Episode 2 | Feeling Out Of Place - The Story Behind Edwin Moses And How Insecurity Fueled Optimism

Описание: Willing To Win: Biotech Leaders Against All Odds
Episode 2
Feeling Out Of Place | The Story Behind Edwin Moses - And How Insecurity Fueled Optimism

In this episode of Willing to Win, Christian Rados sits down with Edwin Moses, one of the most accomplished and quietly influential leaders in European biotech, to explore the inner journey behind a lifetime of exceptional outcomes.

Edwin Moses has played a defining role across decades of biotech leadership. He served as Chairman of Ablynx, which was acquired by Sanofi for €3.9 billion, and later as Chairman of Dark Blue Therapeutics, acquired by Amgen for $840 million. These are rare wins. But this conversation is not about celebrating deals or numbers.
Instead, it goes back to the beginning.

Long before boardrooms, transactions, or public recognition, Edwin was a child who felt deeply out of place. Insecure. Visibly different. Learning early that attention could feel unsafe and that staying unnoticed sometimes felt like the best option.

Rather than disappearing, those early experiences stayed with him. Over time, they shaped a mindset grounded in humility, gratitude, and a quiet optimism. Not the loud optimism of certainty or bravado, but a steady inner belief that if you work hard, stay patient, and keep going, things will be okay.
In this conversation, Edwin reflects on how insecurity does not always lead to fear or withdrawal. In some cases, it becomes fuel. Fuel for persistence. Fuel for resilience. Fuel for an optimism that endures even when confidence is missing and outcomes are uncertain.

This episode explores what leadership looks like when ego is absent and responsibility is heavy. It looks at how calm decision making is formed under pressure, how humility can coexist with ambition, and how repeated success does not erase insecurity but can coexist with it in a healthy, grounded way.

Rather than focusing on deal mechanics, this conversation focuses on the human side of leadership. The inner forces that keep leaders moving forward when logic says stop, when the stakes are enormous, and when clarity only emerges after action is taken.
Topics discussed include:
Childhood insecurity and the lasting impact of early experiences
Feeling out of place and why it does not have to define who you become
How insecurity can quietly fuel optimism and perseverance
Gratitude, grit, and the discipline of simply doing the work
Leading without ego while carrying responsibility for billions
Staying grounded and calm during hostile bids and high pressure moments

Willing to Win is a podcast about biotech leadership against all odds. It focuses on real decisions, inner battles, and the mindset that keeps leaders moving forward when certainty is impossible and the stakes are real.


Episode 2 guest:
Edwin Moses

Edwin Moses has more than 30 years of Board level experience as a serial entrepreneur and value creator in over 20 European life science companies. As CEO, he built, Oxford Asymmetry International plc and Ablynx NV, led successful IPOs on the LSE, EuroNext and NASDAQ, and raised over USD500 million in equity and debt financing.  Edwin was responsible for the sales of both companies generating values of £316 million and USD4.8 billion respectively.  Edwin is currently also Chairman of Avantium NV, LabGenius Ltd and NanoSyrinx Ltd.