Tara Franks is the chief operating officer of Translational Drug Development (TD2), a biopharmaceutical company based in Phoenix. TD2 has been at the forefront of the biopharmaceutical industry since its founding in 2003 as a division of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
Franks made her mark within the organization by rising through the ranks, starting in the business development and operations team and moving up to more significant roles including project management, business development, vice president of operations and eventually COO.
She was hesitant at first to take on the COO role, knowing she would be leading peers and former superiors at the company. Franks worried about gaining their trust even though she lacked high-level leadership experience.
“The pressure was overwhelming and I told the new leader of our company no; however, the desire to challenge and push myself is a part of who I am. I spoke with a few mentors and they helped me to see my potential when I struggled to look past the fear of the unknown,” Franks said. “A few days after I turned the offer down, I sat with our new president and talked him through why I was scared but ultimately decided that I was willing to try. If he hadn’t believed in me and seen potential in me that I couldn’t see, I don’t know if I would have been brave enough to take that risk.
“It was a pivotal decision in my career and one that I look back on today as the most important risk I’ve ever taken. It taught me that this feeling of fear, when faced with something new, can actually be a sign that you are about to experience meaningful growth. Sometimes all you can do is say yes and believe that you will figure it out. I have learned how to believe in myself even when it’s a challenge I’ve never faced, and it’s taught me the invaluable lesson of giving others that same chance.”
One of the critical milestones in TD2’s history was its successful spin-out from TGen in 2013. Franks played a crucial role in developing and executing a comprehensive business plan, which involved building essential company infrastructure and attracting new investments to diversify services. Her leadership, financial modeling and decision-making were instrumental in securing a buyer and additional capital, resulting in significant growth for the company.
Since the spin-out, TD2 has achieved almost a tenfold increase in revenue, created over 150 high-paying jobs and generated substantial returns for both TGen and its investors.
Under Franks’ leadership, TD2 has worked with over 700 biopharmaceutical partners and successfully transitioned more than 90 companies from research studies into human clinical trials, benefiting patients with life-threatening cancer diagnoses. With a goal to triple the number of novel oncology medicines in the next five years, TD2 strives to become one of the leading oncology-focused contract research organizations (CROs) in the industry.
