Insights
November / December 2023

A Letter from ISPE’s Women in Pharma® Chair

Vivianne J. Arencibia
A Letter from ISPE’s Women in Pharma® Chair

We welcomed 2023 with high hopes and dreams of what Women in Pharma® could eventually be. As I prepare to conclude my time as the Chair of ISPE’s International Women in Pharma Steering Committee, I do so with immense gratitude.

ISPE members from disparate organizations worked together for years to create a framework that would create an unstoppable force within the pharmaceutical industry; a truly global community that would transcend the expectations of a female empowerment group and spark true change. The program was finally ready to turn these ideas into action, and if done right, Women in Pharma® would become an integral part of ISPE’s DNA.

Reflecting on this last year, I can confidently say we’ve accomplished just that. ISPE’s Women in Pharma® group has become the voice of diversity, equity, and inclusion for ISPE International, and through the efforts, passion, and commitment of our past and current International Steering Committee, Affiliates and Chapter leaders, and Women in Pharma® liaisons, we continue to drive programming on the global and local level, providing the education and tools necessary to advocate for oneself and others.

2023 Highlights

Women in Pharma closes out the year with over 2,100 members, a 50% growth in just three short years. Our journey is less than 10 years old, and yet the community continues to gain momentum and support from women and their allies.

We launched Mentor ISPE on International Women’s Day (8 March 2023), welcoming over 240 ISPE members into the program. This innovative initiative connects pharma professionals around the world, matching them in groups of four. Each member brings a unique perspective, level of experience, and cultural background to the discussion groups, and each member can be both the mentor and mentee. We’re concluding year one and preparing to match the groups for year two, expanding the experience from nine months to one year.

We hosted a session at each of ISPE’s international conferences, two of which were live-streamed: “Advantages of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Sponsored by ISPE Women in Pharma,” and “Tools for Success in a Multinational and Multigenerational Environment, Sponsored by ISPE Women in Pharma.”

We hosted five webinars: “Unpromotable Work: Why Are We Still Doing This?,” “Workforce of the Future – Adjust Your Company Culture for Success,” “How to be an Ally, Presented by AstraZeneca,” the Mentor Match Party, and the Mentor ISPE Informational sessions.

We expanded our International Steering Committee to be truly multinational, reflecting the diversity within the ISPE Community, and the pharmaceutical industry as a whole.

Women in Pharma is made up of so many talented individuals, all of whom have found and contributed value to this evolving community.

A Bittersweet Farewell

As I prepare to conclude my time as the Chair of ISPE’s International Women in Pharma® Steering Committee, I do so with immense gratitude. It’s been quite rewarding to have an opportunity to meet so many people, and to be in a position where I’ve been able to give back based on my personal experience while learning from everyone I’ve come in contact with. Women in Pharma® is made up of so many talented individuals, all of whom have found and contributed value to this evolving community. It’s bittersweet to say farewell, but I believe I leave it in good hands. I can’t wait to see the impact Women in Pharma® will have on our industry and the world.

Learn More about Women in Pharma®