30 Jun June 30, 2025 – E&Y Winner & IPO Quang Pham and Thought Leadership Expert Rhea Wessel
Quang Pham – Founder and CEO of Cadrenal Therapeutics and Author of Underdog Nation: Zero In On Effort And Results For Success
I had to do something to give back to this country that took me in.
And for me, it all worked out.
Quang Pham – Founder and CEO of Cadrenal Therapeutics and Author of Underdog Nation: Zero In On Effort And Results For Success. Quang X. Pham is a biotech executive, war veteran, author, speaker and community leader with a remarkable journey shaped by resilience, service, and entrepreneurship. He made history as the first Vietnamese American to earn naval aviator’s wings in the Marine Corps and lead an initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq. His inspiring American underdog journey, told in first person, is unlike any other. Born in Saigon, South Vietnam, Quang and his family fled as refugees when he was 10, while his father, a Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilot, remained and was imprisoned for more than a decade. After earning a degree from UCLA, Quang served seven years on active duty, flying CH-46 helicopters in the Persian Gulf War, Somalia and in the Reserves. Following his military career, Quang transitioned into business, founding multiple pharmaceutical companies. In 2000, he launched MyDrugRep.com (which became Lathian Systems), an innovative online platform for physician marketing engagements, which was later acquired. In 2015, he founded Espero Pharmaceuticals and Jacksonville Pharmaceuticals. His leadership and entrepreneurial success earned him the Florida EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2018. Today Quang serves as Chairman and CEO, Cadrenal Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CVKD). Quang is also the author of the award-winning father-son memoir, A Sense of Duty: Our Journey from Vietnam (Penguin Random House, 2005). Committed to giving back, Quang has served on the boards of private companies, veteran charities and educational organizations. He lives Florida with his family, continuing to lead and inspire.
Rhea Wessel – and Author of
The smaller the niche, the easier it is to become the go-to expert.
Rhea Wessel
Rhea Wessel is an American writer and thought-leadership strategist who helps people grow their business by creating and publishing thought leadership. She advises and trains on ideation, messaging, AI writing and how to find and articulate your best ideas. As a journalist, she wrote thousands of stories on hundreds of topics and was published in outlets like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and BBC. As a writer for companies, she has penned and edited thousands more stories across 30 industries. Rhea founded and leads The Institute for Thought Leadership, a B2B training and consulting company that helps clients take their ideas to scale with thought-leadership publishing, research and programs. She is a columnist for Forbes.com about thought leadership in organizations.