Putting together our annual PharmaVoice 100 list is no simple feat. Each year, our editors spend hours culling hundreds of nominations as we hunt for the next batch of honorees. And in an industry of leaders it can be tough to stand out from the pack. So what catches our eye?
There are a number of qualities that have long defined winners of the PharmaVoice 100. Here are some of the chief factors that come into play when we’re making our selections.
Effective and inspired leaders
Simply possessing a job title or scoring a corner office is not the only accomplishment we examine. For the PharmaVoice 100, we’re looking for leaders with a demonstrated track record of success for their companies, direct reports, and importantly, the patients they serve. These are change-agents who are a driving force in their corner of the industry and making a positive impact on those around them along the way.
We also strive to include those keeping an eye towards wider trends within pharma’s ecosystem and leveraging critical business strategies such as DE&I initiatives, patient-centric product development and more.
For example, Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, associate vice president of health equity at Merck and a 2022 PharmaVoice 100, was called out by nominators for ensuring that health equity has become part of the company’s day-to-day business strategy.
Trailblazers
Innovation is an integral part of the life sciences, and the PharmaVoice 100 salutes leaders at the forefront of the industry’s latest technologies. Honorees are not just adept at science — they are striving to transform breakthrough discoveries into impactful services, strategies and products.
Honorees can also be innovative thinkers in business, who are developing outside-the-box strategies to help them thrive in a fast-changing market.
Armon Sharei, CEO and co-founder of SQZ Biotech, and a 2022 PharmaVoice 100 winner, was honored for building his company on a premise he discovered at MIT: sending a cell signal through a small tube to “squeeze” and partially open the membrane, which allows for easier entry of materials useful for cell therapy.
Paying it forward
It’s not just about career achievements — it’s about what you do with the opportunities you’ve been given. Our PharmaVoice 100s often find numerous ways to pay it forward, either through philanthropy, mentorship, community engagement efforts or patient advocacy.
Nominators for Al Altomari, chairman and CEO of Agile Therapeutics, who won multiple PharmaVoice 100 accolades and became a 2020 Red Jacket honoree, noted how he was a true champion for supporting and developing success in others, and was particularly focused on advocating for women in leadership.
Visionaries
For many PharmaVoice 100 honorees, the future is now. Often entrepreneurs with a steadfast belief in their cutting-edge technologies, these leaders can see past what the industry has done to what is possible in the years ahead. They are on a quest to bring transformative changes to the forefront — either through futuristic innovations or forward-thinking business strategies.
They are leaders who are unafraid to take risks and disrupt the status quo.
Fahti Khosrowshahi, CEO and founder of Ceek Women’s Health and a 2022 PharmaVoice 100, was honored for her mission to upend the OBGYN market with game-changing speculums.
The X-factor
Sometimes a person possesses a certain “je ne sai quoi.” It could be a compelling backstory about their journey into the life sciences. It could be a specific barrier they’ve broken in their career. It could be a particularly inspiring or unique aspect of who they are or the work they do. Whatever the case, many of our honorees are just interesting.
Roz Brewer, CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance and a 2022 PharmaVoice 100, is one of the most accomplished and influential female Black executives in the world, and has been on a mission to expand the company’s community prowess through clinical trials.
And Sebastian Guth, Bayer Pharmaceuticals’ president, Americas Region and a 2022 PharmaVoice 100, has dramatically accelerated the company’s business reach, while promoting women in leadership at Bayer, improving patient access to treatments, creating a positive work culture and being active in several public health organizations.
Know a leader in the life sciences you think should be considered for the 2023 PharmaVoice 100? See our nomination page for more on how to tell us about them.
