Women Leaders in Pharma: An Interview Series (Part 3: 2023)

WOMEN LEADERS IN PHARMA: AN INTERVIEW SERIES

PART 3: 2023 Presented by The DCAT Alliance for Industry Women Committee

Table of Contents About......................................................................................................................................................................................................3 Mary Blenn, February 2023.............................................................................................................................................................4 Vice President Global Supply Chain, Cytiva

Stephanie Monaco, April 2023........................................................................................................................................................6 General Counsel & Head of Regulatory Affairs, Meridian Medical Technologies, a division of Kindeva Drug Delivery

Allison Vavala, June 2023.................................................................................................................................................................9 Director, Business Development, Flamma USA

Mara Guzzetti, August 2023......................................................................................................................................................... 12 General Manager, CARBOGEN AMCIS Switzerland

Andrea Wesp, December 2023...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Vetter Pharma International GmbH

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About DCAT Colleagues: As you are aware, DCAT’s Alliance for Industry Women Committee aims to educate, inspire, and empower women in the pharmaceutical industry. That’s why we are so pleased to provide the second part of our important project “Women Leaders in Pharma: An Interview Series.”

During 2023, industry leaders have been kind enough to share their insights on a range of topical

questions posed by our committee. And, as we did last year, we have gathered all those important conversations into another electronic book and PDF for our DCAT Member Company Community.

We certainly hope that you enjoy reading Part 3 of these interviews and are inspired by these leaders. If you missed Part 1 or 2, you can find them here.

Thank you.

Michele Cavalheiro Vetter Pharma International GmbH Chairperson, DCAT’s Alliance for Industry Women Committee

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Mary Blenn is the Vice President Global Supply Chain at Cytiva. Mary is an accomplished Global Supply Chain leader with over 25 years of experience driving manufacturing, logistics and materials management on a global level.

At the foundation of all of her work is the spirit of collaborative culture – both within her teams and across peer groups – to keep the customer front of mind and to improve continually. Mary believes that sustainable and scalable growth happens best through these critical relationships.

Mary Blenn Vice President Global Supply Chain, Cytiva

During her career this has paid dividends in the form of increasing responsibilities, landing her in the current role since 2017. As senior executive, Global Supply Chain, Mary has direct oversite and responsibility for global manufacturing, a global logistics network, as well as a number of Centers of Excellence that keep the business on track in its processes and costs.

On her way to this role, Mary has held several supply chain roles in such businesses as GE Power, GE Superabrasives, and GE Lighting.

In 2003, Mary moved to GE Healthcare where she held multiple plant leadership roles within the Healthcare Systems business.

During this time, Mary has led integrations and divestitures, green field expansions, as well as applying her direct quality compliance experience dealing with multiple FDA regulatory audits.

Mary joined GE Healthcare Life Sciences in 2014, as the Operational Excellence Leader for the Biopharma business, which is now Cytiva.

She played a critical role in implementing initiatives such as Brilliant Factory. In late 2014, her role quickly expanded to include operational site management and oversight for plants in Westborough, Massachusetts and Issaquah, Washington.

Mary is an active leader in affinity networks and enjoys fostering the next generation of leaders. Mary earned her degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. 4

Watch Mary’s video interview here.

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Stephanie Monaco is the General Counsel & Head of Regulatory Affairs at Meridian Medical Technologies, a division of Kindeva Drug Delivery.

Stephanie brings more than 20 years of experience advising pharmaceutical clients for Meridian Medical Technologies.

Stephanie Monaco General Counsel & Head of Regulatory Affairs, Meridian Medical Technologies, a division of Kindeva Drug Delivery

Most recently, Stephanie served as Vice President of Intellectual Property and Deputy General Counsel for Upjohn, a former division of Pfizer, Inc. There, she was responsible for legal matters related to intellectual property, litigation, licensing and business development, and corporate governance, as well as regulatory, privacy, and public policy.

During Stephanie’s 17 years with Pfizer, she held several other positions, including lead intellectual property counsel for Meridian.

Stephanie studied biochemistry at Rutgers University and earned a B.A. from the University of New Hampshire and a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law.

Q: W hat career advice do you have for someone new to the industry?

When I graduated from law school, the then female General Counsel gave me the best advice, “say yes to every opportunity”.

Throughout my career I have asked to join various teams and projects so I can learn each and every aspect of the business.

No matter how big or small the project, I would offer my support. Not only will you make connections, but you will have a well-rounded business perspective. I also would advise having a perfectionist mindset can be limiting. If you don’t make a mistake, you will not have the opportunity to grow and mature from the experience.

Q: How do women lead differently?

I am not sure that I can say my individual leadership style is indicative of all women.

For me, I try to be inclusive, transparent,

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and consistently communicate expectations.

I believe in leading by example and striving to listen to what others need and want from me as a leader and deliver on those asks. Any leadership journey, be it male or female, will have surprises, therefore being flexible is key as the inevitable ups and downs will occur. I also believe as a leader there is a time to speak and a time to listen. We don’t always have to speak to lead. Showing up for our colleagues, our business partners, and our families is true leadership.

with, and trust of, the various members of the organization. I have made and maintained connections throughout my career such that I have a network of support not only for myself, but also for our company. Networking can be an excellent source of ideas, new perspectives, business connections, exchange best practices, etc. Networking does not need to be about “selling yourself” but rather is a wonderful opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships with other professionals, both within and outside of your industry.

Q: W hat role has networking played in your career advancement?

Q: W hat does your company do to support diversity in the workplace?

Active professional networking is vital to any career advancement. I would not have achieved the great honor to be General Counsel and Head of Regulatory Affairs for Meridian Medical Technologies, LLC, a division of Kindeva Drug Delivery, without having built the relationships

Meridian Medical Technologies, a division of Kindeva Drug Delivery, is committed to supporting diversity. We believe the individual differences of our employees help make our business stronger and more successful, and because only through respecting those

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companies to change lives by improving patient outcomes around the world. The pharma industry has the opportunity to be a leader by curing gender bias. More and more women are entering STEM and now more than ever we need to recognize the value women can bring to industry.

differences can we provide all employees with an equal opportunity to succeed. We are committed to providing opportunities for employment, development, and advancement without regard to these differences, and will endeavor to provide a business and work environment that is free of behavior that is inconsistent with our equal opportunity objectives. This commitment to fairness and equality pertains to all areas of employment including recruiting, hiring, training, promotions, compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, demotions, terminations, and any other employment decision.

Q: W hat is the one piece of advice that you would give to women in the Pharma Industry that will help them become better leaders?

Be yourself always! If you try to fit into what you think someone wants or expects, it will come across as insincere. If you are authentic and honest with yourself and people will automatically be drawn to you and follow that example. Don’t be afraid of thoughtful risk taking and to speak up. As a leader, colleagues, management, and customers are all going to look to you for your opinion and guidance so have the confidence to use your voice.

Q: W hat do you see as the future of women in the Pharma Industry?

I am honored to work for a company that brings lifesaving medicines to the world. Contract development and manufacturing organizations partner with pharmaceutical and biotech

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Allison Vavala has close to 20 year’s experience in the contract manufacturing/pharmaceutical industry space. She is currently the Senior Director of Business Development in North America for the Flamma Group. Flamma is a fully integrated CDMO with Headquarters near Milan, Italy and sites in China and the USA.

Allison Vavala Senior Director, Business Development, Flamma USA

Prior to Flamma, Allison worked as the Director of CMC Portfolio Management at Anji Pharma, a start-up biotech in Boston, as well as multiple positions at the Helsinn Group, headquartered in Switzerland, for close to 13 years with the most recent title of Director, Commercial Development. Her experience has been focused on Business Development, Account Management, Project Management and Marketing. She obtained her BA in Biology and MBA from SUNY Binghamton where she was also a D1 lacrosse athlete. Allison is currently the Chair of the DCAT Education Committee.

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Watch Allison’s video interview here.

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Mara Guzzetti is currently serving as the General Manager of CARBOGEN AMCIS Switzerland, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization in the pharmaceutical industry. With over 25 years of experience, Mrs. Guzzetti has established herself as a highly accomplished professional in the field.

She holds a PhD in Foreign Literature from the University of Milan, Italy.

Mara Guzzetti General Manager, CARBOGEN AMCIS Switzerland

Mrs. Guzzetti has an extensive international track record of business experience within the chemical industry. She has worked for a range of different companies including Bayer, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, BASF, Intertek and Valsynthese, providing her with a strong foundation in both scientific and managerial aspects.

After an experience in Abu Dhabi as Interim Program Manager, she returned to Europe (Switzerland) in 2013 as Senior EVP Fine Chemicals and

Member of SSE Management Directors Group for Valsynthese AG, before joining CARBOGEN AMCIS in 2022.

Q: Is there any specific training/education that you found helpful in your career development?

Being a non-chemist within an environment of scientists for the entirety of my career, I learned to take advantage of my background, rather than looking at it as a disadvantage. I am a humanist by background and I think this is exactly what has helped me in my career development (i.e. being able to tackle problems with a 360-degree point of view. I am able to leverage colleagues’ strengths in the work environment, beyond their scientific background). People are a company’s greatest asset and human dynamics underpin every employee. Understanding that has helped me to develop on a personal level, as well as helped me to develop my colleagues over the years.

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Q: W hat do you wish that you knew early in your career that would have been helpful?

Q: How have opportunities for women in the Pharma Industry changed over time?

I started my career more than 20 years ago and at that time there was still very little coaching for a young woman in business. I wished somebody had spent some time outlining the benefits and possible drawbacks of engaging in an international career. There was also a lack of coaching, and unfortunately, there still is related to how to balance private life and an extensive traveling career. In this respect, women were, and are still, having more difficulties combining long absences from home versus family duties compared to men. Dedicated coaching from the beginning of the career would be very beneficial to avoid being confronted with hard choices between developing in a working environment and a good presence with the family. To be effective, the same coaching should be spread among the whole organization to provide an understanding of the struggles and find new ways of organizing the workload.

The world has changed since many years ago.

Compared to the past, I see more women present in not only support functions like Finance, Purchasing, or HR, but also in operational departments. It must be said, however, that I never felt that a door was closed to me because I was a woman, not even 20 years ago, although I was in a male-dominated industry.

I personally think that the presence of women should always be linked to the will and the skills of a specific woman to engage in a specific role, not to a number or a percentage that a company must achieve at any cost. Applying this approach is the best way to avoid misleading opinions about women that are unfortunately still present in many environments. However, the reality is that the situation has developed in a kind of patchwork. We see many women in the pharma industry in analytical laboratories or in purchasing; nevertheless, the total number of women is still low, particularly in production and management positions. This drives me to the

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ones, finding a neutral sparring partner with whom I could discuss openly. Last but not least mentoring brought me the ability to keep the focus on what I wanted to achieve.

conclusion that, as mentioned above, women’s skills are recognized but our society still only offers certain types of positions which can offer a good balance between work and family. It has not yet considered a change in how we could reorganize our way of thinking about our jobs.

Q: W hat is the one piece of advice that you would give to women in the Pharma Industry that will help them become better leaders?

Q: W hat role has mentoring played in your career, either as a mentor, mentee, or both?

My one piece of advice is to use your ability to see things from a different angle in order to enrich and complete the perspective of your team. Try to use your emotional intelligence to address problems in a different way and contribute to building a new perspective of organizing work amongst your male colleagues by making them aware of the struggles you encounter. Only in this way can we really change something for future generations.

I strongly believe in mentoring and being mentored. This is first a pleasure and a duty of every good manager. If you happen to play that role or are lucky to work with a mentor, it can be a career game changer. Mentoring means being able to extract the best skills of a person and accompanying him or her not only on a career path but also on a life path. This is a unique privilege that requires a broad set of skills and strong engagement. In my case, mentoring brought me the opportunity to develop a career path early on, with a clear plan and steps to support me in developing the knowledge needed to reach a specific position. Mentoring also helped me in times of difficulty when I was not yet sure if some of my decisions were the right 13

Andrea Wesp is the Vice President New Business Development at Vetter Pharma International GmbH, a global leader for clinical and commercial sterile fill and finish for injectable drugs.

Andrea has more than two decades of experience with outsourced supply and manufacturing services for the life science industry. At Vetter Andrea plays a key role in building new CDMO partnerships with pharma and biotechnology companies of every size.

Andrea Wesp Vetter Pharma International GmbH

Throughout her career, Andrea has gained experiences in a variety of technical and business roles such as project management, inhouse consulting, product management, operational excellence and business segment leadership.

Andrea studied chemical & process engineering at Technical University, Hamburg (Dipl.Ing) and Business Economist as a distance learning program.

Q: Is there anything that you wish that you could have done differently in your career?

There are many things I would not change, but of course, some things I would do differently. I would definitely study process and chemical engineering again, as it gave me an incredible breadth of knowledge and a good technical background. I have worked on many different projects throughout my career, which has given me the opportunity to constantly learn and broadened my horizons.

Of course, it is difficult to work in different technical and business areas, but I wish I had more self-confidence in my abilities earlier in my career and had dared to challenge myself more often to show those abilities. This process took many years and was also associated with some pain. Women are often reserved and ask themselves the question ‘can I really do it all?’. I would pull the ripcord much sooner if I were told that I am not able to think in a specific direction or if my value was 14

acceptance’. Women are likely to be empathetic and responsive toward employees when they are having a difficult time.

clearly not recognized. Like many of my female peers, I endured a certain degree of pain when treated badly or unfairly; I stood up too late and stayed too long in some situations.

For me, leadership has nothing to do with status. Many of my male colleagues throughout my career have defined themselves by the number of employees, however, that has nothing to do with leadership. Leadership is about understanding people, developing them, supporting them, and directing employees in such a way that the best result is achieved; motivation is the top priority. Leadership is hard work if you understand it correctly.

Q: How do women lead differently?

I don’t know if I can generalize that women lead differently than men, I just know how I lead, what I value and what is important to me.

Furthermore, I have never had a female boss, but even the male bosses all had different leadership styles. From my experience, women can be significantly more communicative than men. Women provide a lot of feedback and therefore encourage their employees to develop.

Q: W hat role has mentoring played in your career, either as a mentor, mentee or both? What industry organizations are you involved with and how has this enhanced your leadership skills and career development?

Women may think less in terms of status and power, but rather can be more task and employee-oriented, so they lead and develop their employees according to their abilities.

Leadership for women more resembles leadership coaching, as there is less about ‘instruction’ and more about ‘understanding and

In my eyes, mentoring is a very important topic, especially for women. When I started my career 25 years ago in a male-dominated environment as a young female engineer in the chemical

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industry it was very rough water with very conservative leading structures by men without any mentorship for women.

Q: W hat is the one piece of advice that you would give to women in the Pharma Industry that will help them become better leaders?

Men had their “’old-boys’ network” – their regular groups, that women could not join. At that time there were no women’s networks available. I needed to establish my network over many years by attending networking events from VDI (Association of German Engineers) and VAA (Association of employed academics) for women in engineering positions and women in leadership.

Be yourself! You don’t have to be better men, you don’t have to be harder and tougher than men, women lead differently, and that’s a good thing!

Dare to do more, because you can do more than you think! We women often think we can’t do it and are very self-critical when we are offered a new position. Just do it; you will be surprised how fast you will grow with each new endeavor.

Many years ago, I had a very good boss who encouraged and challenged me because he believed in me and my abilities. Through him I grew and moved into a leadership role. I never had a real mentor myself, but I made myself available as a mentor to advise young female colleagues as to what went well, what didn’t, and what I would do differently if I were young again.

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The DCAT Alliance for Industry Women Committee