scully, Executive Director, Head of External Quality, BioMarin

    What sets this program apart is the combination of high-quality content and actionable tools. The financial insights and risk management strategies are already making an impact on how we make decisions and engage with stakeholders.

    Kieran Scully, Executive Director, Head of External Quality, BioMarin

    This is the first course that I'm attending that's really tailored for quality leaders, and it's been great.

    Marcelo Castro, Senior Director – External Supply Operations Quality, Pfizer

    I especially loved the financial discussions led by Craig. He made a complex topic clear and incredibly relevant to our work.

    Shannon Utter, Executive Director, R&D Quality and Compliance, BioMarin

    This course is a roadmap for excellence in quality leadership. It’s relevant not only for newcomers but also for seasoned leaders like me. The lessons are practical, transformative, and universally applicable to any organization.

    Pat Hancock, Executive Director, Pharma Technical Regulatory, Genentech

    The focus on quality culture and leadership dynamics has been pivotal in shaping my team’s strategy. The exercises and frameworks are tools I’ll continue to use as we evolve our approach to quality.

    James Ahern, Associate Vice President – Global Information Systems Quality, Lily

    The quality culture insights and tools for embedding quality in business processes were invaluable. I’ve already started integrating financial value into our quality management reviews, which is driving more strategic conversations with leadership.

    Kieran Scully, Executive Director, Head of External Quality, BioMarin

    This course gave me new ways to approach quality management and leadership. It’s already making a difference in how I engage with my team and stakeholders.

    Marcelo Castro, Senior Director – External Supply Operations Quality, Pfizer

    This program opened my eyes to the importance of engaging volunteers and moving away from relying solely on experts. These fresh perspectives are transforming how we innovate and approach risk and change management in our organizations.

    Alexandra Kraemer, Senior Quality Manager, Boehringer Ingelheim

    The focus on practical application is what sets this program apart. I’ve left every session with something I can use immediately.

    Wilian Silveira, Scientific Director, Integrated Quality, Novo Nordisk

See all feedback

Master the 6 Quality Business Leadership traits

The Certificate in Quality Business Leadership program will help you master the 6 Quality Business leadership traits:

  • Visibly demonstrate responsibility for quality
  • Advocate that quality is owned by all through developing senior management partnerships
  • Engage employees to continuously improve quality
  • Make patient focused, risk-informed decisions about quality
  • Promote quality as a value-driven financial advantage 
  • Lead the path to one global quality regulatory framework 
QBA Certificate of completion example on an ipad
Depiction of learning environment for the QBA Certification program

How does it work?

The Certificate in Quality Business Leadership program is a cohort-based course with live virtual classes coupled with online learning materials.  You get:

  • 10 live virtual weekly classes led by experienced senior industry and regulatory agency leaders
  • Certificate in Quality Business Leadership with accreditation from TU Dublin
  • More than 10 course modules
  • Access to the course platform and companion community for 1 year
  • Support and mentorship from the course instructors and guides

After earning the Certificate in Qualitiy Business Leadership, you will know how to... 

  • ✅  Develop comprehensive quality plans

    Using the quality system to drive company financial improvements taking into account regulations, compliance, business strategy, and financial aspects
  • ✊  Mobilize employees

    Within and outside the Quality organization to use their competencies to drive forward quality improvements
  • 📈 Leverage data, opinions, benefits, and risks 

    To make, justify, and communicate decisions which balance regulatory compliance with drug availability
  • 💸 Lead the design of the overall company strategy

    with respect to transitioning from a culture of compliance with regulations to a holistic quality approach that delivers financial benefits

Benefits of the Certificate in 
Quality Business Leadership Program

Program Lecturers and Facilitators

Experienced Teaching Team

The Certificate in Quality Business Leadership includes industry and regulatory agency experts with proven practical track record and experience in their field of expertise. The lecturers will bring new perspectives, cutting-edge insights, and approaches that can be practically applied for each of the six QBL traits.

Accredited by TU Dublin

This program is a 5 ECTS (Credits) minor award placed at Level 9 on the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). It is offered by Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), through the Graduate Business School (GBS), in partnership with QBA. It forms part of an emerging portfolio of Leadership in Life Sciences programmes co-developed by the GBS and TU Dublin’s School of Chemical and Biopharmaceutical Sciences. These programmes are specifically designed to support leadership development and enhance business and commercial acumen within the Pharmaceutical and broader Lifesciences sectors. 

The GBS is one of 6 Schools within the Faculty of Business. An internationally accredited centre of postgraduate and executive education, the GBS is ranked in the top 2% of Global Business Schools. The School is home to over 2,000+ learners and is a trusted educational partner to leading Irish and international organisations. The wider Faculty of Business, Ireland’s largest Business Faculty, is home to over 6,500 of TU Dublin’s 28,000 students and operates across 3 campuses in Dublin – Aungier St, Tallaght and Blanchardstown.

Program Overview

A high-level overview of what the program covers week by week. Program kicks off 26 February and meets every Wednesday for 10 weeks.

Note: topics and lecturers are subject to some slight modifications

  • Orientation

    Setting the scene

    • Course introduction and overview / Introduction to Facilitators / Expectations
    • Why we need Quality Business Leadership
    • Introduction to six traits of QBL & the transition needed
    • Quality Operating in headwinds. Quality’s role and focus today
    When: 2 October 2024, 6pm UTC | 1pm ET and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther, Anne Greene, Colin Hughes, Janet Woodcock
  • Week 1 – Quality Management

    Quality Management

    • Role of Quality and QP
    • Leading quality thinkers  part 1, tools​
    • Leading quality thinkers  part 2, people & system
    • Quality Systems,  Quality oversight, legal responsibilities​
    When: 2 October 2024, and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther, Martin Lush
  • Week 2 – Creating A Quality Culture 

    Creating A Quality Culture 

    • Working with the CEO, quality culture, quality communication
    • Integrating quality into strategy, partnering with operations, role in drug supply
    • Effective Management reviews
    When: 9 October 2024, and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther, Pat O’Mahony, Lars Petersen
  • Week 3 – Quality Leadership

    Qualitiy Leadership

    • Management & Leadership, inspirational leaders
    • Communicating a Vision for Quality
      • Working external of the company on quality matters, 1VQ for PAC
    • Relationship Management and Influence (the role of trust)
    When: 16 October 2024, and
    Lecturers: Holger Rathgeber, Colin Hughes, Anders Vinther
  • Week 4 – Change, Motivation and Engagement 1

    Change, Motivation & Engagement 1

    • Change Management 
    • Motivation, engagement, purpose, psychological safe environment
    • Head & heart, ‘want-to’ engagement, mobilizing employees, celebrate wins
    When: 23 October 2024, and
    Lecturers: Holger Rathgeber, Colin Hughes, Anders Vinther
  • Week 5- Change, Motivation & Engagement 2

    • Knowledge management, lessons learned, learning environment, career planning
    • Engagement case studies, measuring engagement
    • Quality driven OpEx; 
    • HR systems rewarding good quality
    When: 30 October 2024, and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther, Holger Rathgeber
  • Week 6 – Finance For Quality Leaders 1

    Finance For Quality Leaders 1

    • Finance for non-financial leaders 1
    • Finance for non-financial leaders 2
    • Speaking compliance in $ terms, cost of Quality models 1, Risk registers financially 1
    When: 6 November 2024, and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther, Holger Rathgeber, Lyne Le Palaire, Fabrice Geoffroy
  • Week 7 – Finance For Quality Leaders 2

    Finance For Quality Leaders 2

    • Cost of Quality models 2
    • Risk registers financially 2, PQS as a value generator 1, PQS in financial language 
    • PQS as a value generator 2. Quality Maturity Score tool
    When: 13 November 2024, and
    Lecturers: Craig Elliott, Anders Vinther
  • Week 8 – Decision Making 1

    Decision Making 1

    • Quality decision making authority, challenges in decision making
    • QR9(R1), RBDM, decision making models, benefit/risk patient centric
    • Decision making and prioritization, case studies 1
    When: 20 November 2024, and
    Lecturers: Craig Elliott, Anders Vinther
  • Week 9 – Decision Making 2

    Decision Making 2

    • Decision making case studies 2, communication of difficult decisions to authorities
    • Working with regulatory authorities when good and when bad message
    When: 27 November 2024, and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther, Brendan Cuddy
  • Week 10 – Recap and Next Steps

    Recap and Next Steps

    • Summary of 6 traits, learnings, checklists and metrics
    • Sharing of project plans by learners
    • Conclusions and next steps
    When: 4 December 2024, and
    Lecturers: Anders Vinther

Partnership between TU Dublin and QBA

Aligned Visions

Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland’s first Technological University, offers a wide range of programs from foundation to doctoral levels. Formed by merging three institutes of technology, TU Dublin is the second-largest third-level institution in Ireland, with over 28,000 students. The university emphasizes career-focused education and academic excellence in science, arts, business, engineering, and technology to develop future leaders.

QBA’s Quality Business Leadership program is designed to transform Quality Managers into Quality Business Leaders, benefiting patients, companies, and the managers’ careers. Although new, QBA leverages extensive experience to shift the Quality function from a cost center to a value generator.

Anders Vinther, QBA’s Founder and CEO,  is involved with the Pharmaceutical Regulatory Science Team (PRST) and the 1VQ for PAC Initiative, collaborates with the top 25 pharma companies to simplify global Post Approval Change regulations. This partnership builds on Ireland’s unique environment of collaboration between regulatory agencies, academia, and industry, aiming to foster innovative Quality Business Leadership.

Companies Investing In Quality Business Leadership

  • Astellas

  • BioMarin

  • Boehringer Ingelheim

  • Bristol Myers Squibb

  • Catalent

  • Genentech

  • Lilly

  • Novo Nordisk

  • Pfizer

  • Sanofi

  • SK Biotech

 Certificate in Quality Business Leadership

Quality Business Administration certification seal

Now accepting applications for 2025! Application deadline is Feb 12

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