20 Important Quotes That Can Change Your Company’s Culture
The 2023 Facilities of the Future Conference Women in Pharma panel welcomed a full room. Seen from left to right: Carolina Serrano (moderator), Kerren Bergman, Vivianne Arencibia and Jessica Ballinger
The room filled quickly with members of the pharmaceutical industry of all ages, genders, and backgrounds as we kicked off day two of ISPE’s 2023 Facilities of the Future Conference with an unconventional panel: Innovating Your Career, Powered & Led by Women in Pharma.
Moderated by Carolina Serrano, Chair of ISPE’s Great Lakes Chapter’s Emerging Leaders group, and Chair of the Mentorship Committee for Women in Pharma, the panel featured three impressive female executives who paved their way through a once male-dominated industry, making a name for themselves, while bringing life-changing technologies and treatment plans to market:
Throughout the hour-long discussion, the panelists covered an array of topics surrounding the ever-evolving landscape as it applies to hiring and retaining new talent, managing the tension as we continue to integrate generations of professionals, and drawing on subjective experiences with their younger and more tenured employees.
Here’s a list of the 20 most powerful key takeaways:
Diversity of Thought
“Encourage people to speak up. Show that you value every voice. There are some cultures in which it’s respectful to not speak over people. Prompt them to speak. Create the path.” -- Jessica Ballinger
“It’s about creating roles and the support network for those with less experience to give them the skills they need to succeed. It’s creating the opportunity...creating the safe opportunity. Whether you’re talking about gender or age.” - Vivianne Arencibia
“There’s an opportunity to really have people shine. Find gems, turn them loose and they will change your company.” - Jessica Ballinger
Workforce of The Future
“Talent wants something around purpose. The next promotion is about getting experiences and skills rather than moving up. They are about ‘what do I take and learn from here’, and the company needs to structure jobs with more fluidity in a world where career progression is seen as horizontal.” - Vivianne Arencibia
“It’s ok if someone stays at a company for two years and moves on. Let’s make those the best two years.” -- Kerren Bergman
“We have some of our best ideas coming from our new employees. They bring some of the most creative solutions, and we need to nurture that – the best inventions I showed you are from Co-Ops, fresh out of school.” - Jessica Ballinger
“Younger generations are going to have a harder time to make a phone call – that’s ok.” - Kerren Bergman
“There’s a generational gap of 20 years difference of experience and we’re trying to find our way and we don’t always get it right.” - Jessica Ballinger
“I have Carolina over here on one side reading off her phone, and Vivianne on my other side reading off her notebook, if that doesn’t speak to the difference in generations...” - Kerren Bergman
Empathetic Leadership
“This new generation sees no light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to cost of living, and they feel they can’t buy a house. You must provide de-stressors. Cash matters at this point, especially in Boston, where you need it to survive.” -- Jessica Ballinger
“Focus on wellness and mental health. You originally had home life and work life and now it’s all meshed together. If you’re grounded, your family is grounded, and you can be a more productive employee.” - Vivianne Arencibia
“If you treat people with respect and demonstrate the skillset, you’ll move up.” -- Kerren Bergman
“It’s less about time and role, but it’s about leadership and it isn’t about being the expert engineer – we need others to work cross-functionally, to inspire. -- Kerren Bergman
“Some people may need pet insurance over maternity leave. These benefits support women contributing at work while being able to take care of their families.” -- Kerren Bergman
Personal Path to Success
“I take out the trash as much as I do anything else because you just have to get the job done.” -- Kerren Bergman
“Have a mindset of curiosity and continue to challenge yourself.” -- Kerren Bergman
“If I wasn’t afraid of it, I wouldn’t take the move. If I was terrified of moving forward, it challenged me to work harder, to find support networks, to join ISPE.” - Vivianne Arencibia
“It is ok to be assertive, it is ok to have an opinion, its ok to have thoughts and to put them out there. If I get bored and I want to move something along, that’s ambition.” - Jessica Ballinger
“I was told I needed to stand tall, do the Wonder woman pose, lower my voice...I decided to just be myself in groups. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s ok. Call it a day and go somewhere you can be more impactful.” - Jessica Ballinger
“You need people. They need to be your nucleus.” - Vivianne Arencibia
Vivianne Arencibia, Jessica Ballinger, Carolina Serrano, and Kerren Bergman posing before the start of the Innovating Your Career, Powered & Led by Women in Pharma that took place at the 2023 Facilities of the Future Conference.
ISPE’s Women in Pharma initiative is committed to diversifying the pharmaceutical industry, paving the way for a more inclusive work culture.
ISPE's Women in Pharma group is a member-exclusive initiative committed to bridging gender, cultural, organizational, and geographic boundaries to maximize the impact women have on the pharmaceutical industry, and their respective communities.
Women in Pharma aspires to create a pharmaceutical industry that is equitable, inclusive, free of biases and stereotypes, where diversity of thought thrives.
