Biotech Companies Don't Fail at Launch Because of Bad Science. They Fail Because Their IT Wasn't Ready.
Tailwinds Advisory
Fractional CIO for Biotech & Life Sciences
Led by Patrick Retif, a Fractional CIO and Program Executive with 25+ years building and running commercial IT for life sciences and biotech.
From pre-commercial Phase 2/3 organizations to global enterprises, I've personally led or overseen 15+ product launches across rare disease, specialty, and primary care. I build the full commercial IT stack required to get to market and scale — CRM, data warehouses, analytics, compliance — without the cost or delay of a full-time hire.
Enterprise Experience. Biotech Speed.
Our founder Patrick Retif served as Global Commercial CIO at Allergan, a $15B global pharmaceutical company — leading 150 people across 75 markets and championing 20+ product launches. At IQVIA, he ran a $750M P&L with 2,000+ FTEs. Since founding Tailwinds Advisory, he has delivered 12+ biotech launches across rare disease, specialty, and primary care.
Enterprise experience. Biotech launches delivered. We build from zero, turn around what's broken, and stay in the trenches until it's done — without the cost or delay of a full-time hire.
What We Deliver
15+ Product Launches Delivered
Led or overseen more than 15 biotech product launches across rare disease, specialty, and primary care — architecting the full commercial IT stack from CRM to data warehouse to analytics.
Built for Your Stage
Whether you're 18 months from launch or already in-market and scaling, Tailwinds Advisory provides the IT leadership your stage demands — from building the first system to transforming what's already there.
Enterprise-Scale Track Record
Former Global Commercial CIO at Allergan, a $15B pharmaceutical company — leading 150 IT professionals across 75 markets. Former SVP & GM at IQVIA, running a $750M P&L with 2,000+ FTEs.
Commercial IT — Not Generalist IT
CRM (Veeva or Saleforce), data warehouses, MDM, aggregators, BI/analytics, AI, MLR, Medical Affairs, and Market Access. Not help desk. Not ERP. Commercial.
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One Proven Executive
You're not hiring a consulting firm that sends juniors. You're getting a senior executive who has done this at the highest level — embedded in your leadership team, accountable for results.
We Make Your Team Successful
Whether working as your Fractional CIO or as a Program Executive alongside your Head of IT, we deliver results and your team gets the credit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does a fractional CIO do for a biotech company?
A fractional CIO provides senior IT executive leadership on a part-time or project basis. For biotech and life sciences companies, this means owning the commercial IT strategy, overseeing CRM and data platform implementations, managing vendor relationships, driving launch readiness, and making CIO-level decisions — without the overhead of a full-time executive hire. The Fractional CIO operates as an embedded member of your leadership team, not an outside advisor.
When does a biotech company need a fractional CIO?
The most common trigger is an upcoming U.S. product launch — typically when a company is in late Phase 2 or Phase 3 and needs to start building the commercial IT infrastructure. Other triggers include: implementing a CRM like Veeva, building a commercial data warehouse, standing up BI/analytics, or inheriting a broken IT organization after a leadership change. If your biotech needs CIO-level judgment now but can't wait 6 months for a full-time hire, a fractional CIO fills that gap immediately.
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We already have a Head of IT. How does Tailwinds Advisory work with our existing team?
Many of our engagements are alongside an existing IT leader. In these cases, we operate as a Program Executive — owning a specific large-scale program such as a CRM rollout, data platform build, or launch-readiness initiative — while your Head of IT continues to run day-to-day operations. It's not about replacing your team. It's about adding senior executive capacity for complex programs that need dedicated leadership, your current team doesn't have the bandwidth to absorb.​
What's the difference between a fractional CIO and a Program Executive engagement?
A fractional CIO engagement means Tailwinds Advisory acts as your IT executive — setting strategy, managing the budget, leading vendors, and making decisions across the full IT landscape. A Program Executive engagement is more targeted: Tailwinds Advisory takes executive ownership of a specific large program — such as a commercial launch, a data warehouse build, or a CRM implementation — and drives it from strategy through delivery. Some clients start with a program engagement and expand to fractional CIO. Others only need a program delivered.
What types of biotech companies does Tailwinds Advisory work with?
Tailwinds Advisory specializes in late Phase 2 through commercial-stage biotech companies preparing for or executing U.S. product launches. Clients range from pre-commercial rare disease biotechs to commercial-stage specialty pharma companies. Typical engagements involve companies with 50–500 employees that need CIO-level leadership but don't yet have — or don't yet need — a full-time CIO on the payroll.
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How long does a typical fractional CIO engagement last?
It depends on the scope. A launch engagement typically runs 12–18 months, starting well before FDA approval and continuing through commercial readiness. A data platform build or CRM implementation may run 6–9 months. Some clients retain Tailwinds Advisory on an ongoing basis for strategic IT oversight. Every engagement is scoped to what the business needs — and many clients extend as priorities evolve.
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What a CEO Said After Launch
"We needed to upgrade substantially our IT to support our first product launch but it was a challenge to find a seasoned permanent CIO. As our fractional CIO, Tailwinds Advisory Group, engaged with our business leaders, designed our IT solutions and budget, managed sourcing, and drove IT readiness for a very successful product launch.​In 9 months, we were fully operational and on budget after deploying a flexible and scalable IT organization and zero footprint cloud-based IT infrastructure solution"
Marco Taglietti, CEO of SCYNEXIS