proDERM Turns 25 - Setting the Course and Founding proDERM 2.0 in our Anniversary Year

Klaus-P. Wilhelm , Managing Director
proDERM

Mr. Wilhelm, your company proDERM recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. You are talking about  a company foundation  2.0. What does that mean? 

Founding the company 2.0? Yes, really. The dynamic atmosphere right now feels more like a startup than an established company. We are currently dedicated to, among other things, examining all of our processes and optimizing them when possible. We are also investing heavily in expanding and modernizing our facility. A big part of our investment program, our new facility “proDERM Solaris,” has been completed and we recently moved in. Recently hiring talented young professionals just starting their careers as well as people with many years of experience, expanding our capacity in the field of “Multicenter Studies,” planning the expansion of our facility in Elmshorn and implementing various digitalization measures have all contributed to the momentum we are experiencing. To me, it truly feels more like a new company than an anniversary.

All of these changes are intended to offer our employees an appealing working environment and to remain a reliable and preferred partner to our customers for a long time to come. 

How did proDERM come about?   

“It all starts with an idea.” This also applies to the founding of proDERM. My first contact with clinical studies was while studying medicine (“at the other end of the needle,” meaning as a test person in pharmacokinetics studies to boost my finances). Then during my two years as a post doc at the University of San Francisco, in addition to my own research project, I had the incredible opportunity to get to know the world of dermatological studies, particularly as related to tolerability studies, under the tutelage of Prof. Howard Maibach.

Back then contract research in Germany was conducted primarily at universities who handled such studies more as an “aside” to their main work. During my time at the dermatology clinic at the university in Lübeck, I had the chance to conduct a few minor studies and then later manage some as an “aside” to treating patients as well as my teaching and research tasks. Professional service providers who conducted dermatological studies applying international quality standards and produced results on schedule were rare at the time. I recognized the need for such services on the one hand, and on the other hand I become more and more fascinated with clinical research. The work was many-faceted, demanding and covered a wide range. So the idea to found a contract research institute was virtually the logical consequence.

My wife, who had been with me and our first child in San Francisco and had also worked in Howard Maibach’s lab, was enjoying initial success in immunological research in Lübeck. But she was so excited about the idea to found the business that she not only encouraged and supported me, she was also willing to give up basic research and plunge into applied research. Our goal was to join forces and set new standards in the field of dermatological contract research. The idea quickly became a real entity. Since founding the company meant moving from Lübeck to Hamburg, we were in a hurry to take action before our first child started school. The company was then officially founded in May 1994, and on September 27, 1994 the institute opened its doors for the first time. 

What does the name proDERM stand for?

The name “proDERM” was intended to express our corporate vision. The prefix “pro” stands for professionalism as well as for the Latin word meaning “for” as it relates to dermatology. Really self-explanatory. Our corporate logo requires a little more explanation: the pyramid. A pyramid needs a solid base. Then it is constructed layer by layer to ultimately reach the tip. Solidity, corporate goals geared towards long-term success and the aspiration to provide timeless, reliable, top-quality services are all things that we associate with the pyramid.

And our values go with the logo as well: A sense of responsibility, professionalism, scientific knowledge and reliability - today as good as in 1994. These have always formed the core of our identity - our proDERM DNA. 

What is the secret of your success?

We have continued to expand our range of services for 25 years, growing more quickly some years and at a moderate pace other years. Although growth is important, we value being perceived as an innovative and reliable partner who applies scientific methods to produce serious results and sets benchmarks in the industry. 

It was impossible to plan such success and there was definitely no guarantee. We probably made a lot of mistakes, but overall we have made the right decisions. For me personally, there are three aspects that are important: continuity, change and the people. 

Our continuity is primarily apparent in the described identity geared towards high-quality services. Our independence, the very high proportion of regular customers, our commitment to our headquarters in Schenefeld near Hamburg and the loyalty of our employees are also a clear indication of the consistency from which we as a company as well as our customers benefit. 

Because we strive towards continuous improvement and growth, change also plays a significant role for the company. The optimized processes mentioned at the beginning of this interview are a clear example of this willingness to pursue change. Since the company was founded, there has never really been a time in which we did not question things and seek potential for improvement. This is why we have always been able to successfully adapt to evolving conditions.

For us, continuity and change are not contradictory or mutually exclusive, they are factors that go together in a balanced ratio. 

Now let’s look at what is probably the most important aspect of our success thus far: the people. When we founded the company, we focused in our mission statement on the people. “Along with our employees and the help of our test persons, we work for our clients in the best interest of consumers.” There is really nothing new to add to that.

Our employees are an unbelievably energetic mix of different specialist fields, characters and cultures that come together to achieve great things – and they do it day after day. As the owner of this business, this interdisciplinary and dynamic team makes me proud. 

We also have a strong affinity with our test persons, some of whom have been loyal to us for many years, coming back again and again to participate in our studies. During this anniversary year, we will reach the point of having enrolled over 225,000 subjects in our studies, and we know for sure that without the trust of our test persons, the review of our past would be very different today.