Murt Abuwala

Murt is an expert in predictive analytics. He focuses on transforming unstructured scientific data into information that can be easily analyzed, compared, and acted upon to support clinical data generation strategy, M&A, and licensing.

Murt has over 20 years of experience working in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has contributed and served in different roles: scientist, technologist, sales and marketing executive, and consultant. As a scientist and technologist, Murt has developed mathematical and experimental innovations in enzyme kinetics and neurodegenerative diseases (patented), predictive analytics algorithms for lead scoring (commercialized), ontology for structuring and comparing clinical data (patent-pending), and mathematical approaches to assessing risks of pipeline assets (patent-pending). And as a consultant, Murt has worked with ~30 publically-traded global biopharmaceutical companies including 7 of the top 10 on strategic and operational issues within and across research, development, corporate development, corporate finance, product planning, medical affairs, marketing, and sales. Since 2010, Murt has supported nearly $1.5 billion in M&A transactions, created over $1 billion in value for customers, and has been directly involved in the planning and launch of several products that currently generate over $10 billion in annual revenue.

His career began in Cambridge, MA as a chemist in enzyme kinetics at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He then transitioned to management consulting, initially in strategy and then onto operations and CRM systems at Microsoft and Andersen. Subsequently, he joined a pre-IPO biotechnology company (now a part of PerkinElmer) where he eventually became one of three commercial leads and helped it go public. After its IPO, Murt joined Syneos Health to lead its US Sales Analytics and Operations practice. Here he grew revenue and developed various sophisticated analytics-based offerings for its Top-20 biopharma clients. Subsequently, he joined Cline Davis & Mann (an Omnicom company) as Senior Vice President and Director of Commercial Strategy to start and lead its Early Commercialization consulting practice. In 2009, Murt started Abuwala & Company to focus on developing portfolio analytics solutions to support M&A and licensing. And in 2013, Murt founded Orbytel Group to address various unmet needs in managing scientific and clinical data that are a critical component in R&D and BD&L decision making. At Orbytel Group, Murt oversees analytics / AI and account management. Orbytel Group now serves most of the top 10 biopharma companies in the world.

Murt is a Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude, and honors graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in biochemistry. He was part of student government and received numerous awards and grants for his undergraduate research in artificial blood development from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Howards Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and the American Chemical Society (ACS).