Jani Ahonala

Jani Ahonala is the global head of life science solutions at Varian, where he spearheads the strategy for Noona, the company’s smart cloud-based mobile service designed to capture patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in oncology. Ahonala focuses on Varian’s global go-to-market strategies for Noona in addition to business development, brand management, thought leadership, partnership, and stakeholder integration. His vision is to set a new standard for PROs in oncology, revolutionizing cancer care through novel digital technologies that can help democratize access for all. The goal is to have one million Noona patient users by 2021. Ahonala has worked in the field of cancer treatment throughout his career, 15 years of which involved experience as an entrepreneur, healthcare management consultant, and researcher. He had the opportunity to observe first-hand how much anticipatory symptoms monitoring can improve patients’ quality of life, all while positively impacting healthcare costs. His current role at Varian is at the intersection of technology, design and medical expertise, as he guides the team to work with the world’s leading cancer researchers and foremost clinics, including Stanford University. Ahonala has an exceptional track-record in computational design and digitization of healthcare services. His early research on customer-centered cancer care inspired him to found Kaufmann Agency, the leading healthcare design consultancy in the Nordics. As managing director of Kaufmann, Ahonala helped hospitals and Big Pharma adopt design-led business models to thrive in an increasingly complex and global healthcare environment. Ahonala has also been a consistent public speaker at key industry events over the last decade. He holds a master’s degree in economic sciences from the University of Vaasa.