Five Questions with…Daisy Chhokar

When Daisy Chhokar joined her first biotech company, she thought she’d only stay a few years to figure out whether the industry was a good fit. Now, some 20 years later, she is Chief People Officer at Totus Medicines, with decades of experience building and scaling biotech startups, ranging from early-stage research to commercial.

Daisy joined us for a conversation about the connection between a company’s culture and its business success, the qualities Totus team members share, and why she believes the company’s future is so bright.

What was the path that led you to this field, and to Totus??

My career has given me visibility into a wide variety of industries and exposed me to a diverse array of cultures, business models, and corporate missions. And when I first began working in the life sciences industry, I was fascinated with what I discovered — there were so many bright, mission-driven people who were laser-focused on developing life-saving therapies. They were just different, and they were truly inspiring to me.

Totus had all of this and then some, and I was particularly impressed with the team’s commitment to building a culture early that was firmly grounded in its authentic values. And CEO Neil Dhawan’s vision to build a sustainable drug development company with a differentiated discovery platform was incredibly exciting. In fact, the Totus team has already made tremendous progress with its TOS-358 program, now expected to be in the clinic by early 2023.?

What kind of people gravitate to —?and are sought out by — Totus?

We look for people with a growth mindset and great positive energy; selfless people who are driven and dedicated to bringing medicines to patients in need; people who embody our core values of humility, collaboration, agility, focus, and urgency; and people who are wholly committed to sustaining and evolving our unique culture.?The people we attract, and who we feel are the right fit, want to create something important that can have a real impact on human lives. Some may be motivated because of an illness affecting a family member, others may simply want to help patients for whom there are no current drug therapies available on the market. And given how challenging this work can be, it’s obvious that those who sign up for it are looking for fulfillment far beyond just personal gain.?

A lot of startup biotech companies promise many things. What do you think separates Totus from the rest?

Many companies talk about the importance of values, and culture, but then fail to adequately invest time and resources in them, and prioritize them within the overall business strategy. When I first interviewed with Totus, Neil made it very clear that he and the team were 100% committed to creating and maintaining a culture where our employees’ experience would always be top of mind. And as the company would grow and change, he said the impact on our culture would be carefully considered with each and every decision made. So I jumped at the chance to be a part of such an organization because I know that when the culture is not prioritized, people do not feel as valued or fulfilled. I am very proud to say that we, as a company, are consciously and continuously working to create an environment where people feel a true sense of belonging and understand the value they provide. It’s the only way to maximize every employee’s potential.

To be honest ,I see a direct link between our values-based culture and the scientific and clinical progress we are making. TOS-358 is progressing rapidly toward the clinic, and we are also developing a differentiated drug discovery platform that, in part, can be credited to the cultural foundation it’s being built on.

There’s a pretty wide breadth of backgrounds within your company, and specifically on your scientific advisory board, where you have experts in data analysis, drug discovery, and other fields. Was that a conscious effort, or did it just work out that way??

At this point, one of the things we're focusing on is building a team that boasts a wide range of relevant experience across many areas of expertise. We’ve also prioritized bringing on people who have done this kind of work before, so we know we’re well positioned to execute rapidly and efficiently. Ultimately, we know this diversity in hiring will make us stronger — and help us achieve our goals faster.

What do you see as the future for Totus??

I truly believe Totus is set up to be an absolute game changer in the industry. Our differentiated drug discovery platform will enable us to discover drugs faster and more effectively than other companies. And we are able to do so because we have built an environment that fosters creativity, innovation, collaboration, and support. It’s a business approach we believe will bring out the best in every individual who works here and lead us to the ultimate goal of discovering critically important drugs across the genome faster than any other company. That’s what we’re shooting for, and we believe we can do it.?