A Woman Leader's Journey in Pharma Analytics: Trust, Credibility & Career Advice | Bandna Katna

Pharma AI is failing in production at most pharmaceutical companies. The reason is not the AI model. It is the broken data foundation underneath. In this episode of Pharma Marketing Playbook: Data, Gen AI and Beyond, global pharma data and analytics leader Bandna Katna breaks down why pharmaceutical AI strategy is stalling and what it really takes to scale AI in pharma.Saumya Prakash, Co-Founder of Multiplier AI, sits down with Bandna Katna, a senior pharma analytics and commercial operations leader with 16+ years of experience across CRM, MIS, sales analytics, commercial analytics, and AI-driven decision-making in the global pharmaceutical industry. Having worked both partner-side and in-house in pharma, Bandna brings a rare dual perspective on what separates pharma companies that scale AI successfully from those stuck in pilot mode.This pharma AI podcast covers the three shifts reshaping pharma commercial operations: omnichannel HCP engagement, AI-driven automation, and embedded data governance. Bandna also shares the real difference between AI and rebranded automation, why pharma personalization still feels generic to HCPs, and what it takes to make next best action engines, agentic AI, and generative AI actually work in life sciences.A must-watch for pharma commercial leaders, pharma analytics professionals, life sciences AI practitioners, pharma marketing managers, and anyone building AI capabilities in pharma and biotech.EPISODE CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction and Bandna's pharma analytics journey03:30 Partner-side vs. in-house pharma analytics07:45 Three shifts reshaping pharma commercial operations13:20 Omnichannel HCP engagement: what most pharma still gets wrong18:00 AI-driven automation: real value vs. rebranded hype23:15 Why pharma AI strategy fails without a strong data foundation28:30 The HCP personalization gap33:00 Embedded data governance at scale37:20 Career advice and women leaders in pharma analyticsWHAT YOU WILL LEARN- The real difference between AI and rebranded automation in pharma- Why pharma AI strategy fails without a strong data foundation- Three shifts reshaping pharma commercial operations and pharma marketing- Why HCP personalization still feels generic- The role of agentic AI and generative AI in life sciences- Career advice for pharma data and analytics professionals- The evolving role of women leaders in pharma analyticsABOUT OUR GUESTBandna Katna is a global pharma data and analytics leader with 16+ years across pharmaceutical analytics, CRM, commercial operations, sales analytics, and AI-driven decision-making, with deep experience on both partner-side and in-house pharma teams.ABOUT THE PODCASTPharma Marketing Playbook: Data, Gen AI and Beyond is hosted by Saumya Prakash, Co-Founder of Multiplier AI, a publicly listed agentic AI company serving pharma, life sciences, and hospital clients across India, the US, and the UK.LISTEN ON SPOTIFYhttps://open.spotify.com/show/5VWAhnEbGLQ2kEPVO8d8BNCONNECT WITH MULTIPLIER AIWebsite: www.multiplierai.coLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/multiplierai/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/multiplierai/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MultiplierAICONNECT WITH SAUMYA PRAKASHhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/saumya-multiplierai/If you found this pharma AI podcast valuable, please like, subscribe, and share.