Innes Meldrum : The Adherence Architect on Tech, Trust & Braveheart Leadership
What do William Wallace, smart pill bottles, and pharma sales have in common?They all showed up in this week’s #TheShot of #DigitalHealth Therapy. Jim Joyce and I had a chat with Innes Meldrum – Scottish-born, New Jersey-rooted CEO of AdhereTech. Innes unpacks his journey from flunking high school to running $Big brands and now cracking one of healthcare’s stickiest problems: medication adherence. We covered:
🤖 Tech vs. human behavior in adherence
🧩 Pharma’s paradox (have to watch to get more)
🧠 Leadership = authenticity + heart
🫥 Tech must be invisible for patients
📈 Adherence is greater than acquisition in long run
Big lessons. Big heart. Big impact.
🎧 Listen now and learn why belief might just be your biggest asset.
Fun mentions as always: Josh Stein Dave Griffiths 🇮🇪 Kaiser Permanente YourCoach.Health
00:00 – 03:00 — Opening Banter & Setup
Eugene, Jim & Innes kick things off across time zones with laughs and backstory.
03:00 – 08:00 — From Scotland to Kentucky
Innes shares his multicultural roots, flunking high school, and a summer teaching soccer in the US.
08:00 – 14:00 — Career Leap: Tech to Pharma
The unexpected journey from engineering at Nortel to global marketing at Novartis.
14:00 – 18:00 — Mental Health & Authentic Leadership
How neuroscience drew Innes in—and why emotional connection is key to commercial success.
18:00 – 22:00 — Joining AdhereTech
Why Innes took the CEO seat and what surprised him when he arrived.
22:00 – 27:00 — Solving the Adherence Problem
A dive into AdhereTech’s smart pill bottle and how it’s changing patient behavior.
27:00 – 32:00 — Pharma Economics & Ownership Gaps
The financial burden of non-adherence—and who really owns the problem in healthcare.
32:00 – 36:00 — Stress, Behavior, and Health Coaching
Exploring the real reasons patients don’t take meds—and how health coaching can help.
36:00 – 41:00 — Resilience & System Innovation
Innes reflects on leadership growth, system constraints, and building a startup culture.
41:00 – 45:00 — Future Vision & Final Advice
A keynote moment: belief, purpose, and what Innes would tell his younger self.
