Alberto Porciani

I have 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and health sector, having worked in companies such as Allergan and Johnson & Johnson. My international profile includes positions of senior responsibility across various countries in Europe, such as Spain, Italy (my native country), and other emerging markets. I have an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Madrid and a cum laude in economics from the University of Economics in Turin. In addition, I have obtained postgraduate training in strategic marketing, sales, and management in prestigious institutions such as INSEAD and IESE. I am married to a Spanish woman, Lorena, with whom I have three wonderful children. I am fortunate to share with my family my great passion: skiing. Together with my wife, we founded the company Top Doctors, a social impact enterprise that helps patients identify the most expert doctor for their case regardless of distance.

How did IE help you get to where you are today?

My time at IE sparked my interest in creating a company and the Executive MBA is one of the most important tools I have as a manager and entrepreneur for three main reasons: 1. IE transformed me as a professional, giving me the necessary cross-functional skills to have a 360-degree view of how to manage a company. It provided me with high-quality training to manage projects, the ability to prioritise tasks, and business development, which have helped me to turn a start-up into a company with 500 employees. 2. It gives you the keys to manage real cases of strategic direction, organisational leadership, team management, and communication. 3. It helps to build networks of contacts and international business knowledge.

How did you come up with the idea for your company?

Lorena, my wife, hails from a family of doctors. Our friends often asked her advice about which medical specialist she recommended. Being from the healthcare field ourselves, we realised that while it was easy to locate a specific restaurant or hotel online, searching by its location, contact details, and type of food, there was no digital platform for finding the right doctor for your health concerns - a crucial aspect of life. To address this gap in the market, we established Top Doctors to aid patients in identifying the most suitable specialist for their condition, and to assist doctors in going digital and managing their online presence. We also made the decision to showcase only top-level doctors, and therefore, collaborated with Castle Connolly Top Doctors and adapted their rigorous selection process, which has been refined over 25 years in the US.

What is the key to the success of your company?

The key to Top Doctors’ success is based on three main pillars: 1. An innovative business idea that has a social impact and solves a need for patients. We help patients easily identify and access the best specialist for their case anywhere in the world and at any time of day through technological solutions. 2. Surrounding ourselves with a committed team of professionals who have believed in this project from the beginning and have adopted the company’s values, vision, and mission. 3. Having been able to efficiently manage the company’s economic resources.