The Importance of Mentoring and Sponsorship
Emily Lightfoot. AmerisourceBergen. Relationships with mentors have been the key to my career success. Having an advocate and coach to help me plan my career, discover my strengths, and identify opportunities has helped me develop confidence to take on new roles. I feel it’s essential to have a mentor to offer feedback you might not receive in a formal reporting relationship and also connect to opportunities that may not be obvious. The most valuable career advice I have received has almost always come out of mentoring relationships rather than from my direct boss.
Diana Littman Paige. Marina Maher Communications. Throughout my career, I’ve been 
surrounded by strong leaders who have both directly and indirectly shaped my approach to client and agency leadership. They have been instrumental in helping me stretch, experiment, and grow. In the eight years I’ve been with Marina Maher Communications, I’ve been fortunate to have an incredible mentor in Marina. She has always shared open and honest feedback, given me ample room to figure it out, and taken time to celebrate successes. Along with our great client partners, Marina’s business partnership and sponsorship of me as an agency leader drives me to do more, and do better, every single day.
Dr. Kathrin Schoenborn-Sobolewski. Merck KGaA. Mentorship has always been very important to me on my professional and leadership journey, both being mentored and serving as a mentor throughout my career. You can learn so much from other people, if you are open to feedback and new ideas and thoughts. Contributing to the growth and development of talented people and investing in their future success is very rewarding and is an important leadership skill.
Lynn Gerber. Astellas Pharma. My first mentors and sponsors were my parents. They nurtured my leadership potential, fostered belief in myself, and instilled in me the core values from which I draw upon daily. In my corporate career I have been equally fortunate, having mentors who have helped to shape who I am as a leader. Many of my mentors have been my direct supervisors, presenting daily opportunities to learn firsthand, through observation and coaching. Each has played a pivotal role in my leadership development; serving to inspire, guide, and teach.
Lynn Kenney. RB. Mentees and mentors are partners, and when the relationship works it benefits everyone. Mentees can take away valuable knowledge and experiences that can help them become more self-aware in how they communicate, present themselves, or think through a situation. Mentors in turn, gain insights that can be used to refine their leadership and provide benchmarks of their influence as a leader.
Leadership Tools and Techniques
Suzanne Hansen. Walgreens Boots Alliance. I believe it’s important to listen to others. Often leaders feel obliged to do and to
take action. While action is important, the most valuable tool I have found is to really listen to what others are saying. It leads you to answers that you would not have come to otherwise and allows you to really get to know others and where your focus should be.
Nicole Faust Cohen. Accenture. Communication is a powerful leadership tool. I’d recommend encouraging the exchange of bold ideas, which starts with the questions you ask. In a session about R&D spend, we asked: what could $1 milllion drug development look like? We didn’t expect precise answers, but it changed the discussion. Also, open the lines of communication to find out what interests your teams have. I was once asked to share something people might not know about me so I shared that I had been in an improvisational comedy group, which sparked an entirely different conversation.
Victoria Summers. Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness. The most effective leadership tool I have ever used is the ability to delegate as a means of developing team members. Early in my career I was promoted to a management position and, feeling unprepared for the new duties, signed up for Dale Carnegie’s Leadership Training for Managers. It was a great course and I learned a great deal — from the classmates as well as the material. One of the best lessons, though, was around delegation and how the act of delegating can be used as an opportunity for team development. Through the course, I learned how to approach the act of sharing responsibility and workload as an opportunity to provide new training and skills for others. It requires more time and consideration, but it is makes huge strides toward building effective teams. The other leadership technique I have found to be effective I learned through experience. I don’t know if there is a proper name for it, but I have come to think of it as the “swoop." It sounds funny, but many probably already know what I’m referring to. That moment when your manager swoops into your office and sits down to discuss a situation. I have been the recipient of the “swoop" at critical times when I needed to be motivated and I benefited from the personal attention my manager provided.
Natalie McDonald. Create NYC. I believe that mentoring should come in a variety of ways and encourage purposeful participation in training programs and formal mentor programs, including the 2015 HBA mentor program, marketing rotations, and the use of independent coaching. I have found this range of opportunities effectively complements internal mentoring discussions with a manager and respected peers.
Rekha Shukla. Cegedim. There are so many leadership tools and techniques that I would recommend to others. It is very important to build that strong working relationship so you can rightfully earn respect and trust from the team and peers. A leader should be a great listener and have an open door policy. She should always be open to suggestions but still must be able to make that final decision.(PV)
For bonus content go to bit.ly/PV0515-Luminaries
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2015 HBA Luminaries
Judith Beach, Ph.D., Esq.
Senior VP and Senior Associate General Counsel for Regulatory and Government Affairs
Quintiles
Judith is a Luminary in every sense of the word; she is a consummate leader and mentor to
many.
Erin Byrne
Executive VP, Managing Partner
ghg
Erin is a sought-out counselor to C-suite executives looking to navigate the highly regulated and rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Anne Davison
Senior VP, Strategic Planning
JUICE Pharma Worldwide
Anne embodies everything one would ever want in a world-class marketer: brilliance, charm, fearlessness, compassion, and a can-do attitude that is utterly infectious.
Nicole Faust Cohen
Managing Director, Growth and Strategy Lead – Research &
Development, Accenture Life
Sciences, Accenture
Nicole is an amazing role model, exemplifying leadership and stewardship in word
and action.
Lynn Gerber
Area VP Sales
Astellas Pharma US
Lynn demonstrates her passion in the way she leads by example and her willingness to serve as a mentor to others.
Amy Grahn
Senior VP, Global Clinical
Development, Operations
and Pharmacovigilance
Horizon Pharma
Amy is a strong leader who serves as a role model
and actively mentors other women in the
pharmaceutical industry to advance
their careers.
Suzanne Hansen
Director of Healthcare,
Boots UK
Walgreens Boots Alliance
A tenacious leader and passionate advocate for healthcare, Suzanne is instrumental in transforming community pharmacy.
Tobi Hunziker
National Client Liaison
Publicis Touchpoint Solutions
Tobi is an inspirational leader, a great listener, and is always focused on the development and advancement of her team members.
Amy Hutnik
Executive VP, Strategy and
Operations
inVentiv Health Commercial
Amy is smart, strategic, thoughtful, and keenly operational.
Amanda Joly
Senior VP, Operations and
Strategy, GSW, an InVentiv
Health Company
Amanda’s discoveries of beneath-the-surface insights and ability to articulate them actionable strategies have led to groundbreaking campaigns.
Lynn Kenney
Communications Director,
North America
RB
Lynn’s entrepreneurial spirit and ability to mentor those around her to drive game-changing solutions are hallmarks of her leadership style and her commitment to her craft and RB.
Emily Lightfoot
Senior VP, Health Systems
AmerisourceBergen
Emily is a distinguished leader who exemplifies core leadership attributes, and is a great role model for women at AmerisourceBergen.
Diana Littman Paige
Executive VP, MMC Health
Marina Maher Communications
Diana recently assumed oversight of MMC’s new specialty healthcare agency Rx Mosaic.
Andrea Marks
VP, Chief Analytics Officer
Catamaran
Andrea has made a significant impact on Catamaran by mentoring many and by creating an analytic vision for her department and the broader company.
Shaden Marzouk, M.D.
VP, Clinical Affairs
Cardinal Health
Shaden is an active mentor to women at Cardinal and throughout the Industry.
Kristi Matus
Executive VP and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer
athenahealth
Kristi is a great role model for businesswomen and a perfect example of someone who has used her commitment and passion to not only fuel a company’s success, but the success of others.
Natalie McDonald
Founder and President
Create NYC
At Create NYC, Natalie has created an environment in which teams and clients thrive.
Lisa Rometty
Global Franchise Head, Fluid Systems
Baxter Healthcare
Lisa delivers compelling business results while being widely admired for her passion around inclusion and diversity and talent development.
Dr. Kathrin
Schoenborn-Sobolewski
VP, Head of Strategic
Partnership, Merck KGaA
Kathrin is recognized as an inspiring leader with proven success in leading high-performing
teams.
Karen Shoshan
Senior VP, Client Services
McCann Managed Markets
Karen demonstrates leadership and extraordinary innovation in all her endeavors at McCann Managed Markets, including inspiring a team dedicated to bringing the highest levels of service to clients.
Rekha Shukla
Senior Director of Operations Management
Cegedim
A combination of skills, product knowledge, unbridled enthusiasm and inspiring work ethic make Rekha an exceptional colleague; she is a true leader.
Rachel Stahler
Chief Information Officer
inVentiv Health, Clinical
Rachel eagerly provides mentoring to colleagues and brings a sense of humor and humanism to everything she does.
Ellen Stafford-Sigg
Principal, Life Sciences
Deloitte Consulting LLP
Ellen is dedicated to mentoring future leaders in the industry and also serves as the national Board Chair for Girls Inc. and as a trustee for The Browning School.
Victoria Summers
Executive VP, Engagement Strategy & Analytics
Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness
Victoria is a transformational and compassionate leader who sets a high bar for herself and her team.
Dr. Hilary Thomas
Partner and Chief Medical Adviser, Life Sciences
KPMG
Hilary is a champion of women; she uses her role as a leader, mentor, and sponsor to share her passion for innovation and to develop the next generation of leaders.
Lisa Walkush
National Advisory Life Sciences Leader
Grant Thornton
A strong role model, Lisa consistently encourages women to fulfill their potential, while building confidence and providing professional guidance and support.
