As someone who believes strongly in empowering women in the workplace and building a diverse and inclusive culture, I really enjoyed reading about Fierce Pharma’s Fiercest Women in Life Sciences 2022 and their passion and drive to save millions of lives through medicine and tech. And fantastic to see that these women are dedicated to paving a diverse, inclusive and equitable way for their colleagues, present and future.

Key takeaways for me are:

• Authenticity: don’t be afraid to craft a culture tailored to your own leadership style, regardless of what you think others want or expect. Encourage others to bring their whole selves to work.
• Community: if people can bring their whole selves to work, it will contribute to a strong community. Better understanding those around you improves businesses.
• Curiosity: always be willing to learn and stay curious. A good community will help you do this and give you the confidence to take risks, so you can comfortably ride the lows as well as the highs. Always try to uplift those around you who struggle to overcome the lows.
• Mentorship: mentoring and reverse mentoring are invaluable. Your mentor can be anywhere – in your company, industry or elsewhere – but they must understand your world and give you helpful feedback and support. A good mentoring relationship is a win-win.
• Purpose: all of the women named in this article (and I am sure the 400 or so nominees too!) are doing amazing things to advance science but also the way their teams and businesses operate. This is down to an unwavering desire to empower those around them, but also to innovate and bring these innovations to patients globally.

If you read the article and want more inspiring stories, check out the Diverse Perspectives podcast hosted by Pfizer’s Angela Hwang (CCO and President, Global Biopharmaceuticals Business), or our very own Diversity and Inclusion stories: One Voice Made of Many. At DLA Piper we have a number of people networks, including the Leadership Alliance for Women (LAW), which works to empower all women at our firm, and beyond.