Welcome to Women in Pharma? (WIP) Iberia Affiliate

Women in Pharma? (WIP) Iberia Affiliate

A community focused on empowering women operating from and for the Iberia region (Portugal and Spain).         

Founded in December 2021. We are a non-profit branch of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Iberia, and the first community focused on women empowerment operating from and for the Iberia region (Portugal and Spain). Our dream is to be the home for all women within the pharmaceutical industry, sharing the ambition to become better leaders on both the social and business fronts.

WIP? Community

The pluralism and diversity of our community is to be celebrated, as it enriches the exchange of experiences and perspectives.         

A community is nothing without its members, and WIP? is fortunate to have close to 1,000 followers as of March 2023. We see this as a positive indicator of the community's relevance to the pharmaceutical sector, and especially to Women.

We have a stronger positioning in the Iberia region, though our members are spread across 3 continents (Europe, Asia and the Americas) and 27 different countries. Spain and Portugal represent almost 83%, followed by the United States, Germany, Brazil and India. Similarly, our community is a mix of entry-level professionals and senior leaders such as directors and vice presidents. They represent small, medium and large companies (measured in number of employees).

We seek to have a positive impact on the sector and on society.

We constantly challenge ourselves to find the best way to fulfill our mission        

Supporting and empowering women working in the pharmaceutical industry to reach their full potential and leave their mark on their careers is the key purpose behind WIP?'s mission. We constantly challenge ourselves to find the best way to fulfill our mission. Our key initiatives include:

1.????Sharing inspiring stories of remarkable women who are role models: Through interviews with experienced and professionally connected women in the pharmaceutical industry, we share stories in the form of experiences, learnings and advice. We also make dreams more tangible and achievable by reflecting them in a real success story.

2.????Promoting events such as workshops/talks, webinars and roundtables: Through thematic, virtual and face-to-face events, we connect the community with trusted professionals specialized in career advancement topics and willing to support all community members to reach their full potential.

3.????Create networking opportunities through social and technical meetings: Promote face-to-face meetings in a relaxed atmosphere to expand our network of colleagues and reliable contacts in the pharmaceutical sector, while creating the forum for meaningful exchanges.

4.????Post quality content on social media: LinkedIn is WIP?'s social media of choice. We publish meaningful content for our community, whether it's original or third-party material and resources, such as essays, articles, podcasts, newsletters and more.

Highlights of 2022

Thanks to the generosity of our partners, in 2022 WIP? carried out a range of initiatives in all areas of community action. All of them are available for consultation on the WIP? LinkedIn page:

• Interviews with five women leaders in the pharmaceutical sector, in top management positions in biotechnology, generics and strategic consulting companies: Marta Rodríguez Vélez ; Vanessa Miguelez Leon ; Marta Parente; Rossana García Castro and Maria Isolina Mesquita.
• ?Roundtable-style discussion on leadership styles in pharmaceutical operations and the role of women. The event took place at FarmaForum and featured a panel of high-level speakers: Ana Maqueda ; Cristina Mazó Riera ; Daniel Marquardt, PhD ; Elena Alvarez ; Francisco José Aranda Campos and Raquel Arenós Sambró . WIP? also participated as an invited member in the round table on diversity and inclusion in industrial environments, represented by Cristina Mazó Riera.
• ?LinkedIn live broadcast event on tips for professional development and personal growth. The event entitled "Your unique human potential" was attended by Natasa Kragolnik , executive leadership coach, who answered all the questions, doubts and curiosities of the participants.
• ?Original essay "Happy and grateful 2022" on gratitude and happiness and their role in our personal and professional lives, by the hands of Vanda Vieira Vicente, WIP? affiliate and founding member (https://www.dhirubhai.net/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6884833622449246208/).
• ?Published more than 35 contents on topics related to #leadership, #performance and #emotionalintelligence, #professionaldevelopment, #genderbalance, stereotypes and biases, and successful #womenleaders. In addition, promoted six seminars/web events in collaboration with ISPE Global and Iberia;

The present and future in 2023

Networking is a priority area for WIP? in 2023.        

In 2023, WIP? will continue to publish quality content on our social networks to feed the curiosity and drive the reflection of our community on strategic topics around leadership and personal development. Keep an eye on our LinkedIn page for the latest news and content highlights.

We also renewed our commitment to interview women in the pharmaceutical sector, both Portuguese and Spanish, with inspiring stories of life and professional achievements. Stories that we believe are worth telling and remembering.

Networking is a priority area for WIP? in 2023. We will support carefully selected events focused on promoting professional networking experiences and opportunities, such as the 1st Business & Networking Cruise for Women Executives in May 2023 (https://networkingdirectivasabordo.com/), where a selected group of women will embark on a four-day immersive experience on board a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. To complement the practical experience, in the second half of 2023 we will provide specific training on how to network effectively.

We will continue to bet on live virtual events, to democratize access to tools and trusted professionals specialized in career development and leadership advancement. On March 29 ?, 2023, we went live on Zoom? with our partner Inês Moura , a vocal executive coach, to talk about the power of our voices as a tool to be heard and have more impact at work. Throughout 2023 we have more live events planned on topics such as networking, personal/social branding and leadership.

At the end of September 2023, WIP? will be at FARMAFORUM 2025 - the leading trade fair for the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, cosmetics and laboratory technology industry held in Spain. We will organize and promote a round table to discuss and share perspectives related to the opportunities and challenges of digitalization and artificial intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry.

Last but not least, and consistent with our social commitment, we have entered into an alliance with Farmacéuticos Sin Fronteras de Espa?a (FSFE). This is a benchmark organization that leads a multitude of actions that contribute to improving the quality of life and health of the most disadvantaged. Among its lines of action, it is worth highlighting the one focused on the emergency in Ukraine to provide humanitarian aid to the people affected by the conflict and the one focused on Turkey-Syria to respond to the humanitarian emergency situation after the earthquake catastrophe. In this context, within the framework of the FSFE-WIP? collaboration, Women in Pharma will support and actively participate in different lines of work.

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY AND PARTNERS for supporting WIP?'s mission as an Iberian association for the empowerment of women in the pharmaceutical sector. We are a dynamic community and all our events and ideas are communicated on our LinkedIn page. Follow us!

Cheers,

Vanda Vieira Vicente

Committee Coordinator

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