Holly John, Senior Director, Global Patient Advocacy at Agios is an innovative and thoughtful leader with a passion for elevating the voice of the patient community and ensuring that their insights are woven across the company’s activities. Introduced to the Sickle Cell community in 2017, she has since learned many powerful life lessons, including how resilience and gratitude in the face of adversity can overcome any challenge. With that experience, Holly has gone on to build advocacy functions and teams, all of which are centered on the ‘person’ not the ‘disease’. This approach has brought value to her colleagues while delivering better outcomes and experiences for patients.
Holly has a strong record of building authentic partnerships with patients, patient advocates and their clinician supporters. Since joining Agios, Holly has defined an ambition for patient-centricity that goes beyond words, driving meaningful action and change. Her efforts led to the launch of the Red Cell Revolution, an evidence-based advocacy initiative directed by patients, and support for community efforts such as the ‘Nod to “Naz” Exhibit’, a tribute to the life-affirming work of Hertz Nazaire. Through acts such as these, Holly received the SCAY Community Partner award. Ultimately, her goal is to raise the bar and set a new standard for her peers that ensures patients have a seat at the decision-making table.
