Yvonne’s story on… the relentless pursuit of medical excellence through innovation

Initially, Yvonne ‘s path into the medical field was a more traditional one.  Earning her degree at the University of Witwatersrand and thereafter gaining experience in obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics before establishing herself in general practice.  Yvonne's career then took an unexpected and less conventional turn when a friend told her about Netcare's plans to establish a stem cell laboratory in South Africa and their search for a medical officer.  Kim Hulett, spearheading this innovative initiative, recognised Yvonne as the ideal Medical Officer and, as it turned out, her future Co-Founder for Next Biosciences.

“I ended up at Next Biosciences really by chance.  It wasn't anything I imagined doing. I was enjoying my GP practice but when the opportunity presented itself, I was really curious. From one project to another this was really cutting edge medical breakthroughs that we were involved in, I was learning so much.  Now 20 years later I look back and I’ve had a really incredible career experience.”

Yvonne does not identify as a typical entrepreneur but rather a typically risk adverse medical practitioner.  However, her deep medical knowledge and dedication to its applications perfectly balanced Kim's entrepreneurial spirit and visionary business flair, forming a powerful partnership.  Yvonne credits Kim's relentless energy and ambition, which constantly raised the bar, as a key driver in her own continuous learning journey when it came to medical developments and how this intel would ultimately drive innovative growth for the business.  

“Our partnership is really unique, we are very much that yin and yang. Kim is the visionary, the entrepreneur who loves to explore new things.  I am the one who will study and investigate if an idea will work or not.  We are polar opposites but it really works well in partnership which has led to this amazing BioTech company we have created.”

Yvonne explains that any cutting edge technology comes with the challenge of market acceptance. She reminds us how controversial stem cells were 20 years ago.  At the time, their innovative business was met with a lot of unknowns and scepticism on whether the technology would ever reach its projected potential. How did Kim and Yvonne secure the necessary support and conviction from potential customers and healthcare professionals, who had to believe in not only the underlying science and technology, but also in their ability to deliver?  Yvonne explains that the secret was in their resilience.  Listening objectively to criticism, using it to iterate, and building a business on solid foundations of evidence and technology, and always maintaining a deep personal belief in its value. 

“Now after 20 years we have built a really good name in the healthcare industry, still run by the same founders who started it. Internationally accredited year after year, we have proven ourselves to the industry over and over again.  It has certainly taken time so it’s crucial not to give up too soon! It takes persistence and resilience.”

To build a business for the long terms means nurturing it for the long term. Next Biosciences may have started with umbilical cord stem cell  banking but has continued to advance into related domains through ambitious innovation.  Yvonne grew as the business grew and continued to evolve by constantly stretching herself to think bigger.  For her this meant delving into the depths of the often unknown in a continuous learning and innovation cycle that gives back tenfold because inspiration comes from constant reinvention. She has been fortunate to be nothing short of a constant flow of inspiration throughout the last 20 years, stretching her imagination into realms she never thought possible.  Today Next Biosciences offers innovative healthcare solutions from genetic testing in the reproductive space to biologics products, lifestyle genetic testing, and more, living up to their mantra that ‘anything IS possible’!

Having solidified their place in the biotech world, they are geared for the shift to a more personalised medical experience the industry is currently evolving into. Active in the niche area Next Biosciences serves, Yvonne sees great opportunity to give back by investing in new research and technology in a region like South Africa that could greatly benefit from healthcare advancements. She is deeply passionate about the incredible medical and scientific minds in the region and feels a strong sense of duty to contribute to the country's growth by fostering medical innovation and nurturing emerging talent.

Stagnation breeds boredom and it's safe to say the past 20 years have been nothing short of a challenging and exhilarating journey for Yvonne.  She draws on the lessons from her journey so far to inform the future of Next Biosciences, embracing a tried and tested approach that involves taking calculated risks, being open to change, and demonstrating agility and flexibility to drive that change forward, all while maintaining patience as a guiding principle. Positive, open minded, enthusiastic, conscientious, determined, hardworking and deeply curious and passionate, Yvonne epitomises the characteristics it takes to build a successful, future facing biotech business like Next Biosciences.

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