Biotalk Episode 16: A Conversation with Stephen Sands of Lazard

On this episode of Biotalk, Locust Walk’s Geoff Meyerson welcomes Stephen Sands, former Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and Chairman of the Global Healthcare Group, and currently Senior Advisor at Lazard, a renowned name in global financial services. Together, they explore Stephen’s journey into life sciences finance, his transition into financial and management roles within healthcare, his mentors, and how these relationships impacted his career. Geoff and Stephen also tackle the evolution of banking in today’s healthcare investment landscape, highlighting specialization’s role. They cover navigating challenges and strategies in investments, including banking structures, capital markets, trends, IPOs, banks’ role in deals, and future biopharma investment trends. Stephen offers valuable advice throughout the episode, specifically addressing CEOs on navigating the changing winds of the industry, providing insights into the intricacies of healthcare finance and investment strategies in the biopharma sector. Subscribe or follow Biotalk on Apple Podcasts | Spotify.    Timestamps: 1:26 To start, I’m eager to learn about your journey into the life sciences, and more specifically, to the financial and management side of healthcare. You to use your degrees in Biology and Chemical Engineering in this way. Tell us about your store and what brought you through the arch of your career. 7:11 Can you speak about the evolution of healthcare banking from your experience? 15:22 You have seen a lot of cycles in your career. How do you think this cycle compares to prior cycles? 20:45 What’s the secret to building relationships and and what’s your strategy for building such a robust M&A franchise? 23:52 What biopharma trends do you think will be emerging over the next 3-5 years? 27:57 How do you navigate these changing winds and what advice would you give to a CEO of a smaller company? 30:29 Are you a free agent, retired, board member? What’s next for you?