Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, a global biopharmaceutical leader with a history dating back to 1781, operates in more than 80 countries and serves millions of patients every year. Known for its focus on oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience, and gastroenterology, the company has been steadily evolving into a digital-first organization — placing data and AI at the center of its transformation strategy.

In the first part of this interview, Steve Winawer, Takeda’s Head of Data, Digital, and Technology USBU, in conversation with Dave McEachern of AHEAD, shared how the company is leveraging generative AI (GenAI) and advanced technologies, and why trust, data quality, and regulatory alignment form the bedrock of its AI initiatives.

In this second installment, Winawer continues the conversation exploring how Takeda is structuring itself for scalable innovation, balancing internal demand with capacity, and preparing for the next frontier of AI.

A decision framework that drives every action

At the heart of Takeda’s digital strategy lies a clear, values-driven decision framework that ensures every step aligns with its core mission.

“It is patient, trust, reputation, business — in that order,” Winawer says. “As we work through any of the decisions we’re making, we are guided by that framework now to the point of the organizational design, the investment.”

This framework isn’t just theoretical. It informs how the company plans capacity, builds governance structures, and integrates technology layers—from data management to applications — ensuring that innovation serves patients first while maintaining compliance and trust.

When the company identified governance as a weak link early in its AI journey, it invested in people and technology to build governance processes that could keep pace with the rapid speed of AI-driven experimentation and deployment.

Creating “Freedom within the framework”

To balance agility with consistency, Takeda operates under a guiding principle it calls “Freedom within the framework.” Coined by the company’s enterprise architect, Brian Hoffman, this concept ensures that teams have room to innovate while staying aligned with enterprise standards.

“As we go through our architecture councils, we provide a framework of technologies and solution patterns,” Winawer explains. “As each of the businesses and functions wants to build solutions within that framework, they then have the freedom to innovate.”

This balance helps prevent fragmentation — such as multiple, uncoordinated large language models (LLMs) — while empowering teams to act quickly and scale promising initiatives.

Balancing demand, capacity, and resources

Operating at Takeda’s scale means demand can often exceed capacity. Winawer emphasizes that the key is focusing on business-driven priorities and leveraging the company’s hybrid structure, where data and digital teams are embedded within the business units but supported by strong central teams.

“We don’t try to have solutions in search of a problem,” Winawer says. “That notion of where we are going to invest for outcomes allows us to shift and prioritize resources to hit what’s right.”

Central governance councils help coordinate priorities across functions, ensuring common solutions where possible without restricting innovation at the local level. This collaborative governance model creates a balance between enterprise efficiency and functional autonomy, enabling Takeda to scale digital initiatives responsibly.

Preparing for the next wave: Agentic AI

Looking ahead, Takeda is setting its sights on agentic AI, which involves AI agents that collaborate with human teams.

“We’ve already deployed a good number of agents internally,” Winawer shares. “We’re focused on making them truly effective under a ‘human-in-the-loop’ model — enabling colleagues to work seamlessly with agents as collaborative partners.”

At the same time, Winawer sees untapped potential in synthetic data and synthetic marketing personas, especially for pharmaceutical applications, signaling that the innovation curve is far from plateauing.

A mindful, purpose-driven approach

Throughout the conversation, one theme stands out: Takeda’s transformation is deliberate and values-driven. By investing in the right governance, creating flexible frameworks, and prioritizing patient outcomes, the company has built a foundation that allows it to scale innovation responsibly and sustainably. As Winawer put it, “Nothing revolutionary in doing it, but it was a very intentional, mindful focus on the pieces altogether.”

CDO Magazine appreciates Steve Winawer for sharing his insights with our global community.