Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Senior Director of R&D Portfolio Strategy and Analytics,
and Chief of Staff of R&D | Elanco
Derik Wittenberg leads the team responsible for setting research and development priorities, developing new business analytics to provide unique business insights, and improving operational decisions at Elanco Animal Health, the Eli Lilly and Co. spinoff focused on pharmaceuticals for pets and livestock. He said he also helps “connect the dots” in various research and development workstreams. He played a key role in Elanco’s nearly $7 billion acquisition of Bayer Animal Health in 2020, which further bolstered Elanco’s research and development pipeline. “I believe advancements in applied life science R&D can further change people’s lives,” he said, “and I want to better enable the ecosystem to thrive.”
Getting here: His career with Eli Lilly and Co. began as a pharmaceutical research and development scientist before he switched to corporate finance once he completed his MBA. A series of promotions led to his current role.
First job: He mowed lawns when he was 11. He said his earnings spawned the “Wittenberg Bank,” in which he would lend money to family and friends—“for small interest fees, of course.”
Influential moment: His early career shift, after nearly five years as a chemist, to corporate finance. He said his first role was challenging and demanding, but he was able to prove himself to his colleagues and to himself. “The transition from ‘the lab’ to ‘the business’ was a definite inflection point in my career, and I’ve never looked back since,” he said.
Mentor: Matt Viaches, his first boss at Elanco. “He provides continual empowerment and serves as a valuable sounding board,” Wittenberg said, “and I look up to him to this day.”
Givebacks: Wittenberg served as a board member and treasurer for Heritage Place of Indianapolis and is a member of the Purdue University College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council
Self-realization: “I have a strong appreciation for depth in skills, but I’ve felt the most personal growth by expanding my breadth in skills and experiences,” he said. “Overcoming the times of being uncomfortable have led to the biggest successes.”
Advice: “Dream big and set lofty goals but always leverage the fundamentals along the way: grit, dedication and interpersonal skills.”•
Check out more Forty Under 40 honorees.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.