Scientific and business fluency
Deep experience in biomedical research and product development, paired with MBA-level strategy. We understand the science well enough to pressure-test the business case.
Independent advisory · Greater Philadelphia
Turning Life Sciences Partnerships Into Measurable Progress.
W. Strategic Solutions helps pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, and research organizations turn complex strategic priorities into coordinated action. We work from partnership formation and portfolio decisions through IP and product development.
- Since 2014Independent advisory practice
- 10+ yearsIn pharmaceutical product development
- Science + MBAResearch depth with business strategy
Why W. Strategic Solutions
Independent advisory for high-stakes partnerships, federally funded programs, and portfolio decisions.
Life sciences priorities rarely sit inside one organization. Progress depends on scientists, executives, manufacturing partners, and funders agreeing on what matters and who owns it. We bring the fluency to work across all of them.
Cross-ecosystem credibility
Experience connecting biotech, pharma, CDMOs, research organizations, and government stakeholders, so every party at the table is understood.
Strategy through execution
Support that continues after the slide deck. We stay involved from partnership formation, portfolio choices and program management through development.
Executive clarity in complexity
Structured facilitation that turns ambiguity into clear decisions, defined ownership, and momentum.
Services
Advisory support across the full arc, from partnership to product development.
Engagements are scoped to the decision or program at hand, from a focused strategic assessment to embedded program leadership.
Partnership & alliance strategy
Identify, evaluate, and structure collaborations among biotech, pharma, CDMO, and research partners. Then build the governance that keeps them productive.
Portfolio strategy & decision support
Prioritize assets and investments with clear criteria, decision frameworks, and stage-gate reviews that leadership can act on.
Program & project management
Integrated plans, milestones, risk management, and reporting for complex development programs, including federally funded work.
Product development & scale-up
Plan the path from research to manufacturing and market, including technology transfer and CDMO selection and oversight.
Strategic planning & facilitation
Strategic plans, leadership offsites, and alignment workshops that end with decisions, owners, and next steps.
Operational excellence
Lean Six Sigma methods that remove bottlenecks, shorten cycle times, and make critical processes repeatable.
Who we work with
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Biotechnology companies
- Diagnostics developers
- CDMOs
- Research institutions
- Government-funded program teams
Approach
A structured path from ambiguity to momentum.
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1
Discover
Clarify the objective, stakeholders, constraints, and what success looks like in measurable terms.
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2
Align
Facilitate the conversations that turn competing priorities into shared decisions and clear ownership.
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3
Plan
Build the roadmap, governance, and metrics that connect strategy to day-to-day work.
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4
Execute
Stay engaged through delivery. Track milestones, surface risks early, and adjust course as needed.
Selected Experience
Measurable results on complex, high-stakes programs.
Highlights from Gervan's career in consulting, CDMO, and manufacturing roles. Client and employer names are withheld.
$500M+
Supported contract proposals and awards
Winning government and investor funding
Managed multidisciplinary scientific and technical teams that developed proposals to the U.S. Government, supporting proposals delivering over $500M in contract awards from government and private investors.
$300M
Vaccine manufacturing facility
Delivering program management compliance support on a government-funded facility build-out
Served as the client's trusted partner for program delivery and U.S. Government compliance. Coordinated with a client's global team across multiple countries and the U.S. Government, kept the build-out aligned with regulatory and documentation requirements, and introduced standard metrics and program management frameworks.
20+
Commercial and USG-funded contracts
Advancing vaccine and therapeutic programs
Supported more than 20 major contracts focused on developing vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19 and other indications.
30%
Manufacturing cost reduction
Scaling manufacturing with Lean Six Sigma
As technical lead for large-scale microbiological liquid supplement manufacturing, led enterprise-wide Lean Six Sigma initiatives that built continuous improvement into operations, cutting costs 30% and supporting year-over-year revenue growth.
$1M+
Incremental revenue
Growing a CDMO's development partnerships
Served as primary client contact for a portfolio of pharmaceutical development partnerships at a global CDMO, leading client project plans that advanced R&D and clinical trial programs. Generated more than $1M in incremental revenue by retaining clients and expanding existing partnerships.
Founder & Principal
Gervan Williams, MBA
Gervan brings a researcher's rigor and an operator's focus on results to every engagement.
He began his career in biomedical research. As a young research fellow at the Nemours Biomedical Research Institute, he secured NIH grant funding, and he was also a visiting researcher for a Canadian university. His work on neuronal mRNA localization and drug transport has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of Cell Biology.
He has spent more than a decade in pharmaceutical product development. He led product development and innovation at a Philadelphia-based CDMO startup, and as a senior consultant with a global consulting firm, provided project and program management to commercial and USG-funded life sciences clients. He founded W. Strategic Solutions in 2014 to offer independent, hands-on advisory support for small biotech, and after re-joining various companies leading program support, in 2026, decided to extend into additional services to support a wide range of companies.
- MBA, Strategic Leadership & ManagementUniversity of Delaware
- Lean Six Sigma Black BeltProcess improvement and operational excellence
- NIH-funded researcherNemours Biomedical Research Institute
- Community Board of AdvisorsTrinity Health Mid-Atlantic, 2023
Selected publications
- "Lysophosphatidic acid differentially regulates axonal mRNA translation through 5'UTR elements." Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 2012.
- "A comprehensive study demonstrating that P-glycoprotein function is directly affected by changes in pH." Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2011.
- "Extracellular stimuli specifically regulate localized levels of individual neuronal mRNAs." The Journal of Cell Biology, 2007.
Ways to Work Together
Flexible engagement models, scoped to what you need.
Whether you need a defined deliverable or an experienced leader embedded with your team, each engagement is shaped around the decision or program at hand.
Fractional alliance leadership
Part-time, embedded leadership for your partnerships: governance and steering cadence, performance tracking, issue resolution, and value realization, without a full-time hire.
Best for: organizations managing one or more critical alliances.
Project-based advisory
A defined scope with clear deliverables, such as a partner strategy, portfolio assessment, business case, or operating model.
Best for: a specific decision or deliverable on a set timeline.
Governance or portfolio workshops
Facilitated working sessions that bring leaders to aligned decisions on priorities, decision rights, and ownership.
Best for: leadership teams that need alignment quickly.
Program surge support
Experienced program management when a proposal, milestone, or scale-up pushes your team past capacity.
Best for: peaks in proposal, program, or scale-up workload.
Not sure which fits? Start with a free 30-minute call, and we'll scope it together.
What kinds of organizations do you work with?
Emerging biotech and pharmaceutical companies, life sciences manufacturers and CDMOs, research and nonprofit consortia, and teams delivering federally funded programs.
Do you support government-funded programs?
Yes. We work alongside organizations funded by agencies such as BARDA, HHS, NIAID, DoD, and DARPA. Our clients hold the government contracts; we serve as an independent advisor, helping align stakeholders, strengthen governance, and keep delivery and compliance on track.
How are engagements structured?
Through four models: fractional alliance leadership, project-based advisory, governance or portfolio workshops, and program surge support. Each is scoped to the decision or program at hand. See the options.
Do you work remotely or on-site?
Both. Most work happens remotely, with on-site visits when they add value, such as workshops, kickoffs, and key program milestones.
How do you handle confidential information?
Client information is kept strictly confidential, and we're glad to sign a non-disclosure agreement before detailed discussions begin.
What happens on the first call?
It's a free 30-minute conversation about your goals, timeline, and challenges. If there's a good fit, we'll outline a recommended scope and next steps.
Contact
Let's talk about your next priority.
Whether you're evaluating a partnership, running a federally funded program, or facing a portfolio decision, a short conversation is the best place to start.
- Email wstrategicsolutions@gmail.com
- Phone 302-983-2369
- Location Downingtown, PA · Greater Philadelphia
- LinkedIn W. Strategic Solutions