A Medical Affairs to Remember - A Leader Transforming Culture

Meet Brigid Waite “Brig”, Associate Medical Director of Roche Pharmaceuticals, Sydney Australia. She is indeed a woman on a mission and one to stand up and take notice of! With a Degree in Applied Science (Health Information Management) from the University of Sydney, Brigid is a true Pioneer in her field and is making waves within Medical Affairs. In the true spirit of being a Limited-Edition Leader, she was a woman I had to Interview.

Brigid’s career spans across 20 years within the Pharmaceutical Industry, and has expertise in Leadership, Strategic Direction as well as robust technical knowledge within the Medical, Commercial and Clinical Trials Divisions. Her expertise also spans across multiple therapeutic areas particularly related to Oncology, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatology, Respiratory, Transplant as well as personalized health care. A well-rounded individual that has worked within all stages of product life cycle, pipeline/prelaunch, launch, growth through to end of product life cycle and divestment.

Brigid is so much more than her Expertise and Experience. Brigid has a Passion and Drive for Innovation and Process Improvement with a strong focus on People. Brigid’s Leadership Style is Collaborative, Intuitive, Empathic and Genuine. Just by talking with Brigid I noticed those qualities immediately. I can see why she’s making waves.

Brigid believes strongly about enabling her people to do their jobs of a high performing standard and also bring out the best in them. She believes that by having the adequate Processes and Frameworks in place will support her People and encourage creativity and innovation. 

Brigid is involved in many additional Transformational Initiatives within Roche: 

1/ Process Task Force – She is responsible for Transforming the Medical Education Platform of this initiative whereby to simplify, reduce complexity of processes so that individuals can feel more empowered and accountable for their work, thus creating a Risk Based Culture.

2/ Australian Women’s Network - Women supporting Women Initiative where Brigid is starting to drive cultural change for Parental Leave. Brigid is passionate about supporting women through all stages of the parental leave process. Specifically, Pre, During and Post return to work to provide a smooth transition for soon to be mothers transitioning out of the workforce, this includes check-ins whilst the employee is on leave, and creating a low impactful transition back into the workplace, where it can be the most stressful for a working mother. 

Is there anything that Brigid can’t do? Obviously not! And that’s why I admire Brigid for her Leadership Prowess.

Brigid is a woman of influence within Roche and the Medical Affairs Community, and it has nothing to do with her Position, title is just a consequence of her high performing attitude to work. She has a way of translating Business acumen into developing her direct reports. Brigid has a unique set of Personal Qualities that I’d like to showcase:

·        She’s able to see each individual’s unique set of qualities and harness and sharpen those qualities for the development of the individual as well as for the good of the team.

·        Down-to-earth and approachable Personality enables her team to perform cohesively and to a high standard meeting KPIs with ease.

·        Turning Business Concepts into successful operational outcomes.

 Brigid’s innovation, ingenuity and strong focus on People and Culture has awarded her numerous accolades this space which includes:

·        Winner of Roche High Performance Culture Award “Committed to the Greater Good”.

·        Winner of over 10 Excellence Awards: related to product launch, change management activities, process improvement and creating enhanced medical value for the organization.

·         Winner of the Roche Global Recognition Award for driving medical initiatives in the Launch of a leading oncology brand

When I asked Brigid what she loved most about Leadership, her response was “Developing people, making connections and having the responsibility to create strategy for the department and/or team and execute on the vision” 

Bottom-line, she says she “loves to challenge herself”, whether its putting her hand up to drive company initiatives or merely listening to others and being engaged in what they’re saying.

So I asked Brigid, what is some of your Pet-Peeves about Leadership? Her response was “people that have set agendas” and “don’t really want to hear others points of view.”

Then I asked Brigid who inspires her within the media, and she said “Rosie Batty – Ambassador Domestic Violence” and “Sandra Sully – Ambassador for National Adoption and Awareness, and various charities and National Ambassador for Do Something, which encourages social change. 

After exploring these persons of influence with Brigid and understanding her “Why” it showed me that she was inspired by Women who had to overcome adversity in their lives, but turned negatives into positives not only for themselves but to help others in their own lives overcome difficulties. These inspiring women have pushed through boundaries and have also supported other women by their actions. 

This touched me immensely, as although Brigid is the Epitome of the ideal Associate Medical Director, her qualities, and her attitudes to Leadership and how she Leads her Life is what to me, sets her apart from the rest. Women supporting women is a challenge within the corporate sector and I’m honoured to see that Brigid is a woman of integrity and influence and is paving the way forward within Roche. 

Brigid Waite is a Limited-Edition Leader, who embodies Leadership Qualities throughout all aspects of her life. A woman who inspires others into action through her authenticity, a transformational leader who leads from the inside out. Her results are a true testament to her attitudes and behaviours to work.

If you’d like to learn more about Brigid Waite and you’d like to see what I’ve seen in her, please connect with her: linkedin.com/in/brigid-waite-1808a683

Paula Dunn - Founder & Director, No Limits Consulting is a Business Consultant - People & Culture that loves "Creating Happy Leaders, Happy Teams and Happy Cultures" with Business Leaders, SMEs and Corporations with a strong emphasis within the Pharmaceutical/CRO Industry.

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