In this episode of the Digital Adoption Accelerator Podcast, I sat down with Benjamin Kaiser, Head of Operations for Pharma Sciences at Roche, to talk about what it really takes to move from digital awareness to meaningful adoption.
Benjamin reflects on his experience in the Digital Adoption Accelerator and how stepping outside the usual corporate environment helped create space for deeper thinking, stronger industry collaboration, and a new perspective on the role leaders play in shaping digital transformation.
We explore why the biggest challenge in digital adoption is often not the technology itself, but the mindset around it. Benjamin shares how curiosity, ownership, and a willingness to act have changed the way he approaches leadership, AI, and his own impact. Rather than seeing AI as a replacement for human work, he sees it as a partner that can handle repetitive tasks and create more room for empathy, creative thinking, and complex problem-solving.
Benjamin also shares his mission to enable scientists to focus more of their time on science by improving operations, using data more effectively, and creating systems that help teams move from understanding what happened to predicting what will happen next.
Key Takeaways:
– Digital adoption is not just about keeping up with new technology. It requires curiosity, ownership, and the willingness to actively shape change.
– AI should be viewed as a partner to human capability, not a replacement for it.
– A digital mindset does not require becoming a technology expert. It requires understanding how people and technology can work together more effectively.
– Ownership creates freedom. When people truly own the work, they gain the freedom to shape it and create greater impact.
– Data can help organizations separate facts from assumptions and make better decisions about where resources create the most value.
– Scientists increasingly need to combine scientific expertise with data and digital capabilities to deliver solutions faster for patients.
– Implementation beats knowledge. Instead of spending years continually scoping and planning, leaders should implement something useful, learn from it, capture the value, and keep moving.
– The leaders who create the most impact are willing to get off the sidelines, act before everything is perfect, and continuously add value.
Connect with Benjamin Kaeser:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminkaeser
Connect with Jake Herway:
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeherway/
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