Innes Meldrum : The Adherence Architect on Tech, Trust & Braveheart Leadership

What do William Wallace, smart pill bottles, and pharma sales have in common?They all showed up in this week's #TheShot of #DigitalHealth Therapy. Jim Joyce and I had a chat with Innes Meldrum - Scottish-born, New Jersey-rooted CEO of AdhereTech. Innes unpacks his journey from flunking high school to running $Big brands and now cracking one of healthcare’s stickiest problems: medication adherence. We covered: 🤖 Tech vs. human behavior in adherence 🧩 Pharma’s paradox (have to watch to get more) 🧠 Leadership = authenticity + heart 🫥 Tech must be invisible for patients 📈 Adherence is greater than acquisition in long run Big lessons. Big heart. Big impact. 🎧 Listen now and learn why belief might just be your biggest asset. Fun mentions as always: Josh Stein Dave Griffiths 🇮🇪 Kaiser Permanente YourCoach.Health 00:00 – 03:00 — Opening Banter & Setup Eugene, Jim & Innes kick things off across time zones with laughs and backstory. 03:00 – 08:00 — From Scotland to Kentucky Innes shares his multicultural roots, flunking high school, and a summer teaching soccer in the US. 08:00 – 14:00 — Career Leap: Tech to Pharma The unexpected journey from engineering at Nortel to global marketing at Novartis. 14:00 – 18:00 — Mental Health & Authentic Leadership How neuroscience drew Innes in—and why emotional connection is key to commercial success. 18:00 – 22:00 — Joining AdhereTech Why Innes took the CEO seat and what surprised him when he arrived. 22:00 – 27:00 — Solving the Adherence Problem A dive into AdhereTech’s smart pill bottle and how it’s changing patient behavior. 27:00 – 32:00 — Pharma Economics & Ownership Gaps The financial burden of non-adherence—and who really owns the problem in healthcare. 32:00 – 36:00 — Stress, Behavior, and Health Coaching Exploring the real reasons patients don’t take meds—and how health coaching can help. 36:00 – 41:00 — Resilience & System Innovation Innes reflects on leadership growth, system constraints, and building a startup culture. 41:00 – 45:00 — Future Vision & Final Advice A keynote moment: belief, purpose, and what Innes would tell his younger self.