Vic Noble

VP and head of marketing for ophthalmics | Shire

What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

The best part of being a healthcare marketer is crafting narratives – corporate, disease state, brand, and consumer. My job is all about telling stories. If I did not tell healthcare stories, I would write and produce films.  

Talk about the last time you experienced a truly fist-pumping victory moment.

I’m all about the small daily wins – that could be making someone smile or laugh or gaining some positive feedback on an idea. But the last big moment was securing Jen Aniston for our Eyelove disease state awareness platform. I definitely did a happy dance that day.

When was the last time you endured an “agony of defeat” moment? What did you learn from it?

Resilience is key when pushing for new ideas or breaking boundaries. I have a short memory and rally pretty quickly for the next chase. The last time I felt defeated was when I did not sell-through an idea to our executive committee – something that I believe would be differentiating and high impact for the future of doctors. I did some “recreational complaining” with close teammates and identified another way in. And now there’s a ray of hope in moving it forward. Never give up.

How long ago was the last time you truly took the time to recharge your batteries? What did you do?

Over Thanksgiving, my family spent time in Paris. We are foodies and walkers. We talked, walked, and snacked our way through our favorite Parisian neighborhoods.

What do you find frustrating about working in healthcare marketing? 

The fact that people don’t love their medication. What helps them the most and even heals them, they don’t fully appreciate because there’s an innate love/hate with taking medicine. No one wants to take medicine, but maybe love how medicine makes a difference in living a better life. This is a frustration that I understand, but it still frustrates me.

What are your words to live by?

Live, laugh, love.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Set aside time every day to take care of yourself. Don’t de-prioritize it because it is a slippery slope that turns into weeks, even months. Self-care and self-love are important and are not selfish.

What is one thing you would tell women starting their careers in healthcare marketing?

Lean in on the areas that spark with you and tackle some challenge areas that round out your experience. But don’t walk away from what you love to do. Find ways to make your talents and skill-set unique. And know your personal narrative: build it and socialize it.

Favorite drink? Lemon water.